7/28/15 1 Brand Image & Reputation Matt Thornhill SIR Research/Generations Matter July 28, 2015 Today’s Agenda The 324 Places initiative The role of branding for Virginia’s 324 Places Key steps in branding and reputation management Participant discussion
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Brand Image & Reputation - Virginia Municipal League · Brand Image & Reputation Matt Thornhill SIR Research/Generations Matter July 28, 2015 Today’s Agenda The 324 Places initiative
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Brand Image & ReputationMatt Thornhill
SIR Research/Generations MatterJuly 28, 2015
Today’s Agenda
The 324 Places initiativeThe role of branding for Virginia’s 324 PlacesKey steps in branding and reputation managementParticipant discussion
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324 Places in Virginia
New program from VML focusing on the key trends that local governments in Virginia will face over the next 10 years.Providing you a roadmap with strategies.Articles monthly in Virginia Town & City.Theme of 2015 VML Annual Conference, Oct 4-6 in Richmond: The Future of Virginia: 324 Places.
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Today’s Agenda
The 324 Places initiativeThe role of branding for Virginia’s 324 PlacesKey steps in branding and reputation managementParticipant discussion
Three types of Brands for Places:
Three types of Brands for Places:
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Happy Accidents
1Happy
Accidents
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Marketing Efforts
2Marketing
Efforts
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Local Identities
3Local
Identities
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1 Happy Accidents
2 Marketing Efforts
3 Local Identities
1 Happy Accidents
2 Marketing Efforts
3 Local Identities
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Why Worry About Branding?
Help build community pride Recruit newcomersAttract businessesAttract tourists
“But We Aren’t a Consumer Product”
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You Are in Communications:Website?Facebook, Twitter, YouTube?Email newsletters?Bills to citizens?Welcome sign?Town seal?Letterhead for departments? Business cards?Economic development efforts?Community access cable channel?
You Are in Communications:Website?Facebook, Twitter, YouTube?Email newsletters?Bills to citizens?Welcome sign?Town seal?Letterhead for departments?Business cards?Economic development efforts?Community access cable channel?
BRANDINGBRANDING
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Are you controlling your
messaging?
????Are you
controlling your messaging?
Why This Matters:
You have dozens of channels of “owned”
media in which to communicate with
your citizens.
Most municipalities do
not manage, monitor, or
leverage all of those channels
very well.
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You Are Not Alone
Chamber of CommerceEconomic DevelopmentNeighborhood/Districts
Tourism AttractionsArts & Cultural Organizations
Local Media…And Many More!
Why Worry About Branding?
Help build community pride Recruit newcomersAttract businessesAttract tourists
Helps you bounce back from unforeseen circumstances
Helps you bounce back from unforeseen circumstances
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Remember?
Strong Brands are Resilient
New Orleans
Baltimore
Charleston
New Orleans
Baltimore
Charleston
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Today’s Agenda
The 324 Places initiativeThe role of branding for Virginia’s 324 PlacesKey steps in branding and reputation managementParticipant discussion
The Goal for Brand and Reputation Management?
CONTROLCONTROL
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Key Steps:
Leverage what you already have or are known for.Remember everyone owns the brand.Coordination, consistency, and continuity deliver exponential benefits.
Leverage Your Distinctiveness
Virginia’s 324 Places are each UNIQUE.Identify specific physical assets, features, or attributes that are truly uniquely yours:
RiverMountainBeachLocation (crossroads?)
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Strong Brands Are:
UNIQUE
BELIEVABLECOMPELLING
Leverage Your Distinctiveness
Virginia’s 324 Places are each UNIQUE.Identify specific physical assets, features, or attributes that are truly uniquely yours:
RiverMountainBeachLocation (crossroads?)
Be the first to claim a “generic” asset as uniquely yours (in Virginia).
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Roanoke
Pre-emptive Claims
OutdoorsMountains
ValleyViews
BeachesFestivals
Arts & CultureFriendliest
OutdoorsMountains
ValleyViews
BeachesFestivals
Arts & CultureFriendliest
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Attitude and Personality
Attitude and Personality
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Attitude and Personality
Attitude and Personality
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Leverage Your DistinctivenessTake stock of what you have that makes you different.Determine what you can claim you have, preemptively, that could make you different. Make sure it is not just unique, but believable (true to who you are) and meaningful. Make it a distinction that matters to residents, visitors, and businesses.
Everyone Owns the Brand
#rva#rva
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Everyone Owns the Brand
Everyone Owns the Brand
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Every personis just as powerful
as a newspaper
United Breaks GuitarYouTube Downloads: 11 Million
United Breaks GuitarYouTube Downloads: 11 Million
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Track Online Communication
Understand current sentiment among constituents, especially around important issues.
Deeper dive than Facebook or Twitter.
You can’t control it online, but it is in your best interest to know about it.
Coordination, Consistency, and Continuity
Easy to do. Rarely done.Requires a Communications Audit first.
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Norfolk: No Graphic Consistency
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Little Consistency with Use of Mermaid Icon
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Inconsistent Business Cards
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• ‘Life. Celebrated Daily.’ was standardized in the 1999 Brand Identity and Wayfinding System Design Guidelines. – Font: Century Schoolbook, non-‐standard kerning, italics.
Inconsistent Use of Tagline
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Coordination, Consistency, and Continuity
Easy to do. Rarely done.Requires a Communications Audit first.Engage all relevant organizations shaping your municipalities’ brand image.
You Are Not Alone
Chamber of CommerceEconomic DevelopmentNeighborhood/Districts
Tourism AttractionsArts & Cultural Organizations
Local Media…And Many More!
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The Norfolk Collaboratory
Key Steps:
Leverage what you already have or are known for.Remember everyone owns the brand.Coordination, consistency, and continuity deliver exponential benefits.
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Today’s Agenda
The 324 Places initiativeThe role of branding for Virginia’s 324 PlacesKey steps in branding and reputation managementParticipant discussion