City of NegauneeB R A N D I N G & M A R K E T I N G

S T R AT E G Y

2022

egauneeegauneeegaunee

2

AcknowledgementsThe City of Negaunee would like to acknowledge and thank the following groups for their support in preparation of this Branding and Marketing Strategy.

CITY OF NEGAUNEE STAFF & ADMINISTRATION

CITY OF NEGAUNEE DDA BOARD MEMBERS

CITY OF NEGAUNEE BUSINESS OWNERS

CITY OF NEGAUNEE CITY COUNCIL

RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF NEGAUNEE

LAKE SUPERIOR COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

This Branding and Marketing Strategy has been funded in part by a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation as part of the Redevelopment Ready Communities® Program.

3

Table of ContentsCity of Negaunee ‑‑‑ 1

Acknowledgements ‑‑‑ 2

Irontown, U.S.A ‑‑‑ 4

Brand Platform ‑‑‑ 9

Who are we talking to? ‑‑‑ 18

Key Messages ‑‑‑ 22

How Can We Get There? ‑‑‑ 24

Brand Vision ‑‑‑ 26

Visual Brand Application ‑‑‑ 28

Partnerships ‑‑‑ 30

Brand Activation ‑‑‑ 33

Brand Activation Plan ‑‑‑ 36

Partnerships ‑‑‑ 37

Brand Activation: Gateway and Wayfinding Signage ‑‑‑ 38

Integrated Marketing Strategy ‑‑‑ 40

Marketing Goals, Objectives & Strategies ‑‑‑ 42

Strategy 1: Build Destination Website ‑‑‑ 44

Target Audiences: All ‑‑‑ 44

Strategy 2: Content Marketing ‑‑‑ 48

target Audiences: All ‑‑‑ 48

Where to start? ‑‑‑ 49

Strategy 3: Events ‑‑‑ 56

Promotional Plan for Special Events ‑‑‑ 57

Strategy 4: Improve Communications/Promotions ‑‑‑ 60

Strategy 5: Identify & Market Redevelopment Ready Sites ‑‑‑ 62

Strategy 6: Advertising ‑‑‑ 65

Brand & Marketing Monitoring and Evaluation ‑‑‑ 70

Brand Evaluation Strategy ‑‑‑ 70

Brand Evaluation Criteria & Timing ‑‑‑ 71

Branding Surveys ‑‑‑ 72

Implementing the Brand Perception & Identity Surveys ‑‑‑ 74

Integrated Marketing Evaluation in the Digital Space ‑‑‑ 75

Benchmarking for Events ‑‑‑ 78

Benchmarking Economic Development ‑‑‑ 79

Sources & Appendices ‑‑‑ 80

Brand Standard Guidelines ‑‑‑ 86

4

Irontown, U.S.ANEGAUNEE’S EXISTING BRAND AND PROJECT RATIONALE

The goal for Negaunee’s branding initiative is to develop a brand which

may be used to market the City of Negaunee and its downtown to

prospective investors/developers, businesses, residents, and visitors.

Negaunee’s existing brand position is articulated as “Irontown, USA” due

to its historical origins in iron mining, most notable for the discovery of

iron ore in 1844. “Irontown, USA” is painted on the water tower, it’s on the

walls of restaurants and bars, and in the town’s psyche. However, the city

no longer relies on an iron mining economy, and only one functioning

mine exists.

Beyond being called “Irontown,” many residents and business owners

would describe Negaunee’s story in terms of its heritage, specifically

the historical origins of the city and downtown buildings, especially in

comparison with surrounding cities.

Negaunee has been working on shifting its identity from iron ore mining

to the rich and diverse recreational opportunities that now exist, some

01.BRANDING & MARKETING

PROJECT RATIONALE:

The most critical issue driving action to initiate this branding project is to distill the city’s existing brand while balancing the future economic vitality that exists. Thus, the charge is to maintain elements of the city’s heritage while modernizing the city’s brand.

5

in part due to the transformation of the old mining areas to recreational trails, hills, cliffs, scenic

spaces, bodies of water, and points of interest. Because of this, many community members and

members of city leadership agree that Negaunee needs to modernize its brand and refocus to

bolster the future economic vitality of the community.

City leadership envision a bright economic future for the city and neighboring areas to be the

recreational hub of the county. Current local business trends and the variety of recreational

opportunities available enable the community to embody that identity. Therefore, the most

critical issue driving action to initiate this branding project is to distill the city’s existing brand while

balancing the future economic vitality that exists. Thus, the charge is to maintain elements of the

city’s heritage (iron/iron town) while modernizing the brand for the city, the downtown, and DDA.

6

02.BRANDING APPROACH & METHODOLOGYThroughout the research process in the branding approach and analysis for the City, or during the

“Where are we?” stage, the consulting team employed a variety of actions and methodologies to

determine the existing brand position and the brand’s vision.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

■ In March of 2021, the team facilitated a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

(SWOT) analysis with steering committee members to determine key assets and uncover

opportunities.

■ The team worked with the group updating the Negaunee Master Plan to include specific

survey questions about the community brand. The feedback, provided in June 2021, was

analyzed and integrated into this strategy. There was a total of 314 responses with 255

completions for the overall Master Plan survey. The relevant branding questions added to

that survey are listed below.

◆ What are the top community values that you think Negaunee embodies?

◆ What three words best describe how you think others perceive Negaunee?

◆ In your opinion, what is the City of Negaunee’s greatest asset?

◆ If you could create a slogan or tagline for the City of Negaunee, describe what would it be?

■ A representative from the consultant team visited Negaunee and facilitated a meeting with

business owners and other leadership to gain insight into perceptions, sentiment, visions for

the future of the city, and feedback on experiences and inputs that aided decisions to locate

and invest in Negaunee.

■ A two‑day site visit, one of which was a full‑day tour facilitated by the City Manager and the

Planning and Zoning Administrator.

7

WHERE ARE WE AND WHY ARE WE THERE?

SECONDARY RESEARCH

■ The team reviewed and analyzed the DDA plan, website information, strategies,

presentations, and other materials and other documents relevant to the project.

