Nick Vehr, president of Vehr Commmunications, shares his recent presentation as the keynote speaker at the Annual Meeting of the Hamilton County (OH) Planning Partnership on Friday, March 14. In the presentation, learn more about the challenges and benefits of place branding for cities, states and countries, an overview of how to do place branding, the 15 most common mistakes of place branding and more.
8. Your Brand is a Promise
A single, compelling value proposition
9. Your Brand is a Promise
A single, compelling value proposition
between you and the people
that matter most to your community
(your target audience … customer)
10. Your Brand is a Promise
A single, compelling value proposition
between you and the people
that matter most to your community
(your target audience … customer)
to help you win
(achieve your objective)
11. Branding is …
The fulfillment of your “promise” with every
interaction with your target audience:
12. Branding is …
… how you bring your brand to life :
– Research
– Marketing
– Advertising
– Media Relations
– Social Media
– Community Relations
– And much, much more
13. Some more Terminology
• Image: how you are perceived today
• Identity: how you want your community to be perceived
(desired identity)
• Themes: key differentiators
• Target Audience(s): the people you must influence to take
the desired action in order to achieve your objective
• Objective(s): what action you desire of your target audience
• Key messages/positioning: words/images that will inspire
your audience to the desired action
• Strategies: specific but broad plans to achieve your stated
objectives
• Tactics: actionable and measureable things to do to achieve
the strategies
16. But it’s never really what you think
A
B
C
EXPECTATION
A
B
C
D E
F
G
REALITY
17. Converting “prospects” to “buyers”
For every 1,000 “Qualified Prospects”
you touch …
40% - 400 will not buy a thing
30% - 300 will buy from some vendor
in < 6 months
20% - 200 will buy from some vendor
in 6-12 months
10% - 100 will buy from some vendor
in > 12 months
18. Place-branding has many choir leaders
Mayor
City Council
City Manager
Township Trustees
Neighborhood Councils
Business Associations
Citizens Media
“Experts”Governor
In the public sector, everyone has an opinion
19. Singing off the same sheet isn’t easy
Experts:
Research, Marketing,
Graphic Design, PR
Process:
Surveys, Community
Engagement, Online
Contests, Public
Hearings …
23. The concept is easy …
You are trying to influence your target
audience (TA) to take a desired action …
A
Where TA is today
24. The concept is easy … (cont.)
You are trying to influence your target
audience (TA) to take a desired action …
… to move from point A to point B
A B
Where TA is today Where you want TA to be
25. Execution … not so much
• PROMISE: What differentiates you … your
compelling value proposition?
• AUDIENCE: Who matters most to you?
• OBJECTIVE: What action do I want them to take?
• KEY MESSAGE/POSITIONING: What can I say or do
to affect the desired action?
26. Execution … not so much (cont.)
• STRATEGIES: How do I do it?
• TACTICS: What specific things should I do?
• EXECUTION: How and who will do it consistently
and professionally?
• MEASUREMENT: How do I know if it’s working?
• ADJUST: How do I know if I should change it up?
27. It starts with a promise
PROMISE
OBJECTIVES
THEMES
KEY MESSAGES
(story concepts/ideas)
STRATEGIES
TACTICS
(content calendar,
timetables, accountabilities)
MEASURE & ADJUST
28. Message map … a tool
PROMISE …
Our community will help you to
achieve your American dream
29. Message map … a tool (cont.)
PROMISE …
OBJECTIVES …
Increase tax base
by X%
X% fewer
Type 1 crimes
Reduce citizen
complaints by X%
Our community will help you to
achieve your American dream
30. Message map … a tool (cont.)
PROMISE …
OBJECTIVES …
THEMES …
Lower cost of
doing business
No individual
income tax
Achieve work/life
balance
Increase tax base
by X%
X% fewer
Type 1 crimes
Reduce citizen
complaints by X%
Our community will help you to
achieve your American dream
31. Message map … a tool (cont.)
PROMISE …
OBJECTIVES …
THEMES …
KEY MESSAGES … No corporate
inventory tax
Shovel-ready
development sites
Plentiful, educated
workforce
Increase tax base
by X%
X% fewer
Type 1 crimes
Reduce citizen
complaints by X%
Lower cost of
doing business
No individual
income tax
Achieve work/life
balance
Our community will help you to
achieve your American dream
32. Message map … a tool (cont.)
PROMISE …
OBJECTIVES …
THEMES …
KEY MESSAGES …
STRATEGIES …
Our community will help you to
achieve your American dream
No corporate
inventory tax
Shovel-ready
development sites
Plentiful, educated
workforce
Third party study
of area taxes
Company “X”
case study
Community CEO
testimonials
Increase tax base
by X%
X% fewer
Type 1 crimes
Reduce citizen
complaints by X%
Lower cost of
doing business
No individual
income tax
Achieve work/life
balance
33. Message map … a tool (cont.)
PROMISE …
OBJECTIVES …
THEMES …
KEY MESSAGES …
STRATEGIES …
TACTICS …
Our community will help you to
achieve your American dream
No corporate
inventory tax
Shovel-ready
development sites
Plentiful, educated
workforce
Third party study
of area taxes
Company “X”
case study
Community CEO
testimonials
Local business
paper
Letter from
Mayor
Call from
another CEO
Increase tax base
by X%
X% fewer
Type 1 crimes
Reduce citizen
complaints by X%
Lower cost of
doing business
No individual
income tax
Achieve work/life
balance
35. 1. It influences choice
Your target audience (customer) will recognize
you more quickly and choose you more often.
36. 2. It creates loyalists and advocates
Creating an emotional connection strengthens
a personal bond and sense of loyalty.
37. 3. It connects price with
quality service
Citizens are more willing to pay for quality
services if they value the tangible and
intangible benefits of living and working there.
38. 4. It empowers everyone …
creates “we”
From staff to elected
officials to citizens, it
empowers everyone to
demand excellence,
expect quality and
professionalism. It
creates “we” and breaks
down “us” and “them.”
40. Five Benefits of Place-Branding
1. It influences choice
2. It creates loyalists and advocates
3. It connects price with quality service
4. It empowers everyone … creates “we”
5. It enables growth
49. 11. Thinking of branding too late in
the development process
Hey, boss, the new
project is finished and
it looks beautiful.
FANTASTIC!
Now, let’s brand it as
a recreation center.
Check that. How
about a health clinic.
Never mind. Let’s
call it the “People’s
Park”. Huh … that
sounds like Putin?
Never mind. Can we
sell naming rights?
50. 12. Thinking of branding only as
marketing, logo, tagline, etc.
54. Fifteen Most Common Mistakes in Place Branding
1. Over promising. Under Delivering.
2. Not promising anything.
3. Making boring promises.
4. Ignoring your consumer.
5. Ignoring your people.
6. Trying to please everyone.
7. Fear of upsetting anyone.
8. Fear of being original.
9. Letting opinions rule over expertise.
10. Outsourcing who you are and what you do.
11. Thinking of branding too late in the process.
12. Thinking of branding only as marketing, logo, tagline, etc.
13. No one owns the brand.
14. Changing your brand for no good reason.
15. Letting perfection be the barrier to great, or even really good.
56. Strengthening Brand America
The Burghard Group
(http://strengtheningbrandamerica.com/)
Strengthening Brand America
(http://www.scoop.it/t/place-branding)
57. The American Dream
Composite Index TM
American Dream Composite Index
Xavier University
http://americandreamcompositeindex.com/