8. EDSR 05-14-2012Item # 8.
1t1_ . _ MEMORANDUM
ver
TO: Economic Development Authority
FROM: Clay Wilfahrt, Assistant Director of Economic Development
DATE: May 14, 2012
SUBJECT: Marketing Update
BRANDING
Numerous initiatives are in motion to support the community brand, including:
• Working with local businesses to film and promote video testimonials; several have
been completed to date and are available on poweredbynature.blog.com and the
economic development Facebook page
• Recently met with Prime Advertising to redesign The Current to better reflect the
brand.
• Presented information about the brand to the Volunteer Bridge and Two Rivers
Referrals.
• Working with the Star News on a potential partnership for a photo contest.
• The Brand Champions are working on developing the .website
wu~w.~oweredbynature.com as a resource for those seeking to utilize or gain
information about the brand.
• The Star News recently publicized the progress of the brand in the attached article
published on April 26.
WEBSITE
Staff has elected to work with Civic Plus to develop a new city and economic development
website. We considered a website update following the recommendation by the brand plan
for an extensive upgrade to the existing site. The new site will add functionality and provide
a clearer hierarchy of information. Development is expected to begin in late May.
BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION VISITS
Contour Mold, Pomeroy Tool and TESCOM met with staff in April and May as part of the
ongoing business retention and expansion efforts. We received positive comments from the
businesses and we clarified concerns regarding property values, pothole repairs and sprinkler
permit requirements.
P ®M E~ E I ® r
~AfiUR~
MARKETING MATERIALS UPDATE
Staff is working with chandlerthinks to redesign economic development marketing materials
to include the Powered by Nature brand. Completion is expected by the end of May.
BUSINESS EDUCATIONAL SERIES
On May 23 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Energy City will host a business recycling event at the
Elk River Library. The event will feature CAER and Trident Polymers who will discuss their
innovative recycling initiatives. If interested in attending, call 763.635.1000 to RSVP. We
will promote the event through postcard invites, Facebook, blog, networking meetings and
BRE visits.
DATA CENTER EVENT
Staff is parrnering with Elk River Municipal Utilities and Sherburne County to promote Elk
River at the Minnesota Real Estate Journal's May 18, 2012, High Performance Space and
Data Center Summit. The Summit attracts realtors from the Twin Cities metro area. We
will have a booth and will provide materials promoting Elk River's competitive advantages in
data center recruitment.
EDAM CONFERENCE
The Economic Development Association of Minnesota is holding its annual conference
June 6-8. The conference draws hundreds. of professionals in economic development and
related fields for two days of educational sessions and networking. Staff plans to attend the
event to stay abreast of local, regional and national economic development issues and to
network with influential developers throughout the state.
ATTACHMENTS
• Apri126, 2012 Star News Branding Article.
• Brand Champions Website Snapshot
• Draft of new Business Finance Toolkit
• Business Recycling Event Invite
518112
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~~lk River's l~randin~;: `(~rf' t~~ ~~ ~:~lall~l~ Start'
By an April 26, 2012 at 2:13 pm
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by Joni Astrup
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Elk River's branding effort had asix-month check-up this week and was
pronounced "off to a blazing start."
That's according to Steve Chandler, the Tennessee-based consultant who
led Elk River through a branding process beginning last year.
Chandler, of ChandlerThinks, gave a report at a special meeting of the Elk
River Economic Development
KEMP€R DRUG tS Authority (EDA) on Monday, April
P01N~.R~t! 8~' 23.
~~ The new brand was rolled out last
E'AIER~o1ZE[) 8Y YQUR HEALT}#! fall. It included the "Powered by
Nature" tagline, a brand promise
and a 167-page brand plan.
One of the most innovative uses of the brand is
Kemper Drug's adaptation of the logo, according to
Elk River Assistant Director of Economic
Development Clay W ilfahrt.
has made progress on or completed
Clay Wilfahrt, Elk River's assistant
director of economic development,
said there are about 200 initiatives
in the brand plan and Elk River
about 75 percent of them.