In March of 2021, the City of Negaunee embarked on a Master Plan update with the Central Upper

Peninsula Planning and Development (CUPPAD) Regional Commission and included questions

about community assets and brand to gain insight into the community’s sentiment about

Negaunee. The full results of the branding section are in the appendix.

QUESTION: In your opinion, what is the City of Negaunee’s greatest asset?

8

The four criteria for powerful brand positioning are important to keep top-of-mind throughout the process of brand positioning and articulation. The criteria are:

1. Differentiation: Strong brands stand out from the crowd and are different in ways that are

valued and relevant to customers. How important is your point of difference? Will it enable

you to lead with experiences that competitors can’t easily match? Will you be the only or best

choice based on this proposition?

2. Compelling: For the brand to be relevant, the positioning must be more than just different.

If the difference is not sufficiently persuasive to stimulate or pique customer’s interest, it will

not stimulate demand. The positioning should feature attributes that will be most effective at

hitting customer hot buttons.

3. Authentic: A sustainable brand must be true to itself and not attempt to present itself as

something it’s not. Is the positioning credible, trustworthy, and believable? Can you always

deliver on this promise?

4. Sustainable: Is this a short‑term proposition based on a current trend of fad? Or is this closely

associated with the brand essence of the place and how locals see themselves? Will it unify

stakeholders? Will it last in tough times? Can it survive more than one electoral or budget

cycle? Is it sustainable from an environmental perspective? Is it dependent upon significant

future investments? How will it be affected if the investments do not occur promptly? Does it

create opportunities for new opportunities and businesses?

03.CRITERIA FOR POWERFUL BRAND POSITIONING

9

POWERFUL BRAND POSITIONING

NEGAUNEE’S CURRENT BRAND

It’s important to note that Negaunee’s current brand position is known as “Irontown, USA.”

It’s on the water tower, it’s on the walls of restaurants and bars, and in the town’s psyche.

While that position still resonates with the community and its residents, many community

members maintain a sentiment that Negaunee needs to modernize its brand, and therefore,

its reputation, personality, and outward appearance. The charge is to maintain elements of the

city’s heritage (iron/iron town/made from iron mining, etc.) while modernizing the brand for

the city, the downtown, and DDA. Negaunee and its partners must work toward the goal to

shift the reputation of the area from a bedroom community for the City of Marquette to the

recreational hub of the county.

Brand PlatformThe Brand Platform provides footing for the brand promise and all future brand actions and

experiences. It is the foundation or engine of the brand. The components of the Brand Platform

are typically Brand Vision, Tangible Benefits, Experience Themes, Emotional Benefits, Social

Benefits, Personality, Brand Values, Brand Credentials, and Brand Essence:

1. BRAND VISION

The brand vision clarifies the high‑level role that the brand will play in assisting the city in

achieving its long‑term vision and goals. The brand vision should be linked to the city’s long‑

term vision:

10

A vibrant downtown, well maintained neighborhoods, a variety of housing types and

choices, access to recreation and cultural venues, preservation of historic resources, and

quality schools attract people, and in turn, attract business. Local economic development

strategies should focus on creating a great place for residents to live and small business to

prosper; regional economic development strategies should focus on leveraging regional

assets such transportation and logistics, health care, workforce development, new business

recruitment, and education and training. This synergy between local and regional economic

roles, responsibilities and strategies is effective because it reduces redundancy of services and

appropriately uses the capacity of both. (Moving Forward Strategy Report)

In summary, the brand vision is that Negaunee is vibrant, charming, and walkable with a

close‑knit community where businesses thrive and support each other. Residents have access

to everything they need to live a great life, and many young families choose Negaunee for

the excellent school system, attainable housing options, and neighborly spirit. The vision for

the future is that the community will be the recreation hub of the county and wider Upper

Peninsula.

2. TANGIBLE BENEFITS

What are the credible physical and functional assets and features that are valued by

customers? What are the assets that describe what the city has or does best?

■ Teal Lake (large inland lake a 1/2 mile from downtown with no motorized boats allowed,

very few housing developments, most of the lake shore is under conservation, there are

trails and cliffs to jump off of, paved trail system at the lake, across the street from the

main elementary school)

■ Heritage and history

■ Access to outdoor recreation/activities

■ Actively propping up the outdoor recreation industry

11

■ Housing market affordable, areas ripe for development (Teal Lake corridor), land available,

beauty of area—housing, mixed use—potential for growth

■ Good quality of life

■ Sense of community—people committed to community, take pride in town

■ History with iron ore since 1844, hard life of ancestors and immigrants

■ Downtown buildings are a diamond in the rough

■ School system is fantastic, excellent quality of education

■ Room to grow

■ A lot of potential / Up‑and‑coming

3. EXPERIENCE THEMES

What are the key experience categories in which the place excels—the industry clusters from

an economic development perspective. These experiences represent the value proposition and

provide a competitive edge with target audiences.

■ Adventure, recreation: Iron Ore Heritage Trail, RAMBA racing, snow biking, mountain biking,

hiking, running, off‑roading (ORV—dune buggy, side‑by‑side, ATV, etc.), snowshoeing, disc

golf, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, ski jumping, luge, parks, playgrounds, lake recreation

(fishing, boating, swimming)

■ Natural wonders (Teal Lake, natural beauty)

■ Man‑made wonders (mines, Old Town caving grounds)

■ Iron mining industry

■ Historical experiences (historic Jackson Mine Park in Old Town Caving Grounds, Negaunee

Historic Museum, nearby mining museum and ski jump hall of fame)

■ Cultural traditions (Pioneer Days, Heikki Lunta Winter Festival, historical past)

12

4. EMOTIONAL BENEFITS

What are the positive feelings that people receive from the place?

