Community Branding Basics

Seven Steps for Developing a Destination of Distinction

I’ve been fortunate enough to lead destination branding projects for over 35 communities. As I look back at the variety of cultures, assets and politics surrounding every effort, these fundamental points stand out as the pillars for success when you are beginning a community branding initiative.

1. Identify your core stakeholders.
Every community has a group of core stakeholders that guide the direction of the destination. Yes, this is the same group most often accused of controlling the political pocketbooks of the town. Truth is, they stay involved and know how to get things done. If this group includes Tourism, the local Chamber, the City and Economic Development you’re ahead of the game. Without a group of passionate people behind a community branding effort, nothing happens.

2. Engage everyone else in the community - somehow.
When people have a chance to voice their opinion they feel valued. Granted, the most vocal citizens are the same ones who show up at council each month and seem to do nothing but complain. Nonetheless, they are passionate, even if they are sometimes misguided. Naysayers will exist. You'll have to get over it and move on. Providing a vehicle for citizen input on the vision of a community is important. And it should be, it's their community.

3. Authentic experiences matter if you want to be remembered as somewhere distinct.
Everywhere, and I mean every single community, says they are a great place to live, work and play. That may be true, but it not a distinct statement. If you are going to really consider branding your destination, you must first decide to fully commit to leveraging your soon to be established USP (unique selling proposition).

4. What other people say does matter.
Have you ever gone house shopping and asked potential neighbors what they think of the neighborhood or community? Why wouldn't you do the same when learning the perceptions of your community? Ask neighboring community leaders and citizens what they think of your community. Good or bad, it's some of the most important feedback you could learn.

5. Taglines and logos are important, but way over emphasized.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to branding and marketing a destination. No one has ever made a decision to visit or move a business to a community because they liked their logo. This is probably the single most controversial area of community branding. Often a high-dollar price tag is assigned to a very complex branding project only to have one loud vocal citizen turn it into an overpriced logo design. Two primary tips to avoid this: 1) don't unveil a logo to celebrate the completion of the branding initiative (not sure I've ever seen McDonald's do this) 2)educate the public on the real insights of the project and how it will be used to make decisions moving forward.

6. Hire an outside (dare I say it) consultant to moderate the process.
Yes, the dreaded C word will instantly create cries to keep the business local; however, a local provider instantly creates conflicts over political alliances. An outsider brings a fresh unbiased perspective. Even Tiger Woods has a golf coach watch his swing.

7. Develop a marketing plan for success.
Most communities want to be recognized like Las Vegas, but seem to forget about the years of publicity, amount of investment and advertising that has been put behind it. Don’t expect to be recognized like McDonald’s, Nike or Apple if you’re spending like Taylor’s Bait Shop. More importantly, develop a marketing plan so you can see the affects of your efforts and measure the ROI of the dollars spent.

A Town Hall Meeting of the Nashville Advertising Industry

This past Thursday, I was the moderator for a town hall discussion held by the American Advertising Federation on the current economic climate of the Nashville advertising industry. All those who attended participated in a passionate exchange of observations and advice on how to get through these tough times. Here’s my list of the top five things discussed:

1. Consumers are in control more than ever. Haven’t we heard this before? We all have been saying this for a several years; however, in our quest to chase profits we find ourselves being reminded of this simple principle. In a world where mass media has been replaced by personal media, listening to consumers is more relevant now than it’s ever been.

2. Marketers are adjusting their messages in an attempt to empathize with consumers current fears. In a world of bail-outs and an uncertain financial future, security and comfort can be found everywhere in advertising today. One such example is Nationwide Insurance, who has dropped their “Life comes at you fast” campaign and gone back to the long running theme, “Nationwide is on your side”.

3. Marketers must be careful not to sacrifice long-built brand equity or long-term strategies for achieving short-term gains. Everyone is offering discounts and deals never before seen in order to create the added value consumers are demanding (see #1 about listening to the consumer). But remember, value is not just about low prices. Added value can be achieved by providing more than what is expected. If a consumer feels they have received more than they paid, they’ll keep coming back and tell others!

4. There was a lot of discussion around the emerging role of social media and how it has affected other traditional media. The big take-away was probably this – consumers are still consuming media. Most importantly, consumers have changed the types of media they are consuming, and they’ve changed the way they consume all media. Again, less mass and more personal.

5. Ideas still matter – a lot. Bring people ideas (consumers, customers, clients) and you create value.

Do you have more ideas or suggestions worth sharing? Add to the list. This is new territory for all of us. The more we share the more we evolve.

The Masters and Augusta National Golf Club – A Marketing Lesson Unlike Any Other

I played Augusta this week. Well sort of. I did not play golf, but if walking around admiring the magnificent beauty of the single most defining atmosphere of any sport can be considered playing, then that’s what I did. That’s right. I said it. Let the debates begin. I absolutely believe no venue defines its sport more than Augusta National does for golf. Fenway Park. Daytona. The Brickyard. Actually, old St. Andrews of Scotland is pretty darn defining. But I still place it behind Augusta National.

From a marketing perspective, there are actually some strong lessons we can learn from Augusta National (and a few of the other sacred venues in sports). Here are three of them that jump out to me:

1. Exclusivity matters. Imagine if your company delivered an experience so strong that customers would be thrilled to pay a premium for it. There’s an aura of privacy to Augusta National that builds on its lore. Marketers use membership and loyalty clubs to create this very reaction.

