Denver is the Mile-High City, Huntsville, Ala., is the RocketCity, and New York City is The Big Apple.
And Colorado Springs?
It has plenty of attractive qualities, but despite repeatedefforts, none have been successfully harnessed to create a brand.
This could be the year that changes.
After seeing its budget slashed last year, the Colorado SpringsConvention and Visitors Bureau was able to set aside $80,000 in itsbudget this year for branding.
Dave White, executive VP of marketing for the Colorado SpringsRegional Economic Development Corp., created a branding subcommitteeof the EDC's marketing arm in 2009. Amy Long, VP of marketing andmembership for the CVB, has led the committee since then.
But the branding project was sidelined because of the leadershipchange at the CVB, and uncertainty about the strong-mayor proposal.Doug Price is now at the helm of the CVB, and a strong-mayor will beelected in April.
So, now that things are settling, several civic organizations intown -- including the CVB, the city, the chamber, the EconomicDevelopment Corp., UCCS and the county -- are collaborating tocreate a brand.
No one expects a brand to emerge overnight.
Finding a brand, organizers say, will require plenty ofcollaboration and creativity. And although it seems simple enough,it also will mean getting everyone at the table to agree on the verydefinition of a brand.
'It's organic. It's the truth as it exists,' Long said. 'Youcan't create a brand out of thin air. It's what people already thinkof you.'
In other words, it cannot be created and embraced just because itsounds good.
Of course, everyone has a different opinion about what definesthe community.
Some see it as the amateur sports capital of the nation, whileothers say it's a hub for space-related industries, and still otherstout the great outdoors.
As Long sees it, the job of the branding project and thecommittee is to discover the brand, articulate it and communicateit.
Which, again, is easier said than done.
'A brand can't be about a thing, such as the weather, or PikesPeak. It needs to make an emotional connection,' she said.
In addition, the brand must encompass far more than tourism,sporting events and group meetings. It needs to work for the entirecommunity. The EDC needs to be able to use the brand to attractcompanies to move to the region, for instance, and the chamber needsto be able to use it to promote business, as well.
'We all want a common foundation,' Long said.
Each organization, of course, has a different message becausethey have different target audiences.
Furthermore, the brand needs to be long-lived; it's not somethingthat changes with the years or seasons, because it's a core truthabout the region.
'The ad campaign and how you message it might change each year,but the underlying brand should have longevity,' she said.
Another important consideration is for the brand to work wellwhen organizations promote the USOC and the Olympic Training Center.
'Without being too sports-specific, we have to make sure (thebrand) supports that.'
Rather than artificially putting things together, she said, thebrand needs to 'feel comfortable' with those vital sports entities.
Long hopes to have the concept -- the brand idea -- by the middleof this year. The next phase would be the creative design and logodevelopment.
If all goes as planned, that would be ready to use for the CVB's2012 campaign.
The branding project was one of the specific recommendations madeby Angelou Economics in the Operation 6035 economic developmentreport.
More than a dozen people have been involved in assessing thestrengths and weaknesses of the community, and how best tocommunicate the region's strongest assets in a brand.
The need for a brand certainly was no surprise to people in thetourism and job-attraction industry.
'Just because we haven't been able to do it in the past doesn'tmean we shouldn't try now,' White said. 'It's a (huge) issue for thePikes Peak region.'
'If you don't market yourself, then others will brand you foryou,' he said.
Send us your ideas
What do you think the best brand slogan might be for ColoradoSprings? Let us hear from you.
Other city slogans
1. What Happens Here, Stays Here -- Las Vegas
2. So Very Virginia -- Charlottesville, Va.
3. Always Turned On -- Atlantic City, N.J.
4. Cleveland Rocks! -- Cleveland
5. The Sweetest Place on Earth -- Hershey, Pa.
6. Rare. Well Done -- Omaha, Neb.
7. The City Different -- Santa Fe, N.M.
8. Where Yee-Ha Meets Ole -- Eagle Pass, Texas
9. City with Sol -- San Diego
10. Where the Odds Are With You -- Peculiar, Mo.
Source: TaglineGuru.com