■ Safety and freedom

■ Sisu (sense of stoicism, tenacity, grit)

■ Neighborly; a very united community

■ Homey/charm/small town feel

■ Nostalgic (historic)

■ Confident in raising well‑educated children

■ Pride

■ Hard‑working (many people have multiple jobs)

■ Excitement/fun/outdoorsy/adventurous

■ Strong sense of ancestral respect

■ Forward‑looking/willing to change

In summary, Negaunee’s emotional benefits are to escape confidently, to pursue a passion,

to be adventurous, to be among a supportive and caring community, to challenge oneself,

to feel comfort and pride, to be charmed, work hard to play hard, to honor the past, and to

feel like a good parent.

5. SOCIAL BENEFITS

How do we want others to see us? What are our bragging rights?

■ Recreational/sports options (trail, ski jump, luge, waterfront)

■ Long history of iron mining

■ Affordable housing/cost of living

■ Beautiful, undeveloped Teal Lake

■ Great schools (among the highest quality in the State of Michigan)

■ Old, historic, charming downtown with restaurants, bars, retail, and antiques

13

■ Supportive business community with the “it takes a village” mentality

■ Compact geography

In summary, Negaunee’s social benefits include the many recreational opportunities in multiple

locations, the collective spirit of unity where the “We all have your back” attitude is demonstrated

among businesses and residents, the strong sense of heritage and cultural pride, the charm and

convenience of living in a small, compact town, the affordability of housing, the high‑quality of life,

the excellent educational opportunities, and the historical downtown charm.

6. PERSONALITY

The brand personality influences the brand’s “look and feel” or “tone and style.” It describes the

brand in human terms.

■ Happy and fun‑loving

■ Neighborly, supportive, loyal

■ Adventurous

■ Outdoorsy

■ Resilient

■ Tenacious/stoic/gritty

■ Kind/nice/welcoming

■ Ironclad spirit

■ Bedroom community (of Marquette)

■ Strong heritage, deep history

■ Respectful

■ Proud

■ Open‑minded

■ Reasonable

■ Authentic/genuine

■ Strong and hearty

14

7. BRAND VALUES

Fundamental principles the constituents live by and believe in and live by. They are the values by

which residents want their communities to grow and be shared with others.

■ Affordability

■ Adventure

■ Authenticity

■ Civic pride

■ Community spirit and support/collaborative spirit

■ Forward‑thinking, Open to change

■ Historic pride/heritage

■ Safety

■ Resiliency/Grit/Sisu

■ Environmental care

8. BRAND CREDENTIALS

Reasons to believe; they help validate the brand. Brand credentials may include achievements,

media acknowledgments, historical facts, endorsements from famous people and experts, or

the occurrence of important events.

■ Teal Lake’s natural and undeveloped/untouched beauty

■ Iron Ore Heritage Trail

■ ATV and snowmobile trails (snow mobilers can go anywhere)

■ Michigan Mining Industry Museum

■ Caving grounds and old mines

■ Pioneer Days

■ Luge Track

■ Suicide Hill Ski Jump

15

■ Small town

■ 11 miles from Marquette

■ Name origin: The Anishinaabemowin word “Niigaaniing” can be translated to mean

ahead or above in the locative, directional sense

9. BRAND ESSENCE

The brand essence is the DNA from which the brand’s narrative can evolve. It is the basic

building block or glue that informs and holds together all brand experiences and messages.

Your brand essence may be summed up by saying “our brand is about being…” For Nashville,

TN, it’s “America’s music city,” and for Oshkosh, WI its “Wisconsin’s event city.” These are

not taglines, although they can be. They are concise encapsulations of what the brands are

about.

■ All‑season recreational hub

■ Iron ore mining

■ Mining history and immigrant culture

■ Community support, community pride

■ Fun and adventure

16

Brand StrategyPLACE BRANDING

Branding is both an overarching image and an underlying

force that should determine the direction of any marketing or

communications effort. In its simplest sense, it is “who you are” as

a community and what sets you apart from your competitors.

You don’t control the position your brand occupies—your

“customers” do. That’s why it’s important to first determine how

your target audiences (tourists, developers, CEOs, investors,

site selectors, business leaders, community members, etc.)

perceive Negaunee to help determine your brand strengths and

areas for improvement. This process has helped to determine

the community’s “brand promise” or “value proposition”—an

authentic statement of what sets Negaunee apart and what the

city uniquely brings to the table for the target audiences. This will

inform branding efforts and, all subsequent marketing activities.

04.WHERE CAN WE BE?

17

BRAND ARCHITECTURE BACKGROUND

To address the specific requests for a branding/marketing initiative identified in the request for

proposal disseminated by the City of Negaunee, the consulting team embarked on an exploration

of its forward‑facing brand. The work resulted in a new brand architecture designed to improve

how the target audiences understood who and what Negaunee is.

Brand architecture is defined as a system that organizes brands, products, and services to help

an audience access and relate to that brand. A way to understand the brand hierarchy in place

branding is to consider how it relates to consumer brands. Two main ways to model consumer

brands are a “branded house” and “house of brands.”

A branded house is a structure where the company itself is the brand, and its products are sub‑

brands of the company brand. An example of this is Virgin with its Virgin Trains, Virgin Atlantic,

Virgin Galactic, Virgin Records, Virgin Money, and others.

A house of brands embraces a family of separate brand names. An example is Procter & Gamble

with Tide, Bounty, Crest, and Pampers along with its family of brands. The advantage of a branded

house is that all the products and services can share the same market position, customer, and

budget.

In the case of Negaunee, the brands would need to maintain a consistency to avoid confusion from

consumers, which often will overlap within the downtown, the DDA district and the city as a whole.

It is recommended that the City of Negaunee, Negaunee’s Downtown Development Authority

(DDA), and downtown Negaunee should reflect the architecture of a branded house, with the City

of Negaunee’s brand as the parent or lead brand, and the DDA and downtown brands being the

child brands. The DDA and Downtown are dependent upon the larger city brand and represent

a segment of the overall city and its functions. Additionally, when considering the application of

18

the brands, the DDA represents and organization that works to promote the downtown, and the

downtown is a specific location within and dependent upon the City.

What is the opportunity the brand must address?

Position the community of Negaunee as a place where people want to live, tourists want to visit,

where businesses want to locate, and where investors want to invest.

