If you go...
- WHAT: Green County Development Corporation annual meeting.
- WHEN: Monday, April 30; reception begins at 5:30 p.m.
- WHERE: Edelweiss Country Club, W4764 Edelweiss Road, New Glarus.
- COST: $40 per person, includes dinner catered by New Glarus Hotel. For more information call GCDC at (608) 328-9452 or email gcdc@tds.net.
MONROE - Walton County, Ga., was having an identity crisis.
The county was at risk for getting swallowed whole, sandwiched as it is between the growing Southern metropolis of Atlanta and nearby Athens, a college town of about 115,000 that is often compared to Madison.
So it called on North Star Destination Strategies for help.
The Tennessee branding company created a marketing plan based on its research of Walton County. It found the area "boasts a slower pace and lots of space," so it came up with strategy to attract people and economic development, starting with the slogan "Stretch Out" and ads featuring people stretching.
Green County is currently undergoing a similar process. Last June, the Board of Supervisors approved a $91,000 contract with North Star to rebrand the county.
This cost is being covered by a $39,550 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and a combined $51,450 from Monroe Visitors and Promotion, the New Glarus Chamber, Green County Tourism, the Green County Development Corporation (GCDC) and Colony Brands, Inc.
On Monday, April 30, Don McEachern, the CEO of North Star, will be speaking about community branding at GCDC's annual meeting and recognition Dinner.
A four-member team from North Star, under the leadership of project manager Ed Barlow, visited Green County in September. The company surveyed residents and conducted man-on-the-street interviews and focus groups, he said. It also sought input from economic development and tourism officials in the region and ordered third-party surveys of a demographically representative sample of 200 people in Milwaukee and Chicago.
North Star's analysis "will produce a consistent feel and message that not only preserves our unique identity of the past, but also looks forward to the future of Green County," according to Noreen Rueckert, director of Green County Tourism. Brand creation is part of a three-year overall marketing program for the county, she added.
Details of Green County's brand are not yet available. North Star expects to submit its research and analysis to the county this summer.
Barlow spoke with The Monroe Times recently about the branding process.
Q: The Green County brand will be unveiled in August, correct?
A: The project itself will be completed we hope by that time. Our advice is never for a community to right at the conclusion of a project to have any sort of grand unveiling. A big "ta-da" sort of moment is usually not the best choice for any community. August is the time frame for perhaps the completion of the project. It will be after that point that the branding teams and entities there in Green County will evaluate our recommendations and the research from the project and then determine their specific priorities on how to introduce the new brand for Green County.
Q: North Star defines a brand as what people say about you when you're not around, which is kind of a scary concept, you know?
A: (Laughs.) Well, everyone, every product, every service and every community has a reputation. What people say about you is based on their perceptions and perspective. Branding is what you do about it.
Q: So, let's start with the process from the very beginning. What are you looking for?
A: Our process is called a "brandprint." Just like a blueprint is the guide to building a house, our brandprint is a guide to building a brand. What we're after through our process is to uncover that competitive advantage for a particular community, and then articulate that and turn that into a compelling community brand. We never say that you can talk to a few folks, go into a room and doodle something or write up some things, and there's the brand. Our process may take a little bit longer. Our research is extremely thorough.
Q: What happened during your visit to Green County?
A: We had four people visit Green County in September for about a week. We're just kind of chatting folks up to see what that unvarnished perspective is about the county and the different communities within the county.
Q: Where did you stay?
A: We moved about the county. We stayed both in New Glarus and in Monroe.
Q: So, Green County is known for its cheese, and everybody knows that. How do you balance what is best known about a place with what people don't know that they should?
A: It may not be the "what" that is surprising or revealing; it's the "how you communicate that." What about that cheese or that culture resonates with the different audiences? That's what we're after in Green County. What about the cheese or what about the beer or what about any of the assets that Green County presents, while that may be appealing on the surface to a tourist or a tourism audience, where is the meaning or competitive advantage there for perhaps economic development? Those are ties and connections and meanings in the Green County brand that we're looking to uncover.
Q: So it's not so much about presenting a product as the story behind the product?
A: Right. We're gathering all this information so we can uncover that competitive advantage for the county, and because it's a community-wide project and not limited to one particular sector - tourism, economic development, etcetera - we're looking at how that overall brand for the county can articulate a variety of messages to a variety of audiences that stays true to that core essence, that core advantage that Green County presents.
Q: Can you step through some of the things you did while you were here?
A: We had different focus groups in different parts of the county, in different communities, different types of folks. We'll even roleplay. I might say, "You know, I live in Madison and I'm thinking about moving to Green County. What can you tell me about it?" or "I've got a small business. I'm wanting to be somewhere in southern Wisconsin and considering New Glarus or considering Monroe. What can you tell me about the business community or the visitor traffic you get?"
