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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20. City Branding Program AGENDA MEMO DATE: June 22, 2010 TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Office of the City Manager By: Brian Saeki, Director of Community Development SUBJECT: ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT REGARDING THE PROPOSED CITY OF DOWNEY BRANDING PROGRAM RECOMMENDATION Receive and file this administrative report. BACKGROUND Developing and implementing a branding program for the City of Downey was adopted as a priority by City Council. The Community Development Department is the responsible department for implementing the branding program. Staff members have recently finished an upgrade to City marketing materials to promote the City of Downey’s shopping centers and restaurants. These materials are also used to market redevelopment opportunity sites citywide. City staff also recently completed an upgrade to the City’s website. Currently, staff members seek to more effectively and proactively market the City and position it as a unique community where current businesses thrive, new businesses need to locate, and a city with a high quality of life where people want to live. One of the keys to doing this is developing a unified and consistent Downey image that can be regularly and uniformly communicated to stakeholders and to the marketplace. One method for doing this is to create a Downey brand that consistently communicates what is special and unique about Downey. Staff members have been researching the branding process and discussing what this process could include. The branding process is more than simply creating a new graphical identity for the City of Downey; rather, it is first a process to understand Downey’s strengths, weaknesses, community assets, competitors, current and prospective residents, and the perception of Downey. The City would develop a brand and identity that leverages Downey’s strengths and assets and addresses its weaknesses. Staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consulting services for research, analysis, and implementation of a branding program for the City of Downey. The RFP seeks the following scope of work for a branding consultant: Research and analysis of Downey’s past and current identity. CITY OF DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA A profile of who, historically, have been Downey’s key stakeholders, e.g. residents, employees, businesses, and customers. An evaluation of Downey’s current marketing and positioning efforts. Research and analysis regarding who will be Downey’s stakeholders in the future. Research and analysis regarding what cities are Downey’s competitors and the relative strengths and weaknesses of Downey versus its competitors. Research and analysis regarding appropriate strategies for marketing and positioning the City of Downey in the future. Research and analysis of Downey’s key stakeholders, communication channels, and opportunities. The RFP requested several deliverables that the City would use, in conjunction with a consultant, to implement a branding program for the City. The deliverables are, at a minimum, the following: Graphics and Messaging – Consultant shall create a new icon and message for the City of Downey. Deliverable should be in the form of new graphics materials for the City in multiple formats, e.g. high resolution images, hard copy, and others as appropriate. Branding Plan – Consultant shall provide a branding implementation plan that includes a step-by-step process for implementing the new City branding program. This plan should make specific recommendations for effectively communicating a coordinated, compelling, and uniform brand and message to specified target audiences. The plan should identify key audiences, stakeholders, and communication channels and include methods to effectively establish the City’s brand. The plan should outline how to implement the branding program within the context of Economic Development initially, and also how to implement it across all departments, i.e. Citywide. Effectiveness Measuring System – a system for measuring the effectiveness of the branding program. The City seeks to evaluate how identifiable the City brand is, and whether the branding program is assisting the City with attaining its economic development goals. City staff members circulated a branding RFP, and after evaluation and interviews, made an initial selection of Northstar Incorporated to develop and implement a branding program for the City of Downey. Northstar proposes to use a three-phased approach to implementing a branding program in Downey. The entire process of developing a branding program for Downey is estimated to take approximately one year. Each of the phases is briefly discussed below. PHASE I – EDUCATION AND BUY-IN Northstar prepares an information brochure and launches a Downey-specific website for providing information about the City of Downey branding program. Most importantly, the website is an interactive communication medium for online surveys and for residents to provide input and materials, e.g. photographs that assist with developing the branding program. PHASE II – RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS This phase involves analysis of how the city is perceived by stakeholders, residents, businesses, visitors, and prospective consumers and residents. The current Downey environment, its competitive situation, community attitudes, current communications, and perceptions of target audiences are evaluated. This phase also includes a detailed market segmentation report that includes U.S. Census Bureau data and consumer buying behavior data from Mediamark. This phase will provide information about residents’ lifestyle habits such as media usage, travel behavior, household buying preferences, recreational interests, civic involvement, dining choices, retail preferences, lodging tendencies. This phase also provides an analysis of Downey’s competition. This is an in-depth analysis of Downey’s top five economic development competitors; uncovering strengths and weaknesses in the current business landscape according to national standard industry classifications. PHASE III – CREATION FOUNDATION This phase provides most of the deliverables for the branding program. Specifically, the following would be provided for implementation by the City: Brand Identity Guide -Two distinct options for bringing the approved brand concept to life. Each creative expression will contain the following: Logo creation or adaptation to finished art Graphic standards guide Strapline development Color palette and environmental applications Stationery, business cards, newsletter and collateral design Sample marketing messages for community, economic development, and tourism Brand anthem and brand vocabulary Custom Brand Deliverables - Downey will be asked to identify a handful of custom deliverables that target your specific goals. Ideas include: Entryway signage Merchandise opportunities Public vehicle or bus wraps Economic development recruiting tools A comprehensive branding initiative for the City of Downey is estimated to cost approximately $90,000. It will take approximately one year to conduct the research and analysis and develop the concepts and materials for the branding program. FISCAL IMPACT This is a receive-and-file item that will not have a fiscal impact on the CDC budget.