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Client: Columbus, Indiana
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1,500+ Residents Respond to Plea to Brand Columbus
An unprecedented number of surveys has been submitted to a Nashville, Tenn., company assigned to develop a "brand" in Columbus.
Rick Johnson, co-chairman for the effort consisting of local organizations, said about 1,500 people had filled out the online surveys a week before the Aug. 4 deadline.
He did not have a final figure, though he said North Star Destination Strategies, which conducted the study, usually gets only about 400 responses in a community.
"I consider that a great accomplishment and in line with our interest and efforts to make the process as open as possible to everyone," Johnson said.
A brand identifies a city for what it truly is and combines that with what it wants to become, contributing to a basic sense of identity that everyone shares.
On the most basic level, it will consist of a logo and a tag line, possibly replacing existing tag lines such as "Different by Design," which was developed 10 years ago.
Local partner organizations will use the identity to encourage economic growth by publicizing the identity and using it in numerous ways.
The survey, made available on seven organizations' Web sites, had 10 multiple-choice questions and two short-answer questions to gauge what people think about Columbus.
Johnson said completed surveys were directed straight to North Star, which will use that and other information to decide what the city's image goal should be and how it can realized.
He expected North Star to share survey results and their implications in the next 30 to 60 days.
