A well-defined brand can enhance a city's image
Each of us is passionate about our community and committed to sharing the story of what makes Cleveland Heights such a wonderful place [in which] to live, work, eat, shop and play. Developing clear messaging and engaging graphics will help shape our conversation and enhance our ability to clearly communicate who Cleveland Heights is and what it offers. The city made the strategic decision to invest in discovering and defining the brand of Cleveland Heights and establishing new tools and resources to help effectively promote the city brand to others.
A brand is much more than a logo or tag line. It is the DNA of the city and speaks to what Cleveland Heights stands for and what it offers visitors, business owners and residents alike. By discovering and defining the brand, the foundation for tools and resources will be developed to help us effectively promote this unique community to prospective residents and businesses, current residents and visitors.
Having a unified brand voice for our community is essential to its long-term growth and success. It promotes overall economic vitality, community pride, and can attract more visitors to our unique shops and restaurants. In order to successfully define or refresh the city’s brand outreach to our community, seeking [its] input and opinions is essential. As such, the city has hired an experienced branding company to conduct focus groups, one-on-one meetings, on-the-street interviews and a citywide survey.
The city launched this initiative on July 31 with a brand steering committee meeting. The steering committee comprises business and community leaders, residents and city staff, and will help guide the branding initiative from start to completion. The research component of the initiative is expected to take around six weeks with the entire effort expected to last up to six or seven months.
The city firmly believes this initiative is a smart, cost-effective investment from which a significant return is anticipated:
- Enhancing the image of the community as a more desirable location [in which] to live, work, visit and play;
- Increasing resident pride and engagement around a consistent brand identity;
- Improving community image to increase demand for housing and increase property values;
- Enhancing destination attractiveness to visitors to drive spending in our restaurants, pubs, retail stores, etc.;
- Enhancing destination attractiveness to businesses to drive economic development.
The citywide survey will be available in the coming weeks, and the link to the survey will be shared on the city's website, www.clevelandheights.com, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and NextDoor, and on a newly created branding website—www.clevelandheightsbrand.com. You can visit right now to learn more about this initiative and to sign up to receive the survey.
Mary Trupo
Mary Trupo is the director of communications and public engagement for the city of Cleveland Heights.