June 2006 · Volume 88 · Number 5 

Brandstanding: Four Cities Share Their Success
Sporting different personalities, distinct strengths, diverse weaknesses, and a broad array of defining characteristics, communities are as unique as snowflakes. Clearly, no single approach to branding will work for every community. 
Following are profiles of four communities. Each tackled the branding challenge from a slightly different angle although each local government was integrally involved with all. The resulting branding campaigns are making waves for these forward-thinking cities. 
Creating a Cultural Stir 
Thinking it had a tourism problem, the convention and visitors bureau in Spartanburg, South Carolina, initiated a branding study to address the issue. But early research showed that Spartanburg's problem went deeper than tourism. The mind-set of the internal audience-residents and students attending the city's five small colleges-was that Spartanburg was dead and that nearby Greenville was the place to go for entertainment. At that point, the branding shifted from a tourism initiative to a city-driven challenge. 
"I approached this whole branding project with a lot of cynicism," recalls Spartanburg City Manager Mark Scott. "I figured we would end up with just a tagline and a logo, and I've never felt you should spend a lot of city money on either." 
Scott was shocked when, following the research phase, the word came back that Spartanburg was not ready for marketing to the public. The effort would be a waste of money and ultimately it would fail. "We didn't believe in ourselves yet," he says. "So how could we sell ourselves to the public? At that point I became a believer in branding. It was obvious this whole thing was about much more than a logo." 
Rather than focusing on external marketing, Spartanburg turned inward to create a virtual entertainment district promoting cool cultural happenings in the city. While the city was the brains behind the brand, the city's cultural leaders and icons became the faces and voices of the brand. Teams of artists, entertainers, educators, and retailers were formed, and each was tasked with creating a cultural stir within the city. The name of the project: hub-bub.com. 
"We got the right people involved and got out of the way," laughs Scott, who claims he must not be part of the hub-bub target market because he is never invited to its events. "We've got people all over the Southeast asking 'How did Spartanburg suddenly get cool?' Hub-bub comes up all the time. In fact, an article came out in the Greenville paper grouping us with Asheville in the cool category and talking about how Greenville needs to do something. We even made it to a Web site listing cool things recently!" 

Once it gained momentum, the movement took on a life of its own. Many of the city's young people can't tell you exactly what hub-bub is, but they wear hub-bub shirts, read the Web site, attend hub-bub events, and, if asked, will tell you, "It's cool." 
A brand manager position was created to handle this massive initiative, and now the brand manager works closely with the artists' groups that seeded the movement initially. The team charged with keeping hub-bub, well, bubbling is about to move to the second floor of a renovated building in the heart of hub-bub country. Cool restaurants and shops and artists in residence will fill the rest of what is being called the hub-bub club. 
"Everyone wants to know how I got our city council on board with this," says Scott. "First, we have a credible mayor who believed it was the right thing to do. Second, we didn't try to sell it as the remedy for all our issues, just as seed money for a program to address a problem. There is no single big-idea solution for anything. Hub-bub is the culmination of a lot of ideas and a lot of energy. 
"My advice to managers would be, make sure it's genuine," he concludes. "Your brand will only work if your people buy into it. It must be more than a marketing plan; it must be of the community." 
Unique by Nature 
McKinney, Texas, has grown up in the huge shadow of Dallas. But, unlike most of the smaller towns on the outskirts of this megametropolis, McKinney is not a cookie-cutter bedroom community. McKinney has a solid dose of Texas swagger and a tendency to do things its own way. From its rolling hills, to its rich history and historic downtown, to its world-class golf course and planned communities, McKinney is a singular place. Without a doubt, that's why McKinney is the fastest-growing city in the United States. 
McKinney's problem was that although it was unique, it did not have anyone in charge of marketing (therefore, much of the outside world was ignorant of McKinney's many charms). Luckily, a forward-thinking city council recognized the need for a cohesive marketing plan and hired CoCo Good as director of communications and marketing. 
"My first challenge was to bring together the six major groups in McKinney (the chamber of commerce, tourism, economic development, city government, downtown development, and community development) to brand our community," recalls Good. "Each group was doing wonderful work marketing itself, but none of them had a sense of the city. They even used different logos and different positioning lines on their communication materials. 

