For Immediate Release
November 14, 2012, Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario – Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario, has launched an intensive branding program aimed to discover, define, and design the area’s competitive differentiator so it can stand out in the marketplace. The ultimate goal of this community-wide initiative is to attract more residents, businesses, and visitors to the region.
Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership Chair Mayor Mike Bradley said, “The branding process of the branding exercise and research from it will be an effective way for gaining a strong understanding of community perceptions and attributes and for establishing a more unified effort for promoting the County.”
The brand exercise is being managed through the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership with a coalition of partners and supporters that includes: County of Lambton, Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce, Lambton College, Tourism Sarnia-Lambton, Grand Bend and Area Chamber of Commerce, Community Round Table, Blue Water Bridge Authority, Sarnia-Lambton Workforce Development Board, Local Immigration Partnership, Sarnia-Lambton Real Estate Board, Western Research Park, and the Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation.
To bring outside expertise and objectivity to the project, Sarnia-Lambton has partnered with Nashville-based North Star Destination Strategies and Toronto-based Yfactor. North Star has helped develop brands for more than 150 cities, regions, communities, and municipalities; and Yfactor has created and implemented extensive community branding and marketing programs in both Canada and the US.
“Over the next several months, using our Community BrandPrint process, we’ll be digging out Sarnia-Lambton’s competitive identity that is derived from the history, the culture, the geography, and the society of a place,” said Don McEachern, CEO of North Star. “Branding Sarnia-Lambton will give community members the tools to effectively manage the conversation that is taking place in order to build a reputation that is fair, honest, and powerful.”
The integrated process includes research, strategy, and creative development. The first stage is research and comprises about 80% of the work. “Here we determine the state of your existing brand,” said McEachern. More than 15 pieces of qualitative and quantitative research will paint a thorough picture of where Sarnia-Lambton is today. This research includes an assessment of the environment; perceptions of visitors, residents and stakeholders; and a review of current communications and the competition.
Using that research, North Star will develop a brand strategy that is relevant to Sarnia-Lambton’s current situation but also differentiates the region to consumers and businesses. “The research will not only tell our existing story, it will yield insights that point us in the direction of our desired future story,” said Lambton County Warden, Steve Arnold
The final stage of the project will involve the collaboration with creative design firm Yfactor to develop the logo and tagline that will form the foundation of the brand identity for Sarnia-Lambton. “We will work through an extensive creative process to develop a new logo and tagline based on the research and strategies identified by North Star that will be used by all community partners. The result will be a logo and tagline that is truly representative of Sarnia-Lambton’s past, present, and future; of the people, the environment, and those attributes that differentiate Sarnia-Lambton from anywhere else,” says Yfactor CEO, Anya Codack. “But a brand is so much more than that. Your community needs to wear this new brand like a second skin. We will provide you with the creative tools and ideas to make that happen.” This includes ideas for communications, signage, special events, community outreach, online initiatives, merchandising, and more.
Economic Partnership General Manager, George Mallay, said, “The branding process will commence in the next month and is expected to be completed by June 2013.”
If you are interested in learning more about Sarnia-Lambton, go to www.slep.wpengine.com. To learn more about North Star Destination Strategies, go to www.northstarideas.com. For information on Yfactor go to www.yfactor.com.
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For further information contact:
George Mallay, General Manager
Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership
mallay@www.sarnialambton.on.ca
519-332-1820, extension 232
Don McEachern, CEO
North Star Destination Strategies
don@northstarideas.com
615-232-2103, extension 26
Anya Codack, CEO
Yfactor Inc.
acodack@yfactor.com
416-977-9724, extension 509