CDN 2017-05-08 Item 2C - Discussion - Brand Concept for Day Marketing

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City of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM TO: Community Development and Neighborhoods Committee FROM: Brandon Miles, Business Relations Manager CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: May 1, 2017 SUBJECT: Day Marketing, Brand Concept ISSUE Staff would like City Council input and approval of a brand concept for the day marketing initiative, proposed by Bill Baker and supported by the Brand Advisory Committee. BACKGROUND In December of 2016, the City Council authorized the Mayor to sign an agreement with Bill Baker, with Total Destination Marketing, to assist the City in developing a compelling brand for the Southcenter area of the City, targeted to people within 50 miles of the City who would visit for the day to shop, dine and recreate ("day visitors"). The overall goal of the project is to bring more visitors to the City and drive more revenue to area businesses. Additionally, the branding process will be beneficial in how the City positions itself to attract overnight guests. This project is funded primarily with proceeds from the City's lodging tax, which, under State law, can only be used for tourism promotion. On April 171h the City Council received a briefing regarding two public perception surveys. The first survey was conducted in the Puget Sound area to understand the public's perception of Southcenter and Tukwila. A second survey was conducted of just Tukwila residents. Both surveys provided valuable information on how the City can best position itself to potential day visitors in the region. As part of the brand development process, City staff formed a Brand Advisory Committee (BAC) to assist developing the day visitor brand. The BAC includes stakeholders who have experience in marketing and serves as a sounding board for Bill Baker, his team and City staff. The BAC had its second meeting on April 18th to review the surveys and to discuss possible "brand concepts." A brand concept is the general idea or abstract meaning behind a brand. A brand's concept is used to give consistency to a brand's identity. It can be described as the first thing the City wants to pop into potential day visitor's head when they think of the City. Identifying a brand concept is an important part of the brand process. It must be completed before we can move to creating a logo, wordmark, and developing the brand personality. Attached with this memo are four brand concepts proposed by Bill Baker and his team to the BAC. The four brand concepts were developed based on the two research studies, stakeholder interviews, field research, and review of literature. Bill Baker and the BAC recommended the City adopt a brand concept for day visitors, focused on "Accessible Fun." 97