Branding promises Fort Collins renewal

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

Look alive, Fort Collins, because we want the whole world to know that this is the place "where renewal is a way of life."

That proposed slogan incorporated into a swooshy logo representing the foothills and Poudre River is perhaps the most tangible product to come out of an $80,000 branding study commissioned by the city.

But city staffers insist the logo is but a very small part of a much bigger branding proposal. It is aimed at establishing a consistent, distinct and unique identity reflecting Fort Collins' superior essence in efforts to market the city as a destination for businesses, visitors and residents.

The findings and recommendations contained in the branding study now are being shopped around in presentations to various boards and civic organizations. Later this fall, the Fort Collins City Council will consider adopting the logo and allocating $236,775 requested to begin implementing the branding program. That first phase would include directional signs, promotional materials and development of a "portal" web site, fcrenew.com.

The web portal is a critical element of the branding implementation plan, according to Fort Collins marketing and public relations specialist Claire Thomas. She said it is the most effective way of reaching out with a consistent message to all potential audiences.

"We want to have a united front, an umbrella," she explained. It would reinforce the brand, Thomas added, and provide visitors with a single entry point to access information from other partners such as the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce.

Ideally, she said, the partners would reflect the brand in their own web sites and promotions. Some already have, Thomas said, such as the CVB in its ad now running in a sports publication.

The branding study came out of an elaborate yearlong effort to identify Fort Collins' assets, liabilities and image as perceived by a broad range of interests. They include community leaders, business owners, residents, visitors and potential visitors from across the state and nation, and state tourism and economic development officials.

Challenges to Fort Collins' image were identified as the belief that it is a college town rather than a destination, a persistent perception that the city is anti-business and anti-growth, and a lack of awareness about its difficult-to-find attractions.

Despite that, perceptions of the city were overwhelmingly positive. "Fort Collins has everything you would expect from a great Colorado town - outdoors, microbrews, university, vibrant downtown and environmental consciousness. But it's so much more...," the study stated.

That extensive list of "much more" boiled down to identifying Fort Collins as the leader in Northern Colorado, personified in the study as "authentic, humble, original, down-to-earth, creative, proactive, independent, supportive, adventurous, appreciative, balanced, forward-thinking, happy, accepting, inspiring."

The renewal brand arises from that shopping list of admirable scout-like attributes. Fort Collins, the study concludes, is indeed the place to "re-charge, energize, relax, be creative, get involved, start a business, spend time with your family, be an individual, learn something new, be a leader, reach your fullest potential."

Targeted at "anyone who wants the Colorado lifestyle but also wants more out of life," the study recommends that Fort Collins frame itself as an authentic Colorado college town at the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills where the environment creates a renewal of energy so "tomorrow has endless possibilities for pursuing your passions."

The report offers seven broad brand-building ideas aimed at getting the Renewal is a Way of Life brand "off the page and into people's hearts and minds." Each appropriately corresponds with one of the letters in the word "renewal" and contains dozens of specific recommendations. Among them are hiring a brand manger, developing brand merchandise, purchasing a fleet of hybrid city vehicles, celebrating times of renewal, and offering renewal rewards.

The catalyst for the branding study came out of the 2004 report by the Economic Vitality and Sustainability Action Group. It recommended that Fort Collins better communicate its unique qualities to more effectively compete for desired businesses, visitors and residents

"We wanted to get away from just being a university town and become a destination," Thomas explained.

Branding, she said, is crucial as an economic-development tool because desirable business and visitors my not seriously consider cities without a well-defined identity. "A brand speaks for you when you're not there," she said.

North Star Destination Strategies of Nashville conducted the study and prepared the report. The firm also developed a similar branding strategy for Greeley. There, the company suggested a slogan of "Greeley...Great from the Ground Up" in University of Northern Colorado blue and gold colors topped by a cowboy hat surrounded by gold flourishes. That logo now tops the city's web site.