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6. EDSR 12-13-2010~j ~lk REQUEST FOR ACTION River TO ITEM NUMBER Elk River Economic Develo ment Authori 6. AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY Annie Deckert Economic Develo ment Assistant ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED By Authorize staff to begin RFP process and form branding Catherine Mehelich subcommittee to help facilitate and guide the branding process Director of Economic Develo ment until completion. REVIEWED BY " ACTION REQUESTED Authorize staff to begin RFP process and form a branding subcommittee to help facilitate and guide branding process until completion. BACKGROUND At the November 8t'' Elk River Economic Development Authority meeting, the EDA discussed the need for and evaluating moving forward with a City branding campaign. A City wide branding campaign is an action step and will support the Goals that support the Vision, approved by the Elk River City Council at the October 18`'' meeting. DISCUSSION Staff has researched several processes and consultants other communities have used to `re-brand' their image. From this research, staff has identified a general scope and approximate timeline for completion of the branding campaign. The scope includes the following items: • Research, information gathering and background review of community o Including, but not limited to, current and prior plans, strategies and taglines, websites, social media sites, etc. • Creation of branding subcommittee • Public participation, including Elk River businesses, residents as well as outside participation to identify `perception' of Elk River from outside audiences o Information gathered through surveys, interviews, etc. • Develop communications strategy to update community, residents, employees and commissions on progress and key milestones of process • Develop community branding and marketing strategy (using existing logo) utilizing results of public participation and branding subcommittee • Develop master implementation strategy (each department can choose how to execute the plan) • Final presentation, follow-up support N:\Departments\Communiry Development\Economic Development\Mazketing\Branding\Memos\12-13-10 EDA Action Requested.doc The two day visioning seminar held in September by various Elk River staff and Council Member Matt Westgaard has put us in the right direction, and completed a vital portion of the branding process. The Vision will be incorporated into the process and implementation plan. Below is the vision and goals adopted by the City Council in October: The Vision Abounding in natural beauty, Elk River is a vibrant, historic river town that promotes an active lifestyle in an innovative and involved community offering unlimited opportunities. Goals supporting the vision: • Innovation- Develop new programs and services to meet the needs of the community • Community Development- Enhance community involvement and public participation through a variety of innovative outlets • Beautification- Have attractive welcoming streetscapes at City entrances and primary corridors. Enforce zoning ordinances • Opportunities-Foster apro-growth atmosphere that provides incentives and other opportunities for new and existing business growth BRANDING AND MARKETING STRATEGY A branding and marketing strategy is an action step which will assist in meeting the goals adopted by Council in October. What do people (residents, businesses, employees, outsiders, etc.) see when they look at our community? We want to ensure they see a community working together and a City that gives off a strong, unified message. A branding plan will send a unified message to the community as well as those outside of Elk River. Currently, there are different messages that the City conveys to the community, businesses and outsiders. Some of the examples include: Elk river Economic Development location-e~ciency-innovation The Light Industrial Hub of the Northavest Metro Elk river Parks and recreation He pingyou lead an active, healthy lifestyle. Elk river Energy City This may cause confusion and may not portray Elk River has having a solid identity. These different messages may create the misconception that different departments within the City do not work together, when in reality, they do. It may also appear that there is no `one voice' of the City. A national survey completed in 2008 among CEOs found that 71% of the time a short list of locations to consider for capital investment is created without talking to an economic development professional. The implication is that for 71 % of investment occasions, your community's image determines if it is on or off the short list for additional follow-up. Therefore, to encourage economic growth it is beneficial that your community have a strong and competitive image. N:\Departments\Community Development\Economic Development\Marketing\Branding\Memos\12-13-10 EDA Action Requested.doc BRANDING SUBCOMMITTEE Staff is recommending the creation of a branding subcommittee to work with staff and the consultant during the RFP and branding process. To create a sense of ownership and pride in the brand, it is imperative the brand represent the entire City, not just a portion(s) of the community. It is difficult to stand behind a brand you don't believe in. The more relevant and resonant a brand feels to us, the more we believe in it and the more we have a sense of belonging to it. Staff is proposing the subcommittee be comprised of 5-10 members, in addition to staff to facilitate the process. Recommended members include: EDA President, Economic Development Assistant (staff facilitator), Economic Development Director and City Clerk. Other members may include: City Council/Commission members, City staff, Chamber of Commerce Board Chair, business owners, school district representative, etc. Members not represented on subcommittee will be included through the public participation component. The EDA is encouraged to volunteer or suggest committee members; remaining members will be chosen by staff and EDA President. Subcommittee members can be selected at the January EDA meeting if desired. The branding subcommittee will meet accordingly with staff and consultant and provide updates to their respective department/commission. Part of the process will include an online survey that will be made available to residents on the City website, as well as an optional survey for all City employees to provide input. A communications plan will be created and implemented to update employees and the community regarding progress and significant milestones. The presentation and adoption of branding and marketing plan will be reviewed by EDA and City Council in May. TIMELINE Below is the proposed timeline for the branding process: Jan RFP distributed and collected EDA selection of subcommittee members Subcommittee reviews RFPs and chooses top three finalists Feb Subcommittee and EDA hold work session during regular meeting to review presentations of top three finalists Subcommittee and EDA chose and notify finalist Begin process with consultant March- May Complete process with consultant and subcommittee May/June Presentation of branding and marketing plan to EDA and City Council for adoption Begin implementation plan The above timeline is an aggressive timeline to complete branding and marketing strategy and to begin implementation process. Staff is seeking EDA input on the following: • Scope of work • Subcommittee members N:\Departxnents\Community Development\Economic Development\Marketing\Branding\Memos\12-13-10 EDA Action Requested.doc • Proposed timeline The RFP will be distributed to various consulting firms and published on the League of MN Cities website. RFPs are due January 14t'' and will be reviewed by the subcommittee late January. Proposals will be evaluated on the following: • Goals, objectives and project tasks to demonstrate the responder's view of project and exhibition of knowledge and expertise regarding community marketing and branding • Outline of background and experience working with local government, businesses and non-profits • Demonstrated ability to create and analyze customer survey and marketing objectives FINANCIAL IMPACT The EDA has budgeted $60,000 in the 2011 EDA budget for the marketing campaign. Staff research has found that the average cost of a re-branding process to be approximately $25,000-$40,000 with roughly $10,000+ in expenses to implement the plan, depending on the recommend action items. These costs can increase depending on the level of design changes, new websites (i.e. mobile website), etc. Action Motion by Second by Vote Follow Up N:\Departments\Coxnmunity Development\Economic Development\Marketing\Bxanding\Memos\12-13-10 EDA Action Requested.doc