Brand Understandings and Insights - The Corridor, Iowa

The Corridor, IA BrandPrint
Understanding & Insights Presentation

Your brand is what they say about
you when you’re not around.

Branding is what you do about it.

Branding is the strategic
orchestration of all that you do to
affect what “they” are saying.

Community
Understanding
Brand Identity(including logo & line)
&
Brand Action
Consumer
Competition
Insights You are Here
Evaluation
Imagination

What differentiates
The Corridor?
Community
Consumer
Competition

How have we learned about The Corridor?
Community
Research & Materials Audit
In-Market Trip
FAM Tour
Intercept Interviews
Stakeholder Interviews
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Vision Survey
Community Wide Survey

Community
Understanding The CorridorIn-Market ObservationsAugust 16 – 20, 2010You may disagree with some information that follows. But these are perceptions gained during the research. There are negative perceptions included; identifying these can be just as important as praise.

The Corridor AssetsWHAT WE HEARD FROM FAMILIARIZATION TOUR | STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS | FOCUS GROUPS
Community
Community
Location: Proximity to major metro areas
Cost of living
Quality of life
Small towns
Diverse communities
Strong leaders
Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance
Czech Village/Little Bohemia
Theatre Cedar Rapids
Englert Theatre
Iowa Writers Workshop
UNESCO Designation
Open space/available land
Outdoor recreation
Minor league sports
Community
Impact CR
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
Cedar Rapids Symphony
Coe College and Mount Mercy College
Strong Public education
Great shopping
Ped Mall
Great shopping
Events
36 Pulitzer Prize Winners

The Corridor AssetsWHAT WE HEARD FROM FAMILIARIZATION TOUR | STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS | FOCUS GROUPS
Community
Economic Development
University of Iowa
Kirkwood Community College
Other educational institutions: Mt. Mercy, Cornell, Coe, etc.
Diverse business/industry landscape
16,000 people commute up and down 380 daily
Seven county labor shed
Women of Influence award
Best of academia and business
Innovation and education fostering diversity and development
Priority One
ICAD Group
Coralville growth and vision
Healthcare
Eastern Iowa Airport
SCORE Cedar Rapids
The Entrepreneurial Center
JohnPappajohn Entrepreneurial Center
Largest processor of corn in the world
Hawkeye Sports
UI-Research Park
Start-ups
Coralville growth: Convention Center
Strong work ethic and values
Corridor Business Alliance
Wind Energy
Small group of engaged regionalists

The Corridor ChallengesWHAT WE HEARD FROM FAMILIARIZATION TOUR | STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS | FOCUS GROUPS
Community
Community
Lack of cooperation and collaboration
Divisive attitudes
No identity
Not welcoming
Cedar Rapids only focused on flood recovery
National perception as corn fields and hay bales
Lack of coordinated leadership and political will
Small communities fear being swallowed up
Aging population
Few direct flights
Unplanned growth/sprawl
Adverse to change
Regionalism will dilute Iowa City identity
Corridor name does not define region well beyond Eastern Iowa
Parochial attitudes

The Corridor ChallengesWHAT WE HEARD FROM FAMILIARIZATION TOUR | STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS | FOCUS GROUPS
Community
Lack of entrepreneurship
Brain drain
Many frustrated with Priority One
Division between University economy and City economy
Few risk takers
Some key business leaders missing from conversation
Diversifying the economy/employment opportunities
Lack of understanding and support for regional efforts/benefits
Marketing and promotion
Lack of jobs in smaller communities
Inward focus-Regional wins are not valued
Fostering technology and research commercialization
Flood recovery
Redevelopment of downtown Cedar Rapids

The Corridor OpportunitiesWHAT WE HEARD FROM FAMILIARIZATION TOUR | STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS | FOCUS GROUPS
Community
Community
Different and distinct lifestyles
Location
Affordability
Marketing and promotion
Collaboration between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City
One shared vision to capitalize on regional assets
Arts and entertainment
Retail
Educate on assets and resources of region

