Full Text
CUSP BRANDING TIMELINE January 2013: The University of Idaho’s Conference Management Services group, which collaborates with the Moscow community, local businesses, and UI stakeholders to generate conference and event activity, joined together with the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and City of Moscow on a new promotional initiative. The group focused on opportunities to identify and engage with audiences that could benefit from hearing more about the Moscow story – what our community what Moscow has to offer as a special place to live, visit, work and learn. Several of the initial discussions centered on the idea of “Branding Our Community” as a means to attract events and tourism as well as students and community residents. June 2013: The Chamber included the branding as part of its annual Idaho Tourism Grant bid. The grant was approved by the state in August 2013. Elements of the grant included hiring a branding consultant. July 2013: In late July, a small, targeted group of key individuals – stakeholders from the city, chamber, university, and area businesses – met to share ideas about the topic, discuss important elements and formulate a plan for moving forward. As a follow-up to that meeting, branding a consultant was invited to Moscow to host a training seminar with the group. January/February 2014: Leaders and executives from the City of Moscow, the Chamber of Commerce and the University of Idaho attended a branding seminar. This group eventually became the steering committee for the branding process, the Community-University Strategic Partnership, nicknamed CUSP. The CUSP steering committee includes the following representatives: University of Idaho - President - Vice President of Infrastructure - Executive Director, Administrative and Business Affairs - Executive Director, Marketing and Communication - Executive Communications Manager City of Moscow - Mayor of Moscow - City Supervisor - Assistant City Supervisor Chamber of Commerce - Executive Director - Chamber Board Member City Council Representative Community Business Representatives ---PAGE BREAK--- February 2014: To show support, The University of Idaho and City of Moscow committed funds to the initiative. May 2014: A region-wide request for proposals was issued with a focus on helping all entities work together to brand and promote the community by attracting and retaining employers and employees, residents, visitors and students. The RFP resulted in 15 proposals submitted. These were narrowed down to six finalists, who visited Moscow in July 2014 and presented to members of CUSP. Later that month, BHW1 Advertising out of Spokane, Washington, was selected to develop a compelling brand that would provide a clear vision of what Moscow has to offer — an expression of the community’s identity, its reputation, and its offerings to its citizens, businesses and visitors. In the words of BHW1, “a brand is the collective experience of Moscow.” June 2014: Bolstered by success and positive feedback, the Chamber of Commerce included branding as part of the 2016 grant and once again received funds to continue with the process. August 2014-April 2015: BHW1, in conjunction with the City of Moscow, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Idaho, moved forward with the next phase of CUSP. The agency took the pulse of the community with online and written surveys, secret shopping, and interviews with community members. More than 500 responses were generated. May 2015: Positioning statements were introduced to CUSP. July 2015 – July 2016: BHW1 held branding retreats with CUSP and City of Moscow employees. Using this information and the feedback gathered from community interviews, a brand promise was developed. Three different strategies were identified for positioning Moscow: 1) Celebrate the “unexpectedness” of Moscow 2) Embrace something “unexpected” about Moscow 3) Communicate something “unexpected” about Moscow A framework was developed for a Moscow brand along with a strategy document and positioning lines/tag lines. The CUSP committee met with BHW1 several times to vet options and eventually settled on a brand that met the goals of the brand promise. Moscow’s brand promise states: Moscow offers a unique mix of the expected and the unexpected. The expected “town” charm, beauty, and sense of community … along with the “unexpected” city culture, inclusion, and intellect. A memorable tagline that distilled the collaborative spirit of the enterprise, the fresh and quirky concept of the brand, and the distinctive University of Idaho-Moscow dynamic was: “There’s an in our team.” ---PAGE BREAK--- BHW1 prepared materials that captured the concept of the new brand, including posters, advertisements, and a video that incorporated the unique brand elements. An advertisement based on the new brand was placed in the October issue of Alaska Airlines magazine. September 2016 - The community brand is presented to the Moscow community at university and civic functions, including an advertised, open town hall at City Council chambers. Community members had an opportunity to see the brand brought to life on t-shirts, posters, and in the video. The brand roll-out received coverage in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Next Steps TESTING: BHW1 will conduct testing (online, qualitative or quantitative) to ensure project strategy and messaging compels the target audiences. EXTERNAL ROLL OUT: BHW1 will assist with an external launch of new materials, messaging and tools to target audiences. They will monitor efforts to ensure that key performance indicators are met and refine or retool as necessary to positively impact results. Results will be reviewed and we will continue our forward momentum by finding new opportunities for brand building.