What do we want people to do as a result of the brand elements, marketing, and

communications?

Consider and make efforts to learn more about visiting Negaunee, invest in Negaunee, start a

business in Negaunee, and reside in Negaunee.

Who are we talking to?Identifying the marketing opportunities starts with first defining the target market segments

with differentiated needs. There are many diverse individuals and groups who may be considered

“customers” of the city, from investors, visitors, residents, developers, the City Council, community

leaders, and local businesses. To ensure adequate focus on moving the city closer to its economic

development vision of attracting new businesses, we identified these key audiences: developers,

tourists, potential residents, location advisors/site selectors/corporate executives, and regional

organizations.

1. RECREATIONAL TOURISTS & POTENTIAL RESIDENTS

Because of Negaunee’s location and the abundance of recreational amenities, tourists and

potential residents are and will be a main driver of economic success. People familiar with

Negaunee may currently perceive the City as a bedroom community for the City of Marquette, and

19

the economic statistics exist to support that notion. However, the effort to establish Negaunee

as the recreational hub of the county will take awareness building and the implementation of a

branding/marketing strategy.

Based on findings from the Marquette City Travel Report:

Market segmentation analysis showed Marquette County’s lodging occupancy is being driven

heavily by leisure transient (42%) and the combined segments for business transient (42%) as

follows: skilled workers (21%) and individual business travelers (21%). The balance of the group

segments: SMERF, conference/meetings, team sports, university, group tour/motorcoach and

transient university and medical‑related travel combine for the remaining 16.3%.

Visitors have very high trip satisfaction with their visit to Marquette. The primary purpose for

overnight visitors was summer and winter outdoor activities, general relaxation and a festival/event

with unique dining and site‑seeing adding to these as popular activities. Part‑time and full‑time

residents appreciate the impact of tourism but have concerns related to long‑term sustainability of

the unique lifestyle in the Marquette/U.P. area. Maintaining a balance between the positive impacts

of tourism while mitigating the negative is essential to long‑term success. An overwhelming

majority of residents (91%) reported the travel/tourism industry as having an extremely high or high

level of importance in Marquette County. Only 9% of the residents responded either neutral or

indicated the travel industry is unimportant in Marquette County.

2. DEVELOPERS & INVESTORS

Developers play a highly active role in economic development. Negaunee’s strength lies in its

residential economy and seasonal tourism. Negaunee offers plenty of vacant land and buildings in

the downtown area that are prime for redevelopment. The city leadership is forward‑looking, has

20

an “open for business” mentality, and is a strong supporter of local businesses. For these reasons

and others, Negaunee is positioned to attract developers in the commercial/retail and residential

space. Developers prefer to enter a market before it “blows up” so that they are best positioned for

growth and long‑term gain.

3. ENTREPRENEURS, SITE SELECTORS & CORPORATE EXECUTIVES

Entrepreneurs are attracted to Negaunee for a multitude of reasons—available and affordable

space, low cost of doing business, available labor force due to the young population, and proximity

to Marquette. Site selectors are the executives within an organization or who work on behalf of an

organization who are responsible for deciding where to locate next, and other c‑level executives

(CEOs, COOs, CFOs, etc.) would have significant influence in the decision. These are target

audiences for the economic development of the community for the some of the same reasons

entrepreneurs seek out Negaunee‑‑vacant land and proximity to Marquette with a lower property

tax rate, etc.

4. REGIONAL & INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATIONS AND PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

Regional, intermediary organizations and public‑private partnerships serve as catalysts and neutral

meeting grounds to connect the private sector and the public sector. These organizations enable

small communities to pool resources and share services. They are or will be key partners and can

be leveraged to provide Negaunee access to a network on a much larger scale than what the city

can do on its own with limited resources. This group includes the following organizations (not an

exhaustive list):

■ Greater Ishpeming Negaunee Chamber of Commerce: https://gincc.org/

■ Lake Superior Community Partnership: https://marquette.org/

■ Travel Marquette: https://www.travelmarquette.com/

■ Innovate Marquette SmartZone: https://www.innovatemarquette.org/

21

■ Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Authority (IOHRA): https://ishpemingcity.org/departments/

boards‑and‑commissions/iron‑ore‑heritage‑recreation‑authority/

■ Negaunee DDA: https://www.cityofnegaunee.com/downtown‑development‑authority

■ RAMBA racing: https://www.rambatrails.com/

■ Negaunee Irontown Association: http://www.negauneeirontown.org/

■ MEDC: https://www.michiganbusiness.org/ and (https://www.michigan.org/article/trip‑idea/

wonderful‑winter‑activities‑michigan‑all‑ages)

■ Ishpeming Ski Club: https://ishskiclub.com/

■ UP Luge Club: https://www.upluge.org/

■ Marquette Rowing Club: https://www.uprowing.com/

■ DNR: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/

■ Northern Michigan Sports (fund for northern MI)

■ Multi‑use Trail Clubs

SECONDARY TARGET AUDIENCES

■ Existing businesses

■ Current residents

■ Local and state‑wide media outlets

22

Key Messages The key messages to the target audiences can be summed up with the phrase “Forge Your Adventure” as this tagline honors the

historical origins of the city in the word “forge” and the generality of “your adventure” is versatile and applicable on a large scale

across the target audiences. Sub‑messages that speak directly to the needs of the target audiences can be articulated for the

individual target audiences across channels.

Target Audience Key MessagesTourists FORGE YOUR ADVENTURE

• Negaunee is located along the Iron Ore Heritage Trail, a 47-mile multi-use trail that crosses the Marquette Iron Range in the UP

• Negaunee offers year-round recreational opportunities with trails for snow biking, snowmobiling, skiing, an Olympic-grade ski jump, luge, disc golf, ice climbing, fishing, swimming, and many other sports that delight the most adventurous of spirits

• Our charming historical downtown with local bars, restaurants, and antique shops fuel your body and soul

Investors/Developers/Site Selectors/C-level Executives FORGE YOUR ADVENTURE

Your business adventure is in Negaunee—

• We are located 15 minutes from Marquette• We have large tracts of affordable city-owned land available• Our schools are among the best in the state • We have the youngest community by population in Marquette County• More affordable compared to neighboring areas• The natural beauty is unrivaled• Business-friendly and development friendly• Leadership is forward-thinking and business friendly

Regional & Intermediary Organizations, Public-Private Partnerships (Travel Marquette, Schools, Foundations, Colleges and Universities, etc.)

