Brand Understandings and Insights - The Corridor, Iowa
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The document discusses research conducted on the Corridor region including Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Key findings from stakeholder interviews and surveys show that while the region has strong assets like education and workforce, it also faces challenges like lack of regional identity and cooperation. Opportunities exist to promote the region's strengths and attract more businesses through unified branding and collaboration between communities.
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Brand Understandings and Insights - The Corridor, Iowa
- 1. The Corridor, IA BrandPrint Understanding & Insights Presentation
- 2. Your brand is what they say about you when you’re not around.
- 3. Branding is what you do about it.
- 4. Branding is the strategic orchestration of all that you do to affect what “they” are saying.
- 5. Community Understanding Brand Identity(including logo & line) & Brand Action Consumer Competition Insights You are Here Evaluation Imagination
- 6. What differentiates The Corridor? Community Consumer Competition
- 10. Focus GroupsStakeholder Vision Survey Community Wide Survey
- 11. 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.
- 13. Cost of living
- 14. Quality of life
- 15. Small towns
- 17. Strong leaders
- 18. Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance
- 21. Englert Theatre
- 27. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
- 29. Coe College and Mount Mercy College
- 31. Great shopping
- 32. Ped Mall
- 33. Great shopping
- 34. Events
- 37. Other educational institutions: Mt. Mercy, Cornell, Coe, etc.
- 39. 16,000 people commute up and down 380 daily
- 40. Seven county labor shed
- 41. Women of Influence award
- 42. Best of academia and business
- 43. Innovation and education fostering diversity and development
- 44. Priority One
- 45. ICAD Group
- 46. Coralville growth and vision
- 51. Largest processor of corn in the world
- 52. Hawkeye Sports
- 53. UI-Research Park
- 54. Start-ups
- 55. Coralville growth: Convention Center
- 56. Strong work ethic and values
- 58. Wind Energy
- 61. No identity
- 62. Not welcoming
- 63. Cedar Rapids only focused on flood recovery
- 64. National perception as corn fields and hay bales
- 65. Lack of coordinated leadership and political will
- 66. Small communities fear being swallowed up
- 67. Aging population
- 71. Regionalism will dilute Iowa City identity
- 72. Corridor name does not define region well beyond Eastern Iowa
- 74. Brain drain
- 75. Many frustrated with Priority One
- 76. Division between University economy and City economy
- 77. Few risk takers
- 78. Some key business leaders missing from conversation
- 79. Diversifying the economy/employment opportunities
- 80. Lack of understanding and support for regional efforts/benefits
- 82. Lack of jobs in smaller communities
- 83. Inward focus-Regional wins are not valued
- 84. Fostering technology and research commercialization
- 85. Flood recovery
- 87. Location
- 88. Affordability
- 90. Collaboration between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City
- 91. One shared vision to capitalize on regional assets
- 93. Retail
- 95. Commercialization of arts and research
- 96. Public and private partnerships
- 97. Leverage size and short distance between anchors
- 98. Consolidate redundancies in municipal government, etc.
- 100. Wind Energy
- 102. Healthcare
- 104. Leverage #2 ranking of physicians per capita
- 106. Available land in smaller communities
- 107. University of Iowa to build new outpatient center
- 108. Attracting large and small businesses
- 109. Revitalized Cedar Rapids downtown
- 112. 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%
- 113. 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%
- 114. Community Community Leader Perceptions DEFINING THE CORRIDOR 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
- 116. Growing, developing
- 119. Quality of life
- 121. Entertainment / events (sporting events and festivals)
- 123. Educated workers
- 125. 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
- 129. 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?
- 134. Brand Barometer Community The Corridor brand underperforms compared to the National average as a place to visit. Additionally, the Detractors category is quite high.
- 135. Brand Barometer Community As a place to conduct business, The Corridor brand performs very well compared to the National average, in the Detractors category.
- 136. 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.
