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Strategies to I mprove Communities <br />promotetheir communities and thework they do to <br />visitors and residents alike. Reimagingor branding <br />is an increasingly popular approach for cities and <br />counties to highlight their unique attributes in a <br />strategi c voi ce. <br />A Case Study in Community Branding <br />Greeley, Colorado <br />Greeley, Colorado has a rich agricultural history of <br />sugar beets, produce, corn and cattle aswell as a <br />highly - regarded university. However, asthe <br />longtime home of a meat processing facility, Greeley <br />grew to have a reputation inside and outside the city <br />as a placethat featured some of the less attractive <br />attributes of agriculture. A simplisticsummary of a <br />complex community, this stereotype, born out of the <br />city's agrarian heritage, seemed to have a tai I wi nd <br />that blew into all partsof Colorado until City leaders <br />had had enough. It wastimefor thiscity, with a <br />population just shy of 100,000, to allocate resources <br />to definethe problem more clearly, gather and <br />analyze data, set baselines for future comparisons <br />and, most importantly, to take action. <br />The citizen survey results confirmed what everyone <br />knew, but the survey put a number to it: two - thirds <br />of Greeley residents thought that the community's <br />i mage was not good. <br />with the old misperceptions. A partnership was <br />formed by Greeley City government with the Greeley <br />Chamber of Commerce, University of Northern <br />Colorado, Aims Community College and othersto <br />improve the city's image. <br />With financial and civicsupport, Greeley embarked <br />on an aggressive marketing and image initiativeto <br />show the state — and even local residents—that <br />Greeley was far more than its distant history. The <br />advertising campaign within the initiative, named <br />"Greeley Unexpected," includes photos, <br />conversations, traditional advertising, social and <br />traditional media engagement and multi -media <br />placementsthat highlight thegreat thingsabout <br />Greeley that too many people did not know or <br />ignored. <br />These images, from the Greeley Unexpected <br />campaign, help tell the story of a diverse and creative <br />community and generate enthusiasm for the little <br />known factsthat Greeley is hometo avariety of <br />interesting individuals and businesses, from <br />internationally known musiciansto aspecial effects <br />house that creates ani matroni c horrors for <br />Hollywood. <br />For more information about the Greeley Unexpected <br />campaign, a Flickr gallery of Greeley scenes, and <br />more, visit: http : / /www.greelgyunexpected.com <br />For more information on local government <br />branding, see ICMA's Knowledge Network <br />Community Branding Resources: <br />htto: / /icma.ora /en /BloaPost /529 / Knowledae Netw <br />The cultural scene is weak. <br />No, not by any means! <br />The Greeley Philharmonic just celebrated its 103rd season <br />making it one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the <br />nation <br />The new Creative District highlights the people, galleries <br />and activities that make Greeley's creative class glad they're <br />There www.greeleycreatived istrict.org; <br />However, about the same percent felt that more <br />effort should be put into improving the community <br />image through "communication, marketing and <br />image building with residents and external <br />audiences, community appearance, etc." <br />This and other data gave Greeley's leaders the <br />information they needed to move forward. It clearly <br />showed that the city had grown and evolved from its <br />early agricultural roots and that people were fed up <br />ork_Community Branding Resources <br />r <br />i <br />r' <br />I �,d I <br />© 2014, National Research Center, Inc. Page 17 <br />