FORGE YOUR ADVENTURE• Together we can make Negaunee and Marquette County a great place

to do business and create successful development projects• Our forward-thinking leadership is open to change• We are leveraging your investment

23

TARGET AUDIENCE PERSONAS

Personas are fictional and visual portraits of the city’s ideal customers. Personas enable the

community to understand those customers better and makes it easier to tailor content to their

specific interests, needs, behaviors, and concerns. Understanding personas allow the creation of

a customer journey that recognizes different hot buttons and critical touch points. They can be

developed through observations, formal research, interviews and by analyzing analytics gleaned

from actual customers to create fresh insights and periodically to create each persona. They

influence the tone, style and delivery strategies for your content and ability to identify content

opportunities on specific topics.

Recommendation: By creating and using personas, the city will be able to activate

communications. More information and templates can be found here: https://blog.hubspot.com/

marketing/buyer‑persona‑research

24

How Can We Get There?EXPERIENCES AND PLACE BRANDS

Two priorities for place brand managers to nurture and monitor are brand experiences and brand

touchpoints, which are critical throughout the target audience’s journey. Brand experiences are

encounters that support the brand promise. Touchpoints are crucial throughout the customer’s

journey. The experience themes are centered on the main attractors (recreation, downtown visits,

etc.) and touchpoints may involve random encounters, including individuals and organizations

outside of the city involving online experiences, tour operators, and others. It’s important to aim for

seamless and satisfying experiences throughout the customer’s journey.

A consumer or corporate brand may have anywhere from four to forty points where it can be

in touch with its customer. A city, however, has an endless number of touchpoints because

there’s no limit to the variety of points where a customer can interact with a city and its

numerous amounts of organizations, places, and people. It may involve hotels, retail, restaurants,

airports, neighboring municipalities, transport, online, media, citizens, and more. Many of these

points of contact are out of the direct influence of the organization leading the branding project.

Therefore, the idea for the city manager and other related positions is to manage what you can,

and influence what you can’t.

05.BRAND IN ACTION

25

Experiences provide an emotional connection to the

city, and satisfaction with the city’s brand will be driven

by what customers see, feel, think, remember, hear, and

taste during both online and offline encounters. As we

think about the customer journey, the goal should be to

design and deliver genuine experiences that will bolster

the brand and stimulate an emotional response, providing

positive memories. This means that a city’s brand should be

supported by policies, planning, events, physical structures,

and investments.

Crafting Memorable ExperiencesCrafting and managing memorable experiences are an important part of brand management.

Involved in that process includes training and education, and programming for business leaders

and front‑line personnel. Being vigilant about the key delivery points to ensure that they are in tune

with the brand promise and are delivering experiences that are fresh, innovative, and memorable. As

Negaunee works with the key delivery points—both current and future—the brand promise should

be communicated clearly and consistently.

In this vein, it is also recommended that the city clearly communicates its brand vision and promise

as they work with specialized partners in planning and landscape architecture. Maintaining the

vision and promise will help curate the experiences that customers will have and will enable the city

to continue the cycle with a wider and wider network of people.

26

Experience development and delivery can be a catalyst for forming bonds with customers and

creating business opportunities. Efforts toward enhancing visitor satisfaction through well‑

designed investments can include:

■ Events, festivals, tournaments, exhibitions

■ Capital investments in hotels, attractions, and infrastructure

■ Bundling and packaging of products and experiences

■ Placemaking in the form of streetscapes, gateways, public art, and public spaces

■ Improvements such as public infrastructure, trails, and parks

Brand VisionThe below brand vision for Negaunee has been crafted based on the earlier elements that have

comprised this project and aims to express the brand vision for the community. The brand vision

should be considered the foundation by which the additional branding and marketing elements

be placed. There is a myriad of tactical applications for this statement, both online and offline.

NEGAUNEE, MICHIGAN

Negaunee, Michigan, known colloquially as “Irontown, USA” embodies the ironclad spirit of

the Upper Peninsula. Borne from rich iron ore and forged by the mining industry, Negaunee’s

heritage and sense of pride is as strong as the steel that kept the economy fueled for

generations.

Located in the heart of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in Marquette County, 15 minutes west of

the City of Marquette along the 47-mile, multi-use Iron Ore Heritage Trail, Negaunee checks

all the boxes. The historic downtown with its antique shops, restaurants, and Victorian-era

27

homes conveys an uncomplicated charm that comes from a small town with a storied past.

Residents are always looking out for one another while welcoming newcomers with open arms.

Negaunee is the perfect place to raise a family with attainable housing options and a school

system that ranks among the top in the state. Momentum is quickly growing in the downtown

area, and the business community embodies the spirit of collective success, understanding the

notion that where when one rises, we all rise.

Today, Negaunee is mining new adventures by transforming into a recreation and tourism-

based economy offering hundreds of miles of mixed-use recreational trails that weave into and

out of the city from every direction, which draw four-season sports and recreational enthusiasts

from all over the country. Friendly to snowmobilers, Negaunee offers trails just steps from

downtown. Snowshoers and snow bikers seek their adventure on the picturesque cliffs and

between the tall pines. One can watch Olympian trainees fly through the sky on Suicide Hill’s

ski jump and test their luge skills on a ½ mile track. Mountain bikers participate in the annual

RAMBA mountain bike race, and disc golfers have access to two scenic 18-hole courses.

Swimmers, kayakers, and canoers can unwind on Teal Lake, the 466-acre crowned jewel of the

city, mere minutes from downtown.

VISIT NEGAUNEE AND FORGE YOUR ADVENTURE!

