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Client: Lima-Allen County, Ohio
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Branding study shows positives, negatives of Lima and Allen County
BY Bart Mills
LIMA - The good, the bad and the altogether predictable news about Allen County has been collected. Now it's time to turn it all into something that sells.
North Star Destination Strategies, the Tennessee-based company hired to come up with a way to brand Allen County, has completed the second phase of the three-phase process, a survey of more than 1,000 people in and outside the county seeking their take on the county's strengths and weaknesses.
The result was an inch-thick report released to local media Monday that offers plenty of insight into how we see ourselves and how others see us.
"We got many great [responses] and some negative perceptions and we did receive those for all areas. But you certainly can't build a brand on a negative," said North Star Vice President Ed Barlow.
The group surveyed a range of people, including local leaders, economic development officials and young professionals from the county. They also conducted online and "man-on-the-street" interviews with people from outside the county, including Toledo and Findlay. Overall, the negative findings were things most residents have heard in the past - the county suffers from a poor self-image, lack of cooperation among its politicians, and either real or perceived racism, depending on whom you talk to. But to Barlow, the point that really came through was its potential.
"What we found was this amazing capacity for greatness. That's not just about room to grow, but the opportunity and the ability to succeed, that power to produce, that power to perform," Barlow said.
In the positive column, Allen County is a transportation hub for rail and road and a natural location for distribution and logistics enterprises. It is within a few hundred miles of 75 percent of the nation's population. There are numerous water resources and a stronger-than-expected cultural life.
"Most towns that we work with don't have the wealth of assets that Lima and Allen County have," Barlow said.
The perception of the county among outsiders varies from positive to completely noncommittal. A consumer awareness perception study North Star conducted in Findlay and Toledo found that 89 percent of respondents think of Lima when they consider communities in Allen County.
They know the county for its tank plant (Joint Systems Manufacturing Center) fair and farming. Lima, they know for shopping and hospitals, but consider it run-down. The other towns in the county, including Delphos, Bluffton and Spencerville, are thought of as either small farming communities or, in the case of Bluffton, a college town.
Among economic development professionals, the county is seen as diverse, rural, small and conservative. The best aspects of doing business here include the work force and an adaptive pool of talent. The worst aspects include urban blight, exclusion of minorities and a low median household income that can drive economic development decisions.
Lima Allen County Chamber President Jed Metzger said he worried about releasing the study results before the end of the process for fear some might focus on the negative portions.
"There are so many different components to this and you really have to take the time to look at the whole thing," Metzger said. "Our fear is that, by releasing the information prematurely, some might focus on only the negative elements of it. Obviously, we're not going to focus on the negative aspects of it, we're going to focus on the positive."
That's not to say hearing the negative perception isn't useful in the end. Over the next two months or so, North Star will take on the creative part of the job in creating a brand for the county. That will likely include not just a logo and catchphrase, but a series of brand actions to guide the community in making the most of the results. Among those actions will no doubt be a push to change some of those poor perceptions.
"There seems to be a disengagement in the community concerning what is there. There are these silent giants doing great things. Communicating that message is going to be vital for a new brand," Barlow said.
