Question: Why should an economic development organization consider branding? Answer: Branding gets your community considered. In today’s competitive marketplace, the most successful EDOs are using their brand to change the perceptions of their place. They’re ensuring their brands are relevant, truthful, and appealing to the right audiences, and most importantly, these brands are helping communities tell their stories. Would you like to know why branding should be a priority? Have you cultivated a brand that’s known outside your community? Is it something that helps your community get considered for projects? Or maybe you’re tired of letting someone else dictate the perceptions and story of your community.

1. De-Mystifying
Economic Development Branding
Presented by:

2. Your Hosts
Ben Wright - CEO
– Founded company in 2001, based on a passion for places
– Former Chief Economist, Metro Denver EDC
– The industry’s leading innovator in linking technology, place marketing
and branding, and economic development
– Favorite Brand This Year: Nest
Guillermo Mazier – Director, Strategic Accounts
– Former economic developer and tourism marketer for the Costa Rican
Investment and Trade Development Board
– Managed economic development and tourism campaign for
Tortugero, CR
– Industry speaker, content strategy and digital marketing specialist
– Favorite Brand This Year: Nashville
@AtlasAd @GuillermoMazier #AskAtlas

3. About Atlas
1. Led more economic development
marketing assignments than any other firm
in the country in the last 10 years.
2. The ONLY full service agency that
specializes in economic development
marketing, brands and websites.
3. Has developed High Performance
Economic Development Marketing,
national marketing metrics that can prove
ROI for marketing, branding and website
efforts within economic development space.

4. View the slides, continue the dialogue
• Continue the Conversation:
– Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AtlasAd
– Tweet questions using hashtag #ASKATLAS
– Join High Performance Economic Development LinkedIn Group
• View and share the slides with your colleagues (available now):
www.slideshare.com/wright0405

5. Table of Contents
1. The Value of an Economic Development Brand
- Why Economic Development Branding is Important
2. How Prospects and Site Selectors Experience Brands
3. How To Structure a Successful Branding Process
4. How To Leverage a Brand For The Largest Impact
5. Case Studies To Reference

6. Three keys to outstanding
Branding as defined Simon Sinek
and Apple
Most communities do their marketing backwards. They
start with their "what" and then move to "how" they do it.
Apple starts with "why." It is the core of their marketing and
the driving force behind their business operations. To help
illustrate this point, imagine if Apple also started backwards
by creating a marketing message that started with "what."
"We make great computers. They're user friendly, beautifully
designed, and easy to use. Want to buy one?"
Here's what a real marketing message from Apple might
actually look like:
"With everything we do, we aim to challenge the status quo.
We aim to think differently. Our products are user friendly,
beautifully designed, and easy to use. We just happen to make
great computers. Want to buy one?”

7. What Makes the Apple Brand Great?
"The overwhelming presence of Apple comes through in everything they do."
AAPL
GOOG
MSFT
Share Price 2002 – 2012
• It’s not just an iconic logo or sexy packaging that has made Apple one of the the most
valuable -- and most envied -- brands on the planet. It’s a strategic combination of an
awesome product, true dedication to customers, a passion for design, extreme focus, the
courage to re-invent everything, consistent delivery on its core promise, and a very clear
and compelling answer to the question “WHY?”

8. What is a Economic
Development or place brand?
The sum of all the characteristics, tangible and intangible, that make a
development, city, state, or region unique.
A place brand is an experience (online and offline) an individual has with your
organization or your community.
• Embodies a set of core values
• It has personality traits
• Reflects a unique story
• An emotional connection
• The foundation for all internal and external communication
“I’m convinced that pretty much every place has a unique character. It might be hard to
articulate, but it’s there. In Midwestern places like Ohio, there’s always a struggle to articulate
identity. But visit Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus, and it’s instantly apparent these are
three radically different cities. Places just need to do a little anthropological work to unearth
their distinctiveness, distill it down and then imbue that “mojo” into everything they do.”
Aaron Renn, Demographer, urban affairs analyst, entrepreneur

9. What is a The Value of the
Silicon Valley Brand

10. Why is branding important for
economic development?
1. Places leave the most lasting impressions, tangible or intangible, on human
beings. And, human beings still make the decision where a company stays or
relocates to.
2. As the world becomes more competitive at a faster and faster rate, choices for
companies get harder. As a result, for one site selector, a brand, or reputation,
has become one of “Four Pillars of Community Competitiveness.
3. As companies work to locate where workforce is, how your brand attracts and
retains workforce is that brand challenge of the next 25 years.
4. Having a brand gives you the tools to have a real dialogue about your place.
You know you are and you know who you are.