Brand Application City branding experts will say that a city branding strategy is beyond logo and slogans, instead it

needs to be managed comprehensively and continuously within integrated brand communication

strategy that consists of a variety of activities such as advertising, public relations, direct marketing,

and promotional activity. Although many city branding strategies recognize the importance of city

logo(s), they fail to recognize the significance of the logo’s connection to a larger branding strategy.

28

For communities, it takes the effort of business and civic leaders, political leaders, educators,

service providers, entrepreneurs, retailers, front‑line staff, and supportive citizens to develop and

sustain a compelling brand.

The objective in the brand adoption process is to encourage understanding, adoption, and correct

use of the brand—one brand, many partners, one voice. This stage calls for organizations and

individuals critical to the health of the community’s brand to support the brand and may call for

them to:

■ Understand the brand benefits and rationale

■ Know how it affects their role and everyday responsibilities of their organization

■ Understand how they can support and use the brand

■ Deliver outstanding experiences to support the brand

Only people can fulfill a brand promise and be responsible for its ongoing vitality. The community

must be true to its Brand Promise and breathe new life into the many touchpoints that add value

and create memorable and satisfying experiences.

The brand manager or City official responsible for the brand management has a vital role

in ensuring that the City’s communications and core experiences are consistently delivered

and remain fresh. There can’t be gaps between expectations and actual experiences.

Visual Brand ApplicationBrand application is defined as the rollout of the brand on all the marketing materials and

customer touchpoints. For consumer brands, customer touchpoints are defined by any

interaction with a brand that a person has in the marketplace. For cities, brand touchpoints

29

can span a wide gambit from personal interactions visitors have with businesses to social media

exchanges, for example. For the brand applications that can be controlled and maintained by the city, the

focus will be on key brand applications and maintaining consistency across those applications.

As the visual brand is rolled out, the following brand applications should be considered:

■ Decals on official vehicles

■ Letterhead

■ Business cards

■ City website

■ City social media accounts

■ City marketing and communication materials (brochures, FAQs, etc.)

■ Gateway and wayfinding signage

■ Uniforms and staff clothing

■ Banners and event signage

■ Billboards and advertisements

■ City‑purchased merchandise for swag giveaways

Other applications that are not under the jurisdiction of the city, like merchandise that would be sold at

a local business, should also maintain the consistency of the visual brand. This can be accomplished by

providing a downloadable brand standards document on the website with contact information of an

appointed staff member to assist with questions about logo usage and initiating conversations with local

business owners about the importance of maintaining a consistent brand image.

30

PartnershipsCooperative marketing, partnerships, and alliances are crucial. Place branding

frequently calls for the city’s partners, who may also be competitors, to come

together for one‑off activities and long‑term programs. Without these partnerships,

place brands are severely weakened considering Negaunee is not an island. The lead

organization responsible for the management of the brand doesn’t own or control

its key components. They must inspire and facilitate the actions of others.

Some of the benefits of working partnerships are:

■ A bigger “pie” for everyone to get larger slices

■ Increased ROI from marketing investments

■ Increased customers, income, and tax revenues

■ Provide meaning to the story

■ More opportunities to reach new markets

■ More power, interest, and message coverage

■ Greater respect and credibility

Cooperative partnerships extend beyond the city’s boundaries and are strengthened

through collaboration with neighboring communities to make the region more

appealing and experiences more meaningful. These partnerships may take the physical

form of touring routes, historical themes like mining trails, and guides along the Iron Ore

Heritage Trail.

To strengthen and sustain the brand, leadership must be aware that the attitudes of residents

and business owners that determine whether the city retains its distinctive sense of place and

can elicit a sense of loyalty from tourists. Once the collaboration is established with partners and

31

touchpoints, there must be a conscious effort to “pass the baton” to the next generation of staff

and partners. By developing brand education and refresher programs, the likelihood of partners

remaining true to the brand will be high.

Brand UsageONE VISION. ONE VOICE.

Every organization has a brand identity — an image that is the sum of all the perceptions conveyed

through people, services, facilities, and communications. It projects and defines the image of the

organization. This document is designed to assist the City of Negaunee, Michigan, in standardizing

its visual brand identity. It contains standards for the use of the organization’s visual brand identity

— logos, color palette and typography. Please refer to it so that all communications you create or

have created by outside vendors reflect the appropriate and consistent image of the organization’s

brand identity.

VISUAL BRANDING AND COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANCE

If you have questions about using our visual brand properly, or need help creating communications

that meet the standards outlined in this publication, please contact the City of Negaunee at

906.475.7700. *The full Brand Standards Guidelines can be found in the appendix.

32

Identifying all the audiences and the “need‑to‑know” sequence is an important step for making

sure the brand is communicated properly.

1. Wider steering committee, and city council: During a meeting, present the methodology,

visual brand and positioning statement, including versions of the logo and usages/applications.

Prepare the answer to the question “what factors were involved in making the decision to initiate

this project?” See “Negaunee’s Existing Brand and Project Rationale” section above.

2. DDA members and business owners: During a meeting (in‑person and/or virtual), present

the methodology, visual brand and positioning statement, including versions of the logo and

usages/applications. Prepare the answer to the question “what factors were involved in making

the decision to initiate this project?” during a DDA meeting where additional business owners

are invited. Also send an email announcement with a letter from city leadership with the above

information summarized.

3. Community and media: Communicate the brand position and vision through email

announcements to community leaders. Also include local news media and announcements on

the City’s social media outlets to launch the new visual brand and positioning statement. A video

announcement like the one filmed for the master plan launch would be effective.

06.BRAND COMMUNICATIONS LAUNCH STEPS

33

Brand Activation Place branding is a long‑term process that calls for focus and a constant effort to remain relevant

and competitive. The brand’s long‑term vitality depends on how the leadership team managing

the brand can manage the following five factors:

1. Brand Leadership

2. Brand Management

3. Integrated Marketing

4. Experience Management & Placemaking

5. Monitoring and Evaluation

BRAND LEADERSHIP

Successful brands are led from the top down and owned at the roots by the target audiences.