Q: What are the most important questions you ask?
A: We want to know what folks in Green County think, what outsiders think of them. We want to know what's missing. We might even ask a similar sort of question about perceptions on Green County, but we'll say, "Tell me, if Green County was a famous person, who would it be and why?" That changes the way they have to think about the question, but is also very telling in their response. "If Monroe was an ice-cream flavor, what would it be?" You know, you can't use the same ice-cream flavor to describe every community, so if you say Monroe is Rocky Road, then New Glarus cannot be Rocky Road. Now we are looking for that overlap or that repetition. When you start to see some themes and repetition, you know you're onto something.
Q: And then all of this is boiled down to a catchphrase?
A: We always preach this: your brand is not just the logo and a line. That's one tool and that can be a very important tool, but if a community brand is reduced only to their logo and line, they've got a long, uphill climb. It's the work that you do behind that where you add meaning. That strategy is crucial. That's not a statement that's for public consumption. It's not a sexy phrase. It's a guiding internal principal. We will look to have a compelling line for Green County as well. But your brand is so much more than a logo and a line. It's a way of thinking, even.
Q: Some here wonder how our tax dollars going to a Tennessee company can work for us. Make a case for yourself. Why is it a good idea to have an outside firm come in?
A: The biggest plus there is the objectivity. Having the objectivity to really gather the research and not have that local subjectivity of what you expect it to be. We're gathering this research, we're letting it come in. We can look through all of this and what we identify or see as themes, and sometimes the leadership (in communities) may not want to hear it or see it. But you can't argue with the research. That's another important part about the North Star model: the value of the research. We have a lot of communities that tell us after the project, months after, even years, that they continue to go back to that volume of research to inform decisions with branding but even beyond branding.
You don't want to build a brand around a trend or something you want to be. It's got to be rooted in your history and what is real and authentic. Now there is a certain level of aspiration to any brand. That's very important. But if it's all aspiration, you're creating an expectation that cannot be met. If I'm a visitor and I'm looking at Green County and your brand is completely aspirational on what you want to be soon or down the road, I'm going to come visit you and I'm going to be disappointed because you didn't meet my expectation.
Q: Can you give an example of when a community's self-perception didn't match reality?
A: This is not uncommon with communities or even products. People will take for granted their real advantage or what is compelling. We can't through this research and through this process come in and tell you to be something you're not, even if that's your hope.
The county was at risk for getting swallowed whole, sandwiched as it is between the growing Southern metropolis of Atlanta and nearby Athens, a college town of about 115,000 that is often compared to Madison.
So it called on North Star Destination Strategies for help.
The Tennessee branding company created a marketing plan based on its research of Walton County. It found the area "boasts a slower pace and lots of space," so it came up with strategy to attract people and economic development, starting with the slogan "Stretch Out" and ads featuring people stretching.
Green County is currently undergoing a similar process. Last June, the Board of Supervisors approved a $91,000 contract with North Star to rebrand the county.
This cost is being covered by a $39,550 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and a combined $51,450 from Monroe Visitors and Promotion, the New Glarus Chamber, Green County Tourism, the Green County Development Corporation (GCDC) and Colony Brands, Inc.
On Monday, April 30, Don McEachern, the CEO of North Star, will be speaking about community branding at GCDC's annual meeting and recognition Dinner.
A four-member team from North Star, under the leadership of project manager Ed Barlow, visited Green County in September. The company surveyed residents and conducted man-on-the-street interviews and focus groups, he said. It also sought input from economic development and tourism officials in the region and ordered third-party surveys of a demographically representative sample of 200 people in Milwaukee and Chicago.
North Star's analysis "will produce a consistent feel and message that not only preserves our unique identity of the past, but also looks forward to the future of Green County," according to Noreen Rueckert, director of Green County Tourism. Brand creation is part of a three-year overall marketing program for the county, she added.
Details of Green County's brand are not yet available. North Star expects to submit its research and analysis to the county this summer.
Barlow spoke with The Monroe Times recently about the branding process.
Q: The Green County brand will be unveiled in August, correct?
A: The project itself will be completed we hope by that time. Our advice is never for a community to right at the conclusion of a project to have any sort of grand unveiling. A big "ta-da" sort of moment is usually not the best choice for any community. August is the time frame for perhaps the completion of the project. It will be after that point that the branding teams and entities there in Green County will evaluate our recommendations and the research from the project and then determine their specific priorities on how to introduce the new brand for Green County.
