Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 01/08/2015

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Strategies to I mprove Communities A Case Study in New Program Evaluation Greeley, Colorado Greeley, Colorado has created a new image initiative and campaign called "Greeley Unexpected." (See the Educate section for more information on the initiative.) The initiative did not come cheap. The intent was to go big —to change the perceptions that (at least) Coloradans had about Greeley. After the initiative had been running for several months, stakeholders were getting antsy to know if their investment was paying off and City staff needed data to help determinethe direction for the2014 campaign. So City staff, working with NRC, designed and put in thefield asurvey for residents and non - residentsto determinethe reach and effectiveness of the first year's campaign. This research was at least as much to keep stakeholders (including funding decision makerssuch asthe City Council) in the loop about the City's attention to the big evaluative question ( "Have perceptions of Greeley improved ? ") as it was to deter minethe answer to the question. Greeley O ctober 2D13 Unexpected Yes, No, Maybe Now that we five months into the Greeley Unexpect� campaign, everyone wants to k— have perceptions dhenged about Graeley7 Weis waking on getting that answer for you. A marketing mesarch team is currently surveying folks with questions, such as • Has your opinion of Greeley impwad /stayed the sama/declined wmthe the past six months? • How important is k for Greeley to promote itself as a Iccation for business /shoppingtrec matfan/entertai nment? OMO the results are in, we'll be sure to let you know. Based on the answers, we'll start planning for next year se, Greelsy's Gty Council has approved funding for the campaign in 2014. The answer to the question has come with extensive and robust inquirythat has relied on surveys of resi dents and those from out of town. With the results hot off the research report, this is how Greeley released the findings — a fitting way to reinforce the new brand! Greeley, Unexpected ) The Campaign —It's Working! Surveys show the Greeley Unexpected initiative has made a positive impact on what people think .rout Greeley[ • 39% of Greeley residents who responded to the surrey said their opinion of the city improved as a result of seeing the Greeley Unexpected ads or announcements • 35% of residents said they learned something new about the community 3q %nf Mrtrn f]anvar r.,Wsdh Spring, anh Fnrr Chinn, m,idhnt, air, said their npininn of Greeley Improved Thank you to the many incredible people who care about Greeley and want to see our city thrive! We've already started planning for 2014. so stay tuned for new campaign developments. © 2014, National Research Center, I nc. Page 25