Initiative Branding

City of Roswell, Georgia

Roswell Community-Wide

Background Roswell is a standout in a region known for excep-tional cities; it has a strong sense of place. However, its message has been fractured and disjointed, with its government, tourism, and business arms all tell-ing different stories through separate branding efforts.

Although the City of Roswell, the Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), and Roswell Inc had es-tablished branding for their individual organizations, a unified, comprehensive branding identity for the whole of Roswell has never existed.

To establish a fully integrated, community-wide brand, the CVB contracted (after a thorough RFQ process) with North Star Destination Strategies in March 2014 to determine Roswell’s true, unique and relevant brand position to help the commu-nity stand out in the marketplace.

The branding process was exhaustive and comprehensive and involved the input and facilitation of many stakeholders.

The process was divided into four stages:

Understanding: Quantitative and qualitative research.

Insights/Strategy: Analysis of research data to hone in on Roswell’s story and opportunities.

Creativity: Foundational creative tools that strategically support the brand.

Brand Integration/Action: Hundreds of ideas for integrating brand into the community.

Why Community Branding? A well-defined, unified brand can: Differentiate a community

from its peers Stimulate economic devel-

opment Establish a strategic vision

to make the city a more desirable location for busi-ness, investment, resi-dents, and visitors.

Community-Wide Branding Effort

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Timeline

12/14/15: All Deliverables presented to Council.

11/18/15: All deliverables from the contract were provide by North Star.

10/12/15: Final presentation by North Star during Council Work Session.

8/11/15: Logo family presented to Council. Council chose de-sign & made minor changes to narrative.

7/30/15: Staff presented logo options to Mayor.

May 2015: Staff held several individual meetings with Council members to review logo.

May 2015: Color pallete chosen by Creative Committee.

April 2015: Second round of logos and looks created. Four logos chosen to show Council.

3/16/15: North Star presented first looks/logos. Creative com-mittee requested revisions & new logo options.

Nov. 2014-Jan. 2015: Creative Committee formed; met with North Star and held numerous creative meetings.

October 2014: Branding Work Session held with Council.

August-October 2014: Large Branding Committee (22 people) formed and created the brand platform statement.

July-October 2014: Quantitative research conducted by North Star, including surveys, demographics re-search, and competitive position review, among many others.

June 2014: North Star visited Roswell to conduct interviews

and take tours.

April–May 2014: “Getting Started” kick-off between North Star and core branding team. Stakeholders identified and situational analysis completed.

March 2014: Contract signed with North Star Destinations.

The Process March 2014 to

December 2015

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People Involved

To create a true community branding effort with one central message, repre-sentatives from all over Roswell were involved. Every effort was made to present a true cross-section of the community, and to that end, hundreds of people were involved, from those who volunteered to serve on the Branding Committee to those who were interviewed in focus groups and those who participated in the scien-tific surveying that was done.

Core Branding Team

The Core Branding Team—comprising representatives from Roswell’s municipal, tourism, and business entities—were the key liaisons between North Star and their respective organizations and helped to facilitate the entire process.

Dotty Etris, Executive Director, Convention and Visitors Bureau Steve Stroud, Executive Director, Roswell Inc Ken Davis, President, Renasant Bank, CVB Board Chairman Julie Brechbill, Community Relations Manager, City of Roswell

Educators

Recreation & Parks Recreation & Parks Coach

Young Professional Leader Creative Class Entrepreneur

Religious Leaders

Cultural Leaders (theater, visual arts, etc.)

Outdoor/Sports Enthusiasts Hotel Managers

Stakeholder Interviews

Stakeholders both within the City of Roswell and from surrounding communities were interviewed during North Star’s research phase and represented the following categories:

City Manager/Administrator

Elected Officials Development Authority

City Department Heads CVB/Tourism Officials

Chamber of Commerce Officers

Developers

Business Leaders Historians

Small Business Owners Employees of Major Employers

Business Development Officer for Major Employer

Artists

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People Involved

Branding Committee—Formed August 2014

Members were chosen by the CVB, Roswell Inc, and the City of Roswell to repre-sent religious, business, non-profit, government, and social organizations.

