North Star Place Branding + Marketing selected to partner with city
Submitted by City of Carmel
The City of Carmel has launched a community-wide branding initiative and three-phase Research, Creativity, and Action process to create Carmel’s own authentic and ownable brand identity.
Carl
“Carmel is a beautiful city that attracts many people to it. We know this. But how can we better refine and continue to grow our national reputation?” Chief Marketing Officer Rebecca Carl said. “The Carmel city brand will serve as a cohesive narrative that communicates our city’s unique identity, culture and amenities to residents and visitors while also helping us differentiate the city in a crowded marketplace, attracting talents and investment. We are very excited to hear from residents of Carmel on what makes this city great so we can continue to elevate the city as a premier destination.”
A request for proposals was sent to both local and national agencies and a robust committee of city staff and city council was formed to conduct the review process of the submissions.
“We received submissions from a wide-ranging perspective of agencies that did place-branding as well as those that did not,” Carl said. “Ultimately, our decision was based on the best value and quality of work and the agency’s understanding of our vision.”
To partner with the city to drive its branding efforts, the committee selected Florida-based agency North Star Place Branding + Marketing.
“We really appreciated and connected with North Star’s research-based process and their creative approach to gathering stories from the community to inform the branding strategy,” said City Councilor Shannon Minnaar, who served on the selection committee and emphasized the importance of the community’s voice in creating Carmel’s story.
Integral to the branding process for Carmel will be the collection of feedback from residents and businesses. The results of the Community Survey that launched in February will be just one of the resources that will inform the branding strategy.
The Carmel team has begun to engage focus groups, meet with residents where they live and work and will gather information from the Distinctly Carmel website, created specifically for the branding project and open to all who wish to share their story or provide feedback.
“I think it’s great that the city is trying to share its brand with a wider audience, as we’re already so well known for our arts, education and walkable community,” Carmel resident Amal Anthony said. “I hope that diverse members of our community are given the opportunity to share more about what makes Carmel the place they choose to call home, and why these attributes that we’re already known for, are critical to our continued success as a community.”