The Corridor OpportunitiesWHAT WE HEARD FROM FAMILIARIZATION TOUR | STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS | FOCUS GROUPS
Community
Kirkwood Community College workforce development training
Commercialization of arts and research
Public and private partnerships
Leverage size and short distance between anchors
Consolidate redundancies in municipal government, etc.
University of Iowa
Wind Energy
Innovation and technology
Healthcare
Entrepreneurial development
Leverage #2 ranking of physicians per capita
Coralville Convention business
Available land in smaller communities
University of Iowa to build new outpatient center
Attracting large and small businesses
Revitalized Cedar Rapids downtown
Value-added agriculture
North Liberty, Coralville and University of Iowa development around UI-Research Park

Community
Understanding Community Leader Perceptions
Stakeholder Vision Survey
143 Responses

Community
Community Leader Perceptions DEFINING THE CORRIDOR
When you first think of The Corridor which three words come to mind?
Cedar Rapids / Iowa City / I-380 – 28%
Education – 18%
Growth – 11%
In your opinion, what is the geographic area or exact footprint of The Corridor?
Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and the surrounding communities (Hiawatha, Riverside, Coralville, Mount Vernon, Marion) – 38%
Johnson and Linn Counties – 15%
Kirkwood Community College service area – 6%

Community
Community Leader Perceptions IDENTIFYING THE CORRIDOR
What do you think of "The Corridor" name? Does the term "Corridor" deserve an additional descriptor?
Yes – needs a descriptor / doesn’t define us – 25%
Yes – does not provide a regional or national identity – 13%
No – nothing wrong with it – 6%
In your opinion, what name do you recommend for this region?
The Corridor – 22%
Not sure, no suggestion – 11%
Eastern Iowa Corridor – 9%

Community
What is the greatest strength of The Corridor?
Combination of Iowa City and Cedar Rapids
Cultural and business opportunities
Education through school system / University of Iowa
What is the greatest challenge facing...
Absent cooperation between cities
Lack of business growth
Branding / common identity
What is missing in...
Unified identity
Leadership – vision
Arts, entertainment

Community
What is the reputation of the following to outsiders (beyond the Corridor)?
No reputation
Growing, developing
Don't know, not sure
What are the greatest opportunities for economic growth in...
Create more jobs
Combination of Cedar Rapids / Iowa City – health / tech / energy

Community
What Corridor attributes attract the most...
Residents
Education / good schools
Quality of life
Jobs
Visitors
University of Iowa events
Entertainment / events (sporting events and festivals)
Family
Business
Quality workforce
Educated workers
Low cost

Community
Community Leader Perceptions BENEFITS AND OBSTACLES OF REGIONALISM
What are the benefits of regionalism for The Corridor?
Working together / shared brand
Joint marketing of the region
Stronger ability to compete for economic development
What are the obstacles of regionalism for The Corridor?
Loss of identity for individual communities
Various points of views obstruct success
Non-cooperation / competition

Community
Community Leader Perceptions CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CORRIDOR
What are the commonalities between the communities in The Corridor?
Quality workforce
People
Strong education
What are three key selling points that the region can agree on and support?
Education
Quality workforce
Quality of life / Iowa as a great place

Community
Community Leader Perceptions ADVOCATING REGIONALISM
Does the political will exist to advocate regionalism beyond rhetoric? If not, how do we change the political will to further regionalism? Please explain.
Not sure – do not fully understand impact – 24%
“I'm not sure. I still don't think people fully understand the potential impact.”
No – 18%
“I don't think there is the political will to advocate regionalism. I think that the call for this has to come from the residents and the community. If this is something that needs to happen, forcing it to happen solely by leadership or a group will not have a lasting effect.”
Yes – 12%
“It does exist when there is benefit to both communities. We can not rely on politicians to change political will, this must be led by the business community.”
“Yes, but not strongly enough for progress to occur at the rate we may need. It seems to help people understand what is at stake and that not advocating for and acting on regionalism now will have negative implications for the future.”

