Key Challenge
Some bad with the good.  Alliance, Nebraska is a small, agricultural community where the greatest asset is also the biggest challenge. The town is a major hub for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad.  The railroad is the area’s largest employer, it is historically significant and it links the community internally and externally. On the flip side, the railroad is stressful for families, results in a transient work force, and causes local employers (including farmers) to lose workers to the railroad due to the higher-paying salaries.  Should Alliance brand itself with the railroad despite associated problems or select a less controversial point of difference?

Critical Insight
Research determined that the railroad doesn’t make Alliance different from its competitors, but the IMPACT of the railroad does. Like the “wind in your hair” feeling of movement one gets riding a train, everything about Alliance is wide open – people, attitudes, ingenuity, possibilities, opportunities, connections . . . even the horizons. The Alliance brand should not be built on the railroad, but on the strong “new frontier” legacy the railroad has wrought.  

Brand Platform
North Star recommended a brand targeting daring and determined hearts in pursuit of new frontiers that positions Alliance as an agricultural town and major railroad center in the wide open plains of western Nebraska…where a modern pioneer spirit creates connectivity – so horizons are within reach and life is rewarding.

 

Initial Concepts

One of the ways North Star brings your community brand to life is with a Brand Identity package, which is the creative representation of your community brand. Creative goodies include recommendations for a logo, strap line, color palette, print ads, outdoor boards, t-shirts, websites and more!  (Note:  The “initial concept” is North Star’s recommendation.  As our client’s brand implementation progresses we will provide their “evolution of the idea”!)

 

Evolution of the Idea

 

 

Brand Action

Bringing a two-dimensional brand to life in a three-dimensional community takes a strong brand action plan. Following are a sampling of action ideas from the hundreds developed specifically for Alliance. All were designed to help them wear their brand like a second skin.

• Roll-out the brand to businesses - Supply businesses with the brand toolkit to help them bring the brand to life. Businesses should have some leeway to make the brand work for them. “Bob’s Diner is open 24/7 . . . We’re part of Open Alliance.”
  
  
• Build a museum - Partner with Burlington Northern to develop a top-notch railroad and agriculture museum. Trace the growth of both industries in Alliance, exploring how they are connected to each other and the rest of the country.
  
  
• Work with boxcars - Develop a program that makes use of donated boxcars from Burlington Northern. For example, you could give each public school a boxcar, which they could decorate with school colors and use as a spirit trailer. 

Kudos

"I feel like the interview process and the fastidious care in the research of our community was fascinating and very rewarding.   I was familiar with the use of demographic information but didn’t realize how finite it could be.  The end product that North Star arrived at for us will be a fantastic asset in marketing Alliance." 
-- Dixie Nelson, Executive Director, Alliance Chamber of Commerce

"We feel strong about the brand of “OpenAlliance” since, to me, it means an alliance of all the organizations in the county working together to further economic opportunities. The alliance of organizations in our county is strong and willing to support any new opportunities that will come our way in the foreseeable future."
-- John Olafson, Executive Director, Box Butte Development Corporation