Q: North Star defines a brand as what people say about you when you're not around, which is kind of a scary concept, you know?
A: (Laughs.) Well, everyone, every product, every service and every community has a reputation. What people say about you is based on their perceptions and perspective. Branding is what you do about it.
Q: So, let's start with the process from the very beginning. What are you looking for?
A: Our process is called a "brandprint." Just like a blueprint is the guide to building a house, our brandprint is a guide to building a brand. What we're after through our process is to uncover that competitive advantage for a particular community, and then articulate that and turn that into a compelling community brand. We never say that you can talk to a few folks, go into a room and doodle something or write up some things, and there's the brand. Our process may take a little bit longer. Our research is extremely thorough.
Q: What happened during your visit to Green County?
A: We had four people visit Green County in September for about a week. We're just kind of chatting folks up to see what that unvarnished perspective is about the county and the different communities within the county.
Q: Where did you stay?
A: We moved about the county. We stayed both in New Glarus and in Monroe.
Q: So, Green County is known for its cheese, and everybody knows that. How do you balance what is best known about a place with what people don't know that they should?
A: It may not be the "what" that is surprising or revealing; it's the "how you communicate that." What about that cheese or that culture resonates with the different audiences? That's what we're after in Green County. What about the cheese or what about the beer or what about any of the assets that Green County presents, while that may be appealing on the surface to a tourist or a tourism audience, where is the meaning or competitive advantage there for perhaps economic development? Those are ties and connections and meanings in the Green County brand that we're looking to uncover.
Q: So it's not so much about presenting a product as the story behind the product?
A: Right. We're gathering all this information so we can uncover that competitive advantage for the county, and because it's a community-wide project and not limited to one particular sector - tourism, economic development, etcetera - we're looking at how that overall brand for the county can articulate a variety of messages to a variety of audiences that stays true to that core essence, that core advantage that Green County presents.
Q: Can you step through some of the things you did while you were here?
A: We had different focus groups in different parts of the county, in different communities, different types of folks. We'll even roleplay. I might say, "You know, I live in Madison and I'm thinking about moving to Green County. What can you tell me about it?" or "I've got a small business. I'm wanting to be somewhere in southern Wisconsin and considering New Glarus or considering Monroe. What can you tell me about the business community or the visitor traffic you get?"
Q: What are the most important questions you ask?
A: We want to know what folks in Green County think, what outsiders think of them. We want to know what's missing. We might even ask a similar sort of question about perceptions on Green County, but we'll say, "Tell me, if Green County was a famous person, who would it be and why?" That changes the way they have to think about the question, but is also very telling in their response. "If Monroe was an ice-cream flavor, what would it be?" You know, you can't use the same ice-cream flavor to describe every community, so if you say Monroe is Rocky Road, then New Glarus cannot be Rocky Road. Now we are looking for that overlap or that repetition. When you start to see some themes and repetition, you know you're onto something.
Q: And then all of this is boiled down to a catchphrase?
A: We always preach this: your brand is not just the logo and a line. That's one tool and that can be a very important tool, but if a community brand is reduced only to their logo and line, they've got a long, uphill climb. It's the work that you do behind that where you add meaning. That strategy is crucial. That's not a statement that's for public consumption. It's not a sexy phrase. It's a guiding internal principal. We will look to have a compelling line for Green County as well. But your brand is so much more than a logo and a line. It's a way of thinking, even.
Q: Some here wonder how our tax dollars going to a Tennessee company can work for us. Make a case for yourself. Why is it a good idea to have an outside firm come in?
A: The biggest plus there is the objectivity. Having the objectivity to really gather the research and not have that local subjectivity of what you expect it to be. We're gathering this research, we're letting it come in. We can look through all of this and what we identify or see as themes, and sometimes the leadership (in communities) may not want to hear it or see it. But you can't argue with the research. That's another important part about the North Star model: the value of the research. We have a lot of communities that tell us after the project, months after, even years, that they continue to go back to that volume of research to inform decisions with branding but even beyond branding.
You don't want to build a brand around a trend or something you want to be. It's got to be rooted in your history and what is real and authentic. Now there is a certain level of aspiration to any brand. That's very important. But if it's all aspiration, you're creating an expectation that cannot be met. If I'm a visitor and I'm looking at Green County and your brand is completely aspirational on what you want to be soon or down the road, I'm going to come visit you and I'm going to be disappointed because you didn't meet my expectation.
Q: Can you give an example of when a community's self-perception didn't match reality?
A: This is not uncommon with communities or even products. People will take for granted their real advantage or what is compelling. We can't through this research and through this process come in and tell you to be something you're not, even if that's your hope.