2. Don’t erode your identity for profits. Often we see companies salivate on their own success so much that they attempt to capitalize every way possible. Many of us call this a “sell-out”. Augusta National has two sponsors for the most important golf tournament of the year. Why? They have always felt commercialization of the tournament would lessen the golfer and spectator experience. An easy call to make 50 years ago, but in today’s multi-million dollar sponsorships it’s tempting. Augusta National maintains its elite status by standing to its low commercial content rules today (56 minutes of every hour broadcast on TV is commercial free).

3. Aesthetics matter – a lot! What do you think of when you think of Augusta? Here’s my list: golf; azaleas; pines; Masters; green jackets; greatness; tradition; a theme song (I can hear it now); perfectly groomed fairways and greens; caddies wearing white jump suits; the 13th hole (Amen Corner). That’s quite the profile. Was there any question where I was talking about? Their consistencies behind the elements that give them their identity are the reason why Augusta National has such rich imagery.

I’m sure the list could be longer. If you have any extras let me know. I’m off to leverage the inspiration of Augusta into a better golf swing.

Which marketing book keeps you coming back?

A recent blog by Jonah Bloom with Advertising Age issued the Top 10 Media and Marketing Books of All Time http://adage.com/bookstore/post?article_id=134945



It's worth sharing to see which ones made your lists over the years. What's the best marketing book you've read not on the list? Which book do you have countless pages turned and sticky notes attached?


1."POSITIONING: THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND"
Al Ries and Jack Trout


2."OGILVY ON ADVERTISING"
David Ogilvy


3."THE 22 IMMUTABLE LAWS OF BRANDING"
Al Ries and Laura Ries


4."E"
Matt Beaumont


5."HEY, WHIPPLE. SQUEEZE THIS: A GUIDE TO CREATING GREAT ADVERTISING"
Luke Sullivan


6."WHERE THE SUCKERS MOON: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN"
Randall Rothenberg


7."GOOD TO GREAT: WHY SOME COMPANIES MAKE THE LEAP AND OTHERS DON'T"
Jim Collins


8."THE BOOK OF GOSSAGE"
Howard Luck Gossage, Jeff Goodby and Bruce Bendinger


9."INFLUENCE: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION"
Robert B. Cialdini


10."BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING"
Malcom Gladwell

Irish Is An Attitude – Just Ask The Folks In Dublin, Ohio

Who says you have to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day? Heck, Patrick himself wasn’t Irish. Apparently the folks in Dublin, Ohio feel the same way. This jewel of a town has done a fantastic job of leveraging one of their greatest assets –their name. One small secret is the town has little connection to Irish ancestry. Its founders gave the dubious honor of naming their new village to their land surveyor, an Irishman who named it after his homeland, Dublin, Ireland. Today, Dublin is becoming one of America’s least kept secrets for enjoying Irish tradition, particularly on that sacred day of green, St. Patrick’s Day. In August, they hold an Irish Festivals that now attracts near 100,000 visitors. This was no accident; the city of Dublin and their active Convention & Visitors Bureau make a strong effort to deliver an Irish experience 365 days a year. Dublin is a great example of how to extend the attributes of a destination brand into the community. As evident by their green fire hydrants, themed festivals & events, community colors (yes the Chamber, City and tourism logos all contain a green clover) and their three rival high schools nicknamed the Irish, Shamrocks and Celtics. They even give out a “Living the Irish Attitude Award” to community businesses that add to the Dublin destination experience. One local hotel named its meeting rooms after Irish counties. Now that’s living the brand!

If you are ever in and around Columbus, Ohio I encourage a visit to Dublin – check out their web site at www.irishisanattitude.com. It really is magically delicious.

Fans Rule! Just ask Coca-Cola.

Last week I posted an entry about the power in being fancentric in your marketing. Did you know Coca-Cola has the second most popular page on Facebook (#1 is President Obama)? Here's the kicker, Coca-Cola didn't create the popular FB group, a fan did. Advertising Age recently published this fantastic story - http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=135238.

I also failed to mention a very popular book written about turning customers into fans called Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service written by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles.

March Madness Teaches Us the Value in Being Fancentric

Is there a better month for any sport than that of March Madness and NCAA basketball? I personally love how it brings out the most rabid of fans. If you watch any Kentucky NCAA tournament basketball game (don't expect to see any this year) you'll see an Elvis impersonator dressed in complete Kentucky gear. You'd swear the King is alive and well living in the Bluegrass state. Also at the game will be students doning blue body paint and a sea of blue and white jerseys. Kentucky fans have actually been nicknamed the Blue Mist because of their numbers and extreme loyal following. Even UK graduate and well-known Big Blue follower Ashley Judd is among this group. After the buzzer, faithful fans will scream, cry, and even hug complete strangers all in the name of their team.

Creating fans should be the ultimate goal of marketers. If we could deliver an experience so authentic and meaningful to our customers that it helped them identify themselves, we'd have marketing gold.

Here are some examples of brands that don't just have customers, they have fans.

ESPN - I actually heard someone from ESPN speak to a group of Nashville marketers. They actually believe the difference between their network and others is that others have viewers while ESPN has fans. This is the basis of the "This is Sportscenter" ad campain.

Harley Davidson - What marketer hasn't mentioned Harley Davidson in a meeting as an example of someone who has created fantastic brand loyalty among its customer base. We all see people wearing the black and orange Harley apparel whether they are riding the motorcycle or not. It instantly makes a statement of who they are (I wish I had a Harley).

Other brands to deem fan-centric are: iPod, BMW, IKEA, and Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ? Sure. Followers of this man have cried, sang and hugged complete strangers. Sounds almost like a college baskteball fan.

Let's challenge all marketers to try turning their customers into fans. Maybe it will turn the consumer experience into something so valuable we wear a t-shirt to tell the world.

Who's on your list of fan-centric brands?