11. How site selectors say they like to
experience brands
1. Familiarization tours
2. Websites
3. Direct relationships with ED Professionals
4. Word of Mouth
5. All supported with coordinated communications

12. Feb 9-11, 2014 Atlas attended a familiarization tour In Greenville, FL that
included 9 site selectors representing corporate expansions resulting in
50,000 jobs combined in 2013.
Quail hunting with 9 site selectors at honey
lake plantation
Familiarization tours

13. Websites

14. Experience with ED professionals
Panelists:
• Mike Mullis, President/CEO, J. M. Mullis, Inc.
• Hartley Powell, Principal, KPMG LLP
• Don Schjeldahl, Principal, The Don Schjeldahl
Group
• Mark L. Williams, President, Strategic Development
Group
TNECD brought in 4 site selectors to divulge best
practices and biggest blunders communities
make when courting new economic development
projects. Get ideas on what to replicate in your
community as you tell its unique story and learn
from others’ mistakes before they happen to you.

15. Word of mouth

16. Three keys to outstanding
Branding as defined by Atlas

17. Comprehensive Economic
Development Branding:
City of Richmond

22. Print collateral

23. Information Architecture

25. Richmond’s Deal Lost
# Site selection priorities Model FAQ
1
Destination location--within 1 hour of a
major urban center or a progressive
tourist destination
Used CBSA
2
Progressive climate - culturally,
environmentally, politically, culinary
Created a cultural Index using
number from population that have
a high propensity to go to plays,
concerts and museums
3
Plentiful water supply
Used a ratio of water to land from
USGS
4
Proximity to a town so employees can
bike to work, have access to services;
or proximity to commuter rail
Brokerage
5
Utility availability and reliability
iLocate
6
Municipal development favorability
(zoning, permitting, fast-tracking)
BEI / Brokerage
7
Vital lifestyle
Used MRI data for population with
a high propensity to exercise
8
Previously developed site--able to
redevelop a beautiful, old building--or a
naturally beautiful site
BEI / Brokerage
9
Close to a major interstate and off
ramp--or at least unfettered access to
one
iLocate
10
Temperate climate, suitable to natural
ventilation
Need definition from client
11
Ability to have an influence
BEI / Brokerage
April 2012

26. Richmond’s Deal Won
“While you weren’t looking,” Frommer’s told
its readers, “Richmond got cool.”
“The search for our location east of the Mississippi River was no easy endeavor,”
said Stone President and Co-founder Steve Wagner. “We received and reviewed
hundreds of proposals, visited more than 40 sites, and received quite a bit of attention
from communities and craft beer fans. We feel that Richmond’s vibrant energy and
impressive craft beer culture, along with the uniqueness of the property, will
allow us to create a truly memorable Stone experience for our fans.
October 9, 2014

27. The Story of “O”: We Don’t Coast
Omaha Chamber of Commerce

28. WHY?
We cannot remain a ‘best kept secret’

29. HOW
HOURS
3,000 hours
Planning and research
Communication/meeting facilitation
Creative development
TEAM
4 core Chamber staff
2 consultants
16 creatives
50 core and 100+ additional
participants

34. CREATIVE TASK FORCE

35. DESIGN CHARRETTE
Creative burst of energy that builds momentum for a
project and sets it on a course to meet project goals

38. RESULT

39. Here, you earn everything you get. There is no standstill. No off
switch. Only momentum, fueled by a drive to let go and do what we
love. We are passionate about this community. Here in the
heartland, we are more than a cozy place to live – we are a great
place to be alive. Maybe not for everyone. Just anyone who wants
to be someone. This is Omaha. We Don’t Coast.

50. Modular in use - Regional

51. Modular in use –
National

59. What Do Apple, Richmond, and Omaha
have In Common?
1. Appearance. How they come across without saying a word
2. Qualifications. What they good at, their key talents/assets.
3. Competencies. Technical skills/services to help service companies.
4. Achievements. How have we made an impact?
5. Passions. What they love about their community
6. Value. What they can offer an employer, site selector, prospect etc.
7. Reputation. How they are viewed by others.
8. Personality. Their values, goals, identity and behavior.
9. Differentiator. The talents that make us unique.

60. Thank you!
Contact information:
929 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203
Contact: Guillermo Mazier
t: 303.292.3300 x 232
Guillermom@Atlas-Advertising.com
www.Atlas-Advertising.com
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