- 137. Community Understanding Resident Perceptions Online Community Survey Quantitative survey that was open to all The Corridor residents 814 Responses
- 138. Resident Perceptions Community Most residents have heard the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City region referred to as “The Corridor” suggesting great internal awareness
- 139. Resident Perceptions Community Cedar Rapids to Iowa City best describes the Corridor Other: Waterloo to Iowa City, Cedar Rapids to Iowa City and everything in between
- 140. Resident Perceptions 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
- 141. Resident Perceptions Community The greatest strengths of the region are quality of life and cost of living Other: Quality of education, work ethic, and cultural opportunities
- 142. Resident Perceptions 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
- 143. Resident Perceptions Community One shared vision on regional assets is the greatest opportunity for economic growth in the region Other: Education, food processing, and collaboration
- 144. Resident Perceptions 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
- 145. Resident Perceptions Community Cohesive/competitive marketing and pooling resources to maximize budgets are the greatest advantages of regionalism Other: Common goals, regional planning, and resident pride
- 146. Resident Perceptions 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
- 147. Resident Perceptions Community The region should be called “Eastern Iowa Corridor” Other: Technology Corridor, Eastern Iowa, and Iowa City area
- 148. Resident Perceptions 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
- 149. Resident Perceptions 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
- 150. Resident Perceptions Community Light transportation and strong Cedar Rapids downtown are missing in the region Other: Economic diversity, jobs in general, and non-chain restaurants
- 151. Resident Perceptions Community Outsiders think of our region as Hawkeyes and Rural Other: Family, hard working, and bad weather
- 152. Attribute Delivery Community Educational opportunities and a great place to raise a family are the largest attributes
- 154. Consumer Understanding Outside PerceptionsCONSUMER AWARENESS & PERCEPTION STUDYConducted in: Des Moines, IAMadison, WI
- 155. CAP StudyBEST QUALITY OF LIFE VS. AGE GROUP Consumer
- 156. CAP StudyREGIONAL FAMILIARITY Consumer Other: Don’t know
- 157. CAP StudyREGIONAL FAMILIARITY VS. MARKET Consumer Des Moines other: Don’t know Madison other: Don’t know
- 159. Geographic names
- 160. Iowa Nation
- 161. Iowa Twin Cities
- 163. CAP StudyATTRIBUTE RATINGS VS. VISITATION Consumer
- 165. CAP StudyVISITATION Consumer Other: No reason to travel there
- 166. CAP StudyMORE LIKELY TO VISIT Consumer Other: Family members lived in the area, need for medical services
- 167. CAP StudyVISITOR FREQUENCY Consumer
- 168. CAP StudyPRIMARY PURPOSE Consumer Other: Music competition, playing golf, and buying horses
- 170. No perception of the region
- 171. Nice town
- 173. Great shopping and retail amenities
- 175. CAP StudyIDENTITY Consumer Other: College town – University of Iowa
- 176. Competition Understanding How Your Competition CommunicatesCompetitive Analysis Message Assessment for The Corridor
- 177. Competition What makes a region competitive?
- 179. Density of scientists and engineers
- 182. Highly regarded, active arts and cultural communities
- 184. Strong bandwidth and WiFi that flows like water
- 186. EDA ToolkitINNOVATION INDEX Competition 100 - U.S. Average
Editor's Notes
- 814 responses
- When comparing age groups to the quality of life offered by The Corridor, Des Moines and Madison you can note specific trends. Madison, WI resonates well by respondents between the age of 18-34 – suggesting a college-town atmosphere is desirable As the respondent ages, Des Moines becomes the most popular location for quality of life. 25-34 respondents did not mention The Corridor has the region with the best quality of life. Please note the trend line shown in the chart.
- 40% of respondents noted the Quad Cities is the region known as The Corridor. This suggests very low name recognition amongst the fielded markets (Des Moines and Madison). Another explanation for the high rate of response for Quad Cities, is the respondent’s unfamiliarity with The Corridor and which region it identifies. Therefore respondents attributed the most known region as “The Corridor”, attempting to guess at the correct answer.
- 22.22% of respondents from Des Moines noted Cedar Rapids / Iowa City as the region known as The Corridor. This suggest slightly higher name recognition in the state of Iowa compared to those communities out of state (Madison, for example).
- Interestingly, 70% of respondents wouldn’t change the name of the region. This indicates a disconnect between resident perceptions (as identified by the Vision Survey and the Community Survey) of the area needing a name change. However, respondents across most research pieces agree an additional descriptor is needed to make the region more identifiable.
- The above chart shows community culture (ie., friendly, affordable, family oriented) ranks higher than most business attributes. This suggests respondents have a lack of knowledge about The Corridor’s strong business culture.
- Once visiting, every attribute was given a higher rating.
- 82% or 204 out of 250 respondents have visited The Corridor.
- Lack of knowledge about things going on in the region is the main reason why respondents have not visited The Corridor.
- Unique shopping and “word of mouth” suggestions might increase visitors to the area.
- EDA Toolkit: The Innovation Project created 4 excellent tools to identify areas of innovation, investment and industry clusters for various regions around the country. The goal of the project is assess a region’s competitive strengths and weaknesses and to identify areas of growth. EDA Toolkit – Innovation In American RegionsInnovation Index – provides insight into the innovation capacity of a region relative to the nation and 2 comparison areas The Innovation Index comprises two broad categories Inputs – innovation capacity Outputs – measures the resultsCluster Analysis – provides insight into the knowledge, skills and abilities of the individuals who work in certain jobs Economic development professionals can begin to structure effective collaborations with business managers, educators, and workforce development professionalsInvestment Analysis – these guidelines are designed specifically to meet the needs of economic development professionals who must structure cooperative investment
- Innovation Index – EDA Toolkit The U.S. Average for the EDA Innovation Index is 100. The above chart details the data compiled from the EDA website on the various Economic Development competitors of The Corridor. As you can see, The Corridor falls just above average in the EDA assessment. EDA Toolkit – Innovation In American RegionsInnovation Index – provides insight into the innovation capacity of a region relative to the nation and 2 comparison areas The Innovation Index comprises two broad categories Inputs – innovation capacity Outputs – measures the resultsCluster Analysis – provides insight into the knowledge, skills and abilities of the individuals who work in certain jobs Economic development professionals can begin to structure effective collaborations with business managers, educators, and workforce development professionalsInvestment Analysis – these guidelines are designed specifically to meet the needs of economic development professionals who must structure cooperative investmentEducation levelsPopulation growth rateOccupational mix (science and tech)High tech employment rateR&D investmentVenture Capital InvestmentBroadband densityEconomic churnBiz size ratioHigh tech share of the workforceJobs/population growthPatent activityGDPPoverty rateUnemployment rateNet migrationCompetitive compensationPer capita income growth