Community
What are the best ways to show various stakeholders how regionalism will benefit them? What is the preferred channel of communication?
Face-to-face meetings
Leverage examples and benefits of regionalism
Advertise (websites / newspaper articles / branding)
In your opinion, what is the best way to attract more business and industry to The Corridor?
Properly promote and sell the benefits of the region
Unified brand
Collaboration for economic development

Community
Community Leader Perceptions COLLABORATION IN THE CORRIDOR
How well do entities work together (CVBs, Chambers, Cities, Organizations, etc.)?
Not very well – 25%
“Honestly, not very well. They cooperate on the small projects but miss the big picture. Cooperation is project-based instead of being part of the culture of the organization.”
Somewhat well – 22%
“Everyone is independently working on their own initiatives with varying levels of collaborative intent”
Working on it / getting better – 21%
“It is getting much better. The best is the collaboration on bringing speakers, workshops--numerous growth opportunities into the area and then making them available to everyone.”

Community
Community Leader Perceptions CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CORRIDOR
What unites The Corridor?
I-380
People - Iowa values
University of Iowa sports and education
What is The Corridor known for? What does it offer (attitude, experience, business sector, etc.) that no other area can?
Education
Strong work-ethic
Jobs / businesses

Community
Understanding Resident Promotion of the Brand
Community Brand Barometer
814 responses
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being "not at all likely" and 10 being "extremely likely", would you recommend… [living in, conducting business in, visiting]… The Corridor to a friend or colleague?

Community
Brand Barometer
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being "not at all likely" and 10 being "extremely likely", would you recommend living in The Corridor to a friend or colleague?
Observations:
The Corridor Detractors rank fairly low suggesting strong brand satisfaction for living in the region.
The Passives category is quite high, presenting a great opportunity to leverage the new brand and move these respondents into the Promoters category.

Community
Brand Barometer
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being "not at all likely" and 10 being "extremely likely", would you recommend visiting The Corridor to a friend or colleague?
Observations:
Visiting the Corridor has 34.85% Detractors for the current brand. This suggests a obstruction to tourism or visitor revenue in the area.
34.09% of respondents are Promoters of the current brand for visiting The Corridor. These advocates should be used as a foundation to spread the word about the region.

Community
Brand Barometer
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being "not at all likely" and 10 being "extremely likely", would you recommend conducting business in The Corridor to a friend or colleague?
Observations:
Conducting business in The Corridor seems to resonate with current residents. Almost half of the respondents are Promoters of the current brand, which explains many references to The Corridor as a great place to do business.
36.38% of respondents are Passives. A fairly large percentage, these individuals do not take an active approach when spreading the word about The Corridor as a place to do business.

Brand Barometer
Community
The Corridor brand performs quite well against the National average when discussing the region as a place to live.

Brand Barometer
Community
The Corridor brand underperforms compared to the National average as a place to visit. Additionally, the Detractors category is quite high.

Brand Barometer
Community
As a place to conduct business, The Corridor brand performs very well compared to the National average, in the Detractors category.

Brand Barometer
Community
Brand Advocacy Score = % Promoters – % Detractors
The Corridor’s Brand Advocacy scores, show negative results in the Visiting category, while performing quite well in Living and Conducting Business.

Community
Understanding Resident Perceptions
Online Community Survey
Quantitative survey that was open to all The Corridor residents
814 Responses

Resident Perceptions
Community
Most residents have heard the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City region referred to as “The Corridor” suggesting great internal awareness

Community
Cedar Rapids to Iowa City best describes the Corridor
Other: Waterloo to Iowa City, Cedar Rapids to Iowa City and everything in between

Community
Strong Midwestern work ethic and opportunity and great potential describes the region
Other: Good place to raise a family, home of the Hawkeyes, and rich in culture

Community
The greatest strengths of the region are quality of life and cost of living
Other: Quality of education, work ethic, and cultural opportunities

Community
The greatest challenge facing the region is the perception as corn fields/hay bales and lack of coordinated leadership
Other: High cost of living, taxes, and lack of population growth

Community
One shared vision on regional assets is the greatest opportunity for economic
growth in the region
Other: Education, food processing, and collaboration

Community
90.4% of residents thought the area should join together to promote the region as a whole in the smaller communities
Why: Strength in numbers, it benefits everyone, and opportunity to work together
Why not: Too different and will lose individual identity

