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Client: Dayton, Ohio
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City of Dayton unveils new branding campaign
By Joanne Huist Smith - Staff Writer
DAYTON — A new branding campaign promoting Dayton will link the city's history of innovation with a future energized by that same spirit of creativity and originality.
The tagline is "Dayton Patented. Originals Wanted."
City officials launched the branding campaign today, Aug. 6, during a meeting at The Cannery with members of the Creative Class initiative, a regional community empowerment project focused on revitalizing the area's economic competitiveness.
The campaign will feature real Dayton "originals" telling their stories, Tom Biedenharn, the city's director of public affairs said.
"Whether it is the young creative entrepreneurs working for a local high-tech company, or residents like we see in South Park who are transforming their neighborhoods, or the artists who make up our diverse entertainment scene, we have many examples of how creative, imaginative, passionate people are still shaping Dayton's personality," Biedenharn said. "Just as the Wright brothers, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Charles Kettering did in their day, we have our own set of creative 'originals' putting their mark on Dayton today."
The theme evolved from community input that included focus groups, surveys and interviews around the region.
The goal is to highlight the many positive aspects the city has to offer and to reinforce Dayton's image as a great place to live.
"We feel strongly that Daytonians and people throughout this region should be the first to appreciate the many great things we have to enjoy," Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin said. "If locally we can acknowledge and embrace Dayton's distinct attributes and assets, then we can better tell our story to others, which helps us compete more successfully for new businesses and residents."
McLin added, that as a community, "we are often our own worst critics."
"Instead, we should better promote and capitalize on what makes Dayton a good place to live, to locate a business or to visit for fun and entertainment," she said.
The new branding concept pays tribute to the city's innovative history, as illustrated by the many patents that have been issued here, said City Commissioner Matt Joseph, an advocate of the Creative Class effort.
"We are still very much a community that attracts, welcomes and rewards originality – in ideas, actions and character," he said.
City Manager Rashad Young said the campaign will complement on-going efforts to attract and retain young professionals and the creative class.
"These smart, creative, energetic people are the kind of 'originals' we want to attract and nurture," he said. "They represent an important element to Dayton's long-term success, especially as we continue the transition from a heavy manufacturing-based economy to one centered around new and emerging technologies."