Alex Paulson, Principal, Randall Paulson Architect, AIA Anna Braund, Principal, Braund & Co. Nancy Diamond, Council Member, City of Roswell Kent Iglehart, Council Member, City of Roswell June Holder, Marketing Exec., United Parcel Services Rose Burton, Executive Director, The Home Stretch Kevin Bryant, Managing Partner, Water Tower Partners Eric Lee, Associate Minister, Roswell United Methodist Church David Akindoju, Pastor, The Redeemed Christian Church Ron Johnson, EVP, Client Recruitment, Student Bridge Bob Hagan, President, Sterling Healthcare, Inc. Jim Coyle, President, PaperHost.com Mike Davis, General Manager, Country Club of Roswell Pierre Panos, Owner, Brookwood Grill Randi Sherwin, Graphic Designer, Sherwin Designs Steve Stroud, Executive Director, Roswell Inc Dotty Etris, Executive Director, Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau Ken Davis, President, Renasant Bank Charlie Feehan, CVB Board Member and Business Owner Debi Shapiro, Founder, Henderson, Shapiro, Peck Marketing

Julie Brechbill, Community Relations Manager, City of Roswell

Beckie Hawkins, Roswell Inc

Creative Committee—Formed November 2014

This sub-committee comprised individuals who have significant experience or train-ing in creative arts and marketing.

Charlie Feehan, CVB Board Member and Business Owner Debi Shapiro, Founder, Henderson, Shapiro, Peck Marketing June Holder, Marketing Exec., United Parcel Services Alex Paulson, Principal, Randall Paulson Architect, AIA

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Overview: Deliverables

North Star’s approach to community branding is a comprehensive process that combines re-search/strategy, creativity, and action. Not only does this methodology allow for seamless transi-tions between phases, it allows for collaboration amongst different skill sets at every stage of the initiative.

Research Phase Research and Planning Audit Communication Audit Situation Analysis Familiarization Tour Stakeholder/Resident Interviews Stakeholder Focus Groups Undercover Interviews Geo-Demography Profiling—Residents (Tapestry) Geo-Demography Profiling—Visitors (Tapestry) Perception Studies: Interviews with regional economic development and tourism professionals Consumer Awareness and Perception Study Top Business Prospects List Online Brand Monitoring Competitive Positioning Review Brand Message Assessment Consumer Awareness and Perception Study

Insight Phase Creation of Brand Platform Based on Research

Creative Phase Strapline Logo/Logo Family Color Palette Brand Narrative Proposed Advertisement Incorporating Creative Deliverables Descriptive Vocabulary

Integration/Action Phase Hundreds of implementation designs to show how the brand can be used in everything from official

city wayfinding signage to electronic communications and specialty items/giveaways.

Proposed Brand Action Implementation Plan: 16 actionable tactics to use within the first 6-36 months to integrate and establish the brand.

Follow-up evaluation after one year to assess brand performance. To include: Online Community-Wide Survey Consumer Awareness and Perception Study Community Brand Barometer

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Understanding

Branding Process Step One:

During the Understanding/Research phase of the process, North Star con-ducted more than a dozen pieces of research to identify what differentiates Roswell from its neighbors and competitors. North Star determined a strategy for Roswell to assert across all community assets to implement an effective, meaningful and relevant brand by examin-ing: Consumers: visitors, site selectors, regional/state officials in tourism and

economic development The Community: residents and stakeholders The Competition: neighboring and other communities

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Insights/Strategy

Branding Process Step Two:

During the Insights/Strategy phase, data collected from intellectual and objective

research were analyzed for trending insights that hone in on the Roswell story.

These insights became the framework for Roswell’s strategic brand platform, which

served as the touchpoint for all creativity and action moving forward:

“For those who appreciate preservation and progressiveness, the historic mill town

of Roswell, Georgia, grew up along the banks of the Chattahoochee River, just north

of Atlanta, and today, graciously weaves the character-rich past with a modern, cre-

ative southern spirit—resulting in a sense of place that makes you feel at once spe-

cial, inspired, and comfortable.”

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Creativity

Branding Process Step Three:

The final package of foundational creative tools strategically supports the Roswell brand

platform. Together, they tell the Roswell story in a compelling and memorable way.

These tools included:

Strapline—“Modern Spirit. Southern Soul.”