"The city was the best choice to lead this initiative for a couple of reasons," she continues. "First, the city council drives McKinney's 30-year plan. We wanted our brand to capture not only what we are now but what we are committed to being long term. Second, the city is like the hub of the McKinney wheel, and the civic organizations are the spokes. I am the only person who works with all six major groups." 
Good and a council comprising the major civic organizations went through the branding process and last year launched the city's new brand, which capitalizes on McKinney's self-sufficient, independent spirit as well as its unique natural setting. Good reports that promising things are happening both internally and externally. 
"We're getting a lot of exposure," she notes. "That's great, but that's what we expected. An unexpected benefit has been the internal change in attitudes among our civic groups. The logo that came out of our branding was flexible enough so that each group could customize it somewhat, which helped obtain initial buy-in. By now most of the groups have stopped customizing, using the original 'Texas' version in order to better promote the city. 
"And while the logo is the most visible change, underlying attitudes have changed as well. The core branding group continues to meet regularly to discuss our various projects, sharing ideas and resources when possible. For the first time, everyone realizes that working together for the good of McKinney means greater benefits for us all," concludes Good. 
Made Fresh Daily 
Home to the famous speech that coined the phrase, "man's best friend," Warrensburg, Missouri, was searching for a more relevant identity. Visitors, business leaders, and residents alike had difficulty defining Warrensburg except as a small college town. 
The seed for the branding idea in Warrensburg was initially planted by Tammy Long, executive director of the Greater Warrensburg Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center, after she heard about the branding success of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. "When I heard their story, I thought, 'This is what we've been looking for, a common thread for our community.'" 
Long brought the idea back to the city's board. "Like a good laugh, the idea was contagious," she says. "The chamber was a natural to take the lead although we were not 'in charge,' just 'overseeing.' We believed the more people who got involved, the better it would be for the entire community." 
Representatives of 35 organizations including commercial developers, bankers, utility companies, medical personnel, school districts, city leaders, education groups, the chamber of commerce, and Main Street businesses attended the kickoff meeting. Financial stakeholders were identified within the group to fund the project. A marketing task force comprising members from the various stakeholder organizations and including City Manager Jeff Hancock was formed to oversee the project's progress. All members are considered equal partners. 
Research found that the transient population of Central Missouri State University (CMSU) and Whiteman Air Force Base (Whiteman AFB) creates a churn of people and ideas, especially because the number of people affiliated with these institutions is greater than the population of the town itself. This churn results in an unexpected level of youth, culture, and energy amid the rural charm of a small, Midwestern community. 
The resulting brand strategy homed in on the small-town comfort and charm of Warrensburg and contrasted that with a replenishing spring of people and ideas that makes you feel welcome, stimulated, and at home. 

"We have learned so much about Warrensburg from this process," Long stresses. "For the first time, diverse organizations understand the value of each other. This is a huge step for our community. We also learned that while we have three major players-Warrensburg, Whiteman AFB, and CMSU-we do not work independently of each other. Warrensburg is the 'big picture' and the two other entities are parts of the whole. The key to our branding success is that no one owns the brand, but we all believe in it because we were all a part of it." 
Real Texas Flavor 
The challenge for Mesquite, Texas, was that although the word "mesquite" is recognizable to almost everyone, few people associate it with a growing city in the Dallas metropolitan area. Sensing this awareness problem, the city council designated image enhancement as a priority project in the city's strategic plan. 
Image enhancement morphed into an extensive neighborhood revitalization plan, which in time led to the idea of a new brand. Tom Palmer, head of the Mesquite Economic Development Foundation, was charged with leading the branding and with working in partnership with the city council and City Manager Ted Barron. He took the ball and ran with it. 
"Our community works well together so it was natural for the city to take the lead on branding. We included the convention and visitor's bureau from day one because increasing tourism is one of our top priorities," explains Palmer. "The process went really smoothly, even accommodating the schedules of council members and representatives from different organizations. I would stress the importance of getting key stakeholders and relevant organizations involved at the very beginning and thoroughly educating everyone involved on what they can expect from the process." 

Research showed that businesses love Mesquite's location and the "Texas work ethic." Visitors to Mesquite soon find it delivers a full dose of cowboys, different cultures, and hospitality, making it quintessential Texas. This authentic experience is just as rich and flavorful as the name implies, and it led to a natural brand strategy: "Mesquite is the authentic flavor of Texas today: Real. Texas. Flavor." As in McKinney, the logo and positioning line adapt to different audiences, allowing multiple public and private sector organizations to put it to work. 
"Our brand has been incredibly well received," Palmer continues. "Right now we are trying to determine how to accommodate businesses in the private sector who want to use the brand for their purposes. It is exciting that so many entities want to jump on board with the brand. That speaks well for the pride they feel for Mesquite, which is ultimately what the council was after with image enhancement!" 
—Don McEachern, North Star Brand Strategies
Nashville, Tennessee 

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