Key Challenge
What they don’t know CAN hurt you . . . Sometimes the lack of a reputation can be as damaging as a bad reputation. Such was the case with Missouri City, Texas, a community just outside Houston. Outsiders were filling in the city’s identity void with outdated, misleading and erroneous information. And residents were starting to internalize the negative labels. Exacerbating the problem was a confusing name (Missouri City? I thought this was Texas?) and a well-known neighboring community with a strong brand emphasizing quality living.
Critical Insight
Research revealed that Missouri City is rich in all the things that money can’t buy. Beautiful mature trees, lots of space for future retail development, interesting custom homes, established neighborhoods and generations of long-time residents are cornerstones of the community. Contrast those assets with the rampant commercialism, traffic problems and cookie cutter neighborhoods of Missouri City’s rapidly growing next-door neighbor and a positive identity starts to take shape. The key to brand success is to “show” insiders and outsiders alike everything Missouri City has going for it.
Brand Strategy
North Star recommended positioning Missouri City as a place where planning has created deep roots and established living but has left room to grow. Because the community’s reputation was a blank slate – and because of the curiosity its unusual name arouses – the creative manifestation of this platform centered on leveraging the equity in namesake Missouri State’s well-known tagline, “The Show Me State.”
By adopting the line “The Show Me City,” Missouri City invited people to take a look at all it had to offer and used humorous creativity to turn the community’s name into an asset rather than a detriment.
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 Missouri City. All were designed to help them wear their brand like a second skin.
- Give them a sign - Redesign high-profile signage to reflect the city’s new brand. Focus on signage on all government buildings, downtown, in high-traffic areas, in primary corridors, on freeways, etc. Additional signage that supports the brand:
- Along trails and parks create signs that have motivational messages in the Show Me vein: Show me strength, show me determination, show me health, show me endurance, etc.
- Create informational signs to post on relevant government buildings. “Show me safety. Last year Missouri City decreased violent crime by XX%.” “Show me recreation. Missouri City has 33 parks offering a wide array of outdoor activities.”
- Work with realtors - Approach realtors about a partnership where For Sale signs carry the line, “Show Me” or “A must-see property in the show me city.”
- Me in Missouri City - Work through the website to launch a “Show Me in Missouri City” contest. Participants are asked to describe why they love Missouri City in 40 words or less. Winning entries are printed on the website (along with photos of the writer in front of their favorite Missouri City icon), on billboards, on java wraps, etc.