Community
Cohesive/competitive marketing and pooling resources to maximize budgets are the greatest advantages of regionalism
Other: Common goals, regional planning, and resident pride

Community
Conflicting goals / different point of view and loss of individual identity are the greatest challenges facing regionalism in the area
Other: Don’t know, lack of diversity, and transportation

Community
The region should be called “Eastern Iowa Corridor”
Other: Technology Corridor, Eastern Iowa, and Iowa City area

Community
88% of residents believe that leaders and stakeholders in the area should collaborate and support regional efforts
Why: Everyone benefits, opportunity to work together, and results will trickle down

Community
48% of residents don’t know if organizations work well together
Why or why not: Sometimes, can improve, narrow focus on their own area, competition

Community
Light transportation and strong Cedar Rapids downtown are missing in the region
Other: Economic diversity, jobs in general, and non-chain restaurants

Community
Outsiders think of our region as Hawkeyes and Rural
Other: Family, hard working, and bad weather

Attribute Delivery
Community
Educational opportunities and a great place to raise a family
are the largest attributes

Community
Competition
Consumer

Consumer
Understanding Outside PerceptionsCONSUMER AWARENESS & PERCEPTION STUDYConducted in: Des Moines, IAMadison, WI

CAP StudyBEST QUALITY OF LIFE VS. AGE GROUP
Consumer

CAP StudyREGIONAL FAMILIARITY
Consumer
Other: Don’t know

CAP StudyREGIONAL FAMILIARITY VS. MARKET
Consumer
Des Moines other: Don’t know Madison other: Don’t know

CAP StudyNAME CHANGE
Consumer
What would you change the name to?
Don’t know
Geographic names
Iowa Nation
Iowa Twin Cities
Iowa’s Technology Highway

CAP StudyATTRIBUTE RATINGS
Consumer

CAP StudyATTRIBUTE RATINGS VS. VISITATION
Consumer

CAP StudyVISITATION
Consumer

CAP StudyVISITATION
Consumer
Other: No reason to travel there

CAP StudyMORE LIKELY TO VISIT
Consumer
Other: Family members lived in the area, need for medical services

CAP StudyVISITOR FREQUENCY
Consumer

CAP StudyPRIMARY PURPOSE
Consumer
Other: Music competition, playing golf, and buying horses

CAP StudyPERCEPTION CHANGE
Consumer
What was your perception of the Cedar Rapids / Iowa City region before you visited?
College town
No perception of the region
Nice town
Great hospitals and healthcare

CAP StudyPERCEPTION CHANGE
Consumer
What changed your perception of the Cedar Rapids / Iowa City region?
How much more there was to do in the area
Great shopping and retail amenities
Bigger than I had imagined

CAP StudyATTRIBUTE RATING
Consumer

CAP StudyIDENTITY
Consumer
Other: College town – University of Iowa

Competition
Understanding How Your Competition CommunicatesCompetitive Analysis Message Assessment for The Corridor

Competition
What makes a region competitive?

Educated and highly skilled workforce
High percentage of degreed professionals; focus on learning and curiosity
Density of scientists and engineers
Agility in workforce development
Networks for the commercialization of ideas and research
Channels to turn brainpower into wealth
Infrastructure to support innovation and entrepreneurship including incubators, capital networks, mentoring programs, and start-up culture
Enviable quality of life
Strong sense of place offering assets and amenities attractive to creative class, entrepreneurs, and innovators (whose workplace can be anywhere)
Highly regarded, active arts and cultural communities
Opportunities for connection: parks and trails, public transport, regional events, etc
Culture of communication
Thinkers are attracted to places demonstrating a strong future. The message must match the experience when they encounter the region (online or in person)
Strong bandwidth and WiFi that flows like water
Compelling identity (branded sense of place)
Collaboration
Business, municipal and educational partnerships make a region super competitive

EDA ToolkitINNOVATION IN AMERICA’S REGIONS
Competition

EDA ToolkitINNOVATION INDEX
Competition
100 - U.S. Average

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Brand Understandings and Insights - The Corridor, Iowa

by Chuck Peters on Mar 15, 2011

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Brand Understandings and Insights - The Corridor, Iowa — Presentation Transcript