A blog has been created ( ,N.poweredbynature.blog.cc )and a
~a` 1 ~ ~ ~;
`~
,~,
erstarnews.com/2012/04/26/elk-rivers-branding-off-to-a-blazing-start) 114
Elk River's branding: 'Off to a blazing start' I Star News
5/8/12 Elk River's branding: `Off to a blazing start' I Star News
website is under development (www.powcredbynature.com}.
Additionally, two videos are on YouTube that feature local residents and
business owners talking about the brand. One video is called "
" and the other is called " ."
More than 30 businesses and organizations are using the brand in some
way, shape or form in their marketing materials, Wilfahrt said. The
community employs the brand in a variety of ways including on
billboards, pamphlets, packaging, websites, emails, promotional
materials, clings and more.
Chandler said branding a community is a very dynamic process and one
that should never stop. He believes Elk River is off to a great start.
He said he's been involved in some way in the branding of about 50
communities.
"I really have not encountered many, if any, that have attacked this effort
as quickly and with as much gusto as Elk River has," Chandler said.
The goal of branding, he said, is to enlist people to tell their stories of Elk
River and create opportunities for them to do so.
"It's more than a logo and it's
definitely not a tagline. It`s about
the essence of what Elk River is
about," Chandler said.
EDA President Dan Tveite said he
had a little trepidation when the
branding process first began. He
didn't want to see a plan get
done, then be put on a shelf and
not aggressively pursued.
rig it
r-
.~
1
~~~ ~~,~.
The "Powered by Nature" logo appears on this Elk
River Municipal Utilities shirt, with Powered to Serer
under the logo.
Bear kills dog near Zimmerman
t
Police report: Woman faces charges after
rol I ove r
Awards pile up for local female guard
member
"I just want to take my hat off to
Bear movement spotted in Zimmerman
the people that have been involved in this. You have obviously done a lot
of work in putting forward this brand," Tveite said. 'oz' dedicated to Beise
Council Member Nick Zerwas, who also is on the EDA, said "Powered by
Nature" means different things to different people.
For him, it speaks to the nature of the people who call Elk River home.
Zerwas said when he was finishing college and living in St. Paul, he
always knew he and his wife would move back to Elk River and be
involved in the community because of the good-hearted nature of the
people.
He said the community rallied around him and his family when he was ill
and now, 15 years later, has done the same for Alan Sakry and his
family. Sakry suffered a stroke in January.
"'Powered by Nature,' when we talk about the nature of our community
erstarnews.corn/2012/04/26/elk-rivers-branding-off-to-a-blazing-start/ 2/4
518112 Elk River's branding: 'Off to a blazing start' I Star News
and the nature of our people, it really does a good job of summing it up
for me," Zerwas said.
Chamber sees brand as great opportunity
Asked by the Star News for her reaction to the branding effort so far, Elk
River Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Debbi Rydberg said
the branding project is "a great opportunity for our community to tell our.
story to the rest of the world."
The image it conveys is attractive for people who are looking for their next
place, Rydberg said.
The chamber will be incorporating the spirit of the brand as it begins
planning for the next fiscal year, she said.
"I really do like what the brand says about Elk River -it's authentic, it's
real," Rydberg added.
What Elk River's brand promise says
This is the brand promise that was developed during Elk River's branding
effort.
"For people who want to breathe the outdoors, yet want access to big
city amenities, Elk River is an emerging small city where the Elk and
Mississippi rivers flow together on the fringes of the Twin Cities and
where the heart is powered by its nature so you are energized and
inspired to make a difference."
Ta s: - er Economic Developrnertt Authc ast rE ,
}p news
helatccl posts:
• trading efforts help attract, retain business
• nsultant unveils results of brand research; theme is '1/'owered by
au re'
ending effort-gets underway in Elk River
• ,~ picks firm to lead branding, marketing effort
• ending consultant outlines results of citizen survey
Spceia] Sections 1)it•cctrtrics ~c]~~ertisin~ ~bottt Us
Business Almanac Service Directory Advertising Rates and Info Contact Us
Family Resource and Dining Health and Wellness Subscribe
Guide
Wedding Directory Purchase Photos
erstarnews.com/2012/04/26/elk-rivers-branding-off-to-a-blazing-start/ 3/4
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