Narrative & Descriptive Vocabulary—A narrative was developed using artistic language to set the emotional tone for the brand. Its purpose is to help residents, businesses and consumers connect the emotional sto-ry of the brand to their own situations.

Logo/Logo Family—The Roswell logo is both bold and

memorable, optimistic and youthful. The paint brush strokes in the typeface and watermark “R” are a direct nod to Roswell arts and culture, which were defining assets for the community in all the research. The icon-ic watermark “R” can be pulled out of the logo and over time will come to represent Roswell on its own, extending the reach and flexibility of your graphic identity system.

Color Palette—Chosen to reflect Roswell’s natural as-

sets from the Chattahoochee River to award-winning parks and foliage. The green also dovetails with Ro-swell Inc, which provides some overall integration community-wide.

Creative Execution Look—This project demonstrates a detailed “style” for creating various marketing materials. This creative execution is presented as a full-page ad, allowing us to demonstrate headline struc-ture, photography style, graphic devices, copy styles, color treatments and more.

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Integration

Branding Process Step Four:

The Brand Integration Plan contains hundreds of ideas—large and small—

for integrating the brand into the Roswell community.

Ideas for “putting the brand to work” touch on:

Leadership

Infrastructure

Tourism

Economic development

Community outreach

And more

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Integration

Branding Process Step Four:

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Implementation Next Step:

Year 1 Approximate Cost

Currently: Official Website: roswellgov.com $0 Social Media Campaign #wheninroswell $0 Roswell Connections e-newsletter (distributed to 22,000) $0 Recreation & Parks Brochure $0 Recreation & Parks Holiday Flyers $0 Constant Contact Messages (distributed to 22,000) $0 Instagram $0 Twitter $0 Facebook $0 Roswell Calendar for 2016 $0 Internal Communications with employees $0 Lighting Master Plan Document $0

Upcoming: Business Cards and Stationary – as needed $0 All New City Marketing Materials Created $0 PowerPoint Presentation Template $0 Cars and Vehicles – as needed $0 City of Roswell Forms – as needed $0 City Maps $0 New Orders of Clothing/Uniform Shirts, etc. $0 ID Cards for Employees – as needed $0 Utility and Tax Bills $0 New Giveaways for Public Outreach $2,000.00 City Limit Signs $3,412.50 City Hall Wayfinding Signs $660 Banners for the City Hall Campus $1,000 Bike Racks on City Property $3,000 Update Downtown Kiosks Event Calendar $0 Re-record phone greeting for City Hall main number $0 Email integration $0 Integration of Brand Narrative in Marketing and Communication Pieces $0 Meetings with Department heads & Staff Liaisons $0 Meetings with Businesses and Non-profits $0

Year 1 Total: $10,072.50 11

Strategic implementation is the most critical, and sometimes the most challenging aspect of branding. Community brands are not just about straplines and logos. They are about emotion and experience. True branding requires strategies and tactics aimed at getting the brand off the page, onto the street and into people’s hearts, minds and souls. Specifically, the brand is about highlighting the opportunities that abound because of our modern, creative southern spirit. The most crucial period for brand imple-mentation is the first 24 months following launch .

Implementation Next Step:

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Year 2

Website Portal – Developed In-house $0 Merchandise with the New Looks to sell $5,000 Brand Flags $500 Bike Racks on City Property $3,000 Bus Stops – Watermark on glass $200 GOBO for Events $200 Step & Repeat – CAC $150 Meeting with Booster Organizations $0 Meeting with Roswell Library Manager $0 Meeting with Local Schools $0 Continue rolling out the brand, replacing old logo on city items $0 Banners for City Property other than City Hall $2,000 Signage for City Properties other than City Hall $1,100

Year 2 Total: $12,150 Note: In addition to the above, we propose Integrating the tagline and logo in/on City Infrastruc-ture as budget allows (ex. manhole covers, painting crosswalks in the downtown area, public art, water towers, park benches, recycling receptacles, painted on gymnasium walls in recreation cen-ters, etc.).

Approximate Cost

Current Implementation Examples

For more information about

Roswell’s Community Branding Process, contact:

Julie Brechbill

Community Relations Manager

770-594-6416 or jbrechbill@roswellgov.com