Brand leadership provides strategic focus and prioritization for long‑term results, partnerships,

and competitive advantage. Brand leadership actions include initiating a Brand Leadership

Committee. This committee could contain a healthy mix of business leaders, DDA members,

municipal leaders, partners, school leadership, residents, and other similar individuals who can

raise community‑wide awareness of brand‑related issues, build solutions where appropriate,

and possibly apply peer pressure for correct interpretation of the community brand, encourage

investment, and provide support for the brand. The committee should also identify and address

gaps in the delivery of brand experiences and provide ideas of ways the City can continue to deliver

those experiences.

BRAND MANAGEMENT

Brand management is best handled if someone on city staff is appointed to keep the brand on

track and manage relationships. Brand management involves thinking about the community

34

brand from an inside to outside perspective, where their actions and the actions of others in

the organization influence how they project the brand. They are the curators and orchestrators

for telling the City’s story. The brand manager must maintain a vigilant eye on all applications

of the brand to creatively convey the City’s story. It’s important to keep in mind that the brand

doesn’t belong to any one individual. It’s the property of the entire community and its customers.

In addition to reviewing internal uses, the brand manager must monitor the many forms of

communications and experiences that originate from the city’s other messengers and partners to

encourage brand alignment and consistency across all applications. It’s important to note that the

brand should not be considered an “add‑on,” rather, it should be considered an integral element

through all functions of the City’s efforts and related organizations because each party has an

important role in its management and sustainability.

Brand Champions

Successful brands have people who champion their cause. They are internal and external

catalysts for brand vision, values, and the future development of the brand. These can be

appointed ambassadors or spokespersons, or they could be individuals or organizations that

advance the brand through advocacy, funding, and support.

Recommendation: To properly manage and oversee the brand strategy, the economic

development plan, the downtown development plan and its administration, the city should hire a

staff member who is responsible for these and other duties as assigned by the city.

INTEGRATED MARKETING

The integrated marketing and content marketing initiatives that the city activates should ensure

that the brand messages are consistently, correctly, and creatively communicated to the right

target audiences at the right time. They should trigger the desired emotions and appeal to target

audience logic to enhance the brand image. Each person conveying brand messages must always

35

ask the question “Have I correctly and creatively reinforced the brand in this decision or activity?”

Use this question as a test when there is an opportunity to reinforce the brand, whether selecting a

photographic image or proofing copy for a publication or website.

EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT

In order for the city to remain relevant and in demand, there needs to be a focus on placemaking

and experience management. Experience management success requires city‑wide collaboration

involving evaluation, innovation and discussions with experience providers, prospective developers,

partners, and residents to canvas ideas and implement programs aligned with the brand.

Experience management should be integral to the city’s mission, marketing programs, economic

development, and investment.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Once the brand is launched, it’s vital to monitor its progress and adjust when necessary. The

process doesn’t have to be expensive and time‑consuming. Several performance measures such as

visitor numbers, web analytics, social media metrics, lodging tax revenue, occupancy levels, visitor

spending, advertising responses and others are criteria that can be evaluated. Methods and criteria

to use to evaluate the plan are outlined further in this document in the Brand Evaluation section.

36

Brand Activation Plan Timeline

Action Target Audiences Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023Visual Brand approved by steering committee and City Council

Specific Residents x

Branding/marketing plan approved Specific Residents xOutreach to Partners (communication) Regional Partners xCity Website update (new logo, colors, positioning statement, brand vision statement)

All x

Press releases about branding (newspapers, news channels, MEDC, news websites)

Tourists, Investors/Developers, Partners, Residents, Media

x

Brand Negaunee Event at City Hall (Facebook lives-tream) or Video Announcement

Residents, Tourists x

New letterhead, business cards All xPartner with a professional photographer to cap-ture images of downtown, recreation, and points of interest

All x

Social media posts (include link to video) All x x x x xShoot “around town” video(s) showing recreation Tourists x x x x x xInitiate tourism website build process Tourists xCity guide (businesses, events) Tourists, Investors/

Developersx

Recreation guide (sites, parks, supporting busi-nesses and events)

Tourists x

Gateway signage initiated All Wayfinding signage initiated AllOutreach to recreational outlets to gain aware-ness/notoriety

Tourists x x x x

37

PartnershipsCooperative marketing, partnerships, and alliances are crucial. Place branding frequently calls

for the city’s partners, who may also be competitors, to come together for one‑off activities and

long‑term programs. Without these partnerships, place brands are severely weakened considering

Negaunee is not an island. The lead organization responsible for the management of the brand

doesn’t own or control its key components. They must inspire and facilitate the actions of others.

Some of the benefits of working partnerships are:

■ A bigger “pie” for everyone to get larger slices

■ Increased ROI from marketing investments

■ Increased customers, income, and tax revenues

■ Provide meaning to the story

■ More opportunities to reach new markets

■ More power, interest, and message coverage

■ Greater respect and credibility

Cooperative partnerships extend beyond the city’s boundaries and are strengthened through

collaboration with neighboring communities to make the region more appealing and experiences

more meaningful. These partnerships may take the physical form of touring routes, historical

themes like mining trails, the Iron Ore Heritage Trail, and others.

To strengthen and sustain the brand, leadership must be aware that the attitudes of residents

and business owners that determine whether the city retains its distinctive sense of place and

can elicit a sense of loyalty from tourists. Once the collaboration is established with partners and

touchpoints, there must be a conscious effort to “pass the baton” to the next generation of staff

and partners. By developing brand education and refresher programs, the likelihood of partners

remaining true to the brand will be high.

38

To enable city partners to be informed and ready to effectively communicate Negaunee’s brand

attributes and vision, an informational reference packet about the city should be developed with

the following elements:

■ Brand Vision

■ History of the City

■ List of businesses

■ List of area services and community resources

■ Key sections of the Master Plan (Goals/Objectives) or a QR code to access it online

■ Recreational opportunities

■ Events

■ School information and contacts

■ Demographics

■ Chamber of Commerce information

■ City Hall Department contacts

Brand Activation: Gateway and Wayfinding Signage

TARGET AUDIENCES: ALL

Gateway and wayfinding signage are excellent ways to identify the community, communicate

the brand, and direct target audiences to destinations. Consistency is critical to maintaining

the community brand and can be accomplished through careful planning of signage location,

materials, graphics, and color palettes. The following images demonstrate the use of gateway and

wayfinding signage within communities.

