Key Challenge
Great expections. Culture, arts, shopping, great restaurants, famous chefs, a warm sunny climate and minutes from beaches, rivers, mountains, valleys, wineries and the Redwood forests. Santa Rosa is a city worth celebrating by any standards. But when you’re located just 55 miles from San Francisco, it can be hard to stand out as a big city. And when you’re surrounded by quaint villages set amidst wineries and spectacular coastal hamlets, it can be hard to corner the market on charm. In fact, Santa Rosa has a reputation for being the region’s “service center” – where you shop for life’s necessities and then leave.
This perception is exacerbated by the city’s rapid commercial growth and the inherent critical nature of the region’s citizenry. After all, where else do people spend their spare time finding flaws with fine wine!
How best to remind the people of this stand-out city – and the surrounding region – how special it actually is?
Critical Insight
It hangs in the balance. Like a fine wine, balance is the key to Santa Rosa’s appeal. The charm of a quaint village dulls a bit without music, art and commerce. The bustle of the big city can be overwhelming without the intimacy and community people crave.
But Santa Rosa has it all.
As a business and service hub, Santa Rosa is the economic engine that drives the region. With its thriving arts and culture, Santa Rosa is an emerging creative hub. Farmer’s markets, fabulous restaurants and famous chefs make the city a culinary capital, while a thriving downtown and endless entertainment options make Santa Rosa just plain fun. And although the city is not defined by the wine country, it is surrounded by 200 vineyards and wineries. Finally, Santa Rosa is mere minutes from some of nature’s greatest wonders including the Pacific Coast, the Russian River and the Redwoods. But unlike a really big city, this urban wonder remains intimate with a strong sense of community.
It can be said that Santa Rosa feeds the region – mind, body, and soul.
Brand Strategy
For those seeking the spectacular abundance of Northern California,
Santa Rosa is the largest city between San Francisco and Portland,
where California’s wine country celebrates the harvest,
so you are fed with life’s essentials and invigorated with life’s rewards.
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”!)
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 Santa Rosa. All were designed to help them wear their brand like a second skin.
- The Santa Rosa brand is ripe for incorporating unique and relevant premium items including customized cornucopia baskets and woven mesh cornucopia-shaped shopping backpack with logo on the bag.
- Develop Cornucopia gift baskets to be filled with a variety of items targeted to specific needs or audiences. These can be distributed through local organizations (Welcome Wagon, newcomers groups, hospitals, hotels, Chamber, CVB, city government, realtors and so on.) When feasible include items from the Santa Rosa area (wines, cheeses, fruit, art, textiles). Always include some branded merchandise. Develop standardized branded cards to go along with the baskets “Congratulations on your new bounty” (new baby), “Welcome to the Place of Plenty” (newcomers).
- Paint the logo on the sides of barns, place it on hot air balloons, and have a giant banner made and hung from a prominent downtown building or the freeway overpass.
- Partner with a local farmer (wheat, corn, or alfalfa should all work) to create a “Cornucopia Crop Maze” during harvest season. In addition to providing interesting visual interpretation of the brand logo, if feasible the maze can include clues about Santa Rosa history and culture.
- Replace current merit awards with a prestigious “Order of the Cornucopia Award.” This annual recognition should be presented to one recipient who gives back to the city in each of the following categories: community service, economic development, downtown revitalization, student service, arts, recreation, culture, historic preservation and environmental awareness.
- Publish an annual cookbook containing favorite recipes from local chefs. Call the book California Cornucopia …A feast from Santa Rosa’s Finest Chefs. Ask chefs to write short blurbs about their relationship with food and Santa Rosa to accompany their recipe.