39

CITY GATEWAY SIGNAGE

Communicating the community brand through

gateway signage that reflects the brand at city entry

points sets the tone for target audiences. Possible

locations include 41 North/Teal Lake Avenue, and

at the overpass adjacent to the Upper Peninsula

Brewing Company.

DOWNTOWN/DDA

Enhance placemaking qualities by incorporating

brand elements through signage, banners, decals,

and maps.

■ Incorporate wayfinding signage into

the Pioneer and Iron Street intersection

improvement

■ Light pole banner signage with new logo/

positioning statement, color themes matching

the season (summer, fall). Specialized event banners incorporating logo and

positioning statement

■ Other signage in and around downtown promoting the downtown (increase

community pride): temporary signage on infill lots, pocket park signs, at overpass

adjacent to brewery

■ Wayfinding signage along the Iron Ore Heritage Trail, ORV, and other recreational

trails adjacent to downtown indicating the location of the business district,

encouraging patronization of businesses

■ Stickers with DDA logo in retail and commercial windowfronts

■ Trail maps and city guide brochures in retail and restaurant locations

40

Integrated Marketing StrategyA marketing and branding strategy outlines deliberate steps to promote a community and

communicate its assets and positive community attributes. It shows how the community intends

to take control over its perception and leaves less to chance. Rather than hoping that word gets

out, or that somehow the community will be discovered, an integrated marketing and branding

strategy identifies steps to highlight opportunity and community assets. Without a strategy,

communities would be at a competitive disadvantage because:

■ Other municipalities who understand the power of marketing are fine tuning efforts to

draw distinction between their community and others. This can further widen the gap in

perceptions about desirable communities.

■ Positive attention to development opportunities, progress toward economic development

goals, or other image‑enhancing tactics would be more happenstance than intentional and

deliberate.

■ The community would continue to be defined by past experiences and inaccurate

stereotypes.

■ Without an understood position in the wider region, the area struggles to be defined or

stand out.

Community marketing and promotion takes many forms, but the goal is to create a positive image

that rekindles community pride and improves consumer and investor confidence. Marketing and

branding should frame what sets a community apart from others. The emphasis of this marketing

plan is about rethinking how the City of Negaunee can use its strategies to express its identity,

uniqueness, and brand values more deliberately. It also draws attention to how Negaunee can take

steps to manage and develop its brand to add strength. It is also worth noting that these goals

are not intended to be met in a few weeks, a month, or even a year. Commitment to the goals and

objectives and intentionally communicating the key messages across all community stakeholders

is imperative to reap maximum rewards for the community’s development.

41

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AUDIT

Residents know this and visitors could probably sense that there is momentum building in

Negaunee to grow and improve. It’s well‑documented in the annual publication entitled Moving

Forward, the magazine sent to all residents and available online. It celebrates the economic

development accomplishments, public investments, new businesses, and new partnerships within

the community occurring in the calendar year and covers upcoming programs and opportunities

that support and improve business and recreational opportunities in Negaunee.

Other marketing and communication channels and tactics that currently exist include:

■ A quarterly newsletter for community members

■ Facebook pages for the city and the DDA with frequent posts and updates

■ The city is actively engaged with the local media (The Mining Journal) and other state‑wide

media outlets like MLive.com

07.BRANDING & MARKETING

42

Marketing Goals, Objectives & StrategiesGoals can be defined as achievable outcomes that are typically broad and long‑term. The

objectives outline specific and measurable actions that can be taken to accomplish the goals. The

strategies answer the question “how?”

GOALSIn addition to the goal of articulating a brand for the community and enhancing the perception of

the city, another goal of this marketing and branding project is to develop a comprehensive brand

and marketing campaign that will drive business attraction, energize current residents, businesses,

and property owners, and to position the city as a desirable location for investment and business

development.

OBJECTIVESThe marketing objectives are the actions taken to accomplish the goals.

Objective: Increase awareness of Negaunee as a tourist destination, specifically for recreational

opportunities and experiences.

Objective: Position Negaunee as a great place to invest, develop, or start a business.

Objective: Partner with local and regional organizations to amplify awareness and promotion of

Negaunee and facilitate and streamline collective marketing efforts.

Objective: Select priority sites that are development ready and strategically market them.

43

The strategies that support the objectives are the ways Negaunee can approach the

accomplishment of the goals. Within the strategies sections in this document, tactics, or tools used

to pursue achievement of the objectives, are identified.

STRATEGY 1: BUILD DESTINATION WEBSITE

STRATEGY 2: CONTENT MARKETING

STRATEGY 3: EVENTS

STRATEGY 4: IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS/PROMOTIONS

STRATEGY 5: IDENTIFY & MARKET REDEVELOPMENT READY SITES

STRATEGY 6: ADVERTISING

44

Strategy 1: Build Destination Website TARGET AUDIENCES: ALL

The tourism‑based website that Negaunee will implement will be the number one most important

tool to reach the audiences the community seeks, especially tourists. The image‑rich community

provides plenty of opportunity for breathtaking images, and opportunities to post videos of visitors

and residents enjoying all the recreational opportunities will provide the best way to communicate

the City’s brand. Impressions from a website are made within .05 seconds of a visit, and for many

target audiences who have not visited the community in person, the website is the “front door” for

a target audience member.

According to HubSpot, a thought leader in the marketing industry, the following are nine

guidelines for exceptional web design, usability, and user experience:

■ Simplicity

■ Visual Hierarchy

■ Navigability

■ Consistency

■ Responsivity

■ Accessibility

■ Conventionality

■ Credibility

■ User‑Centricity

45

Working with the Greater Ishpeming‑Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce, the Iron Ore

Heritage Trail Authority, and all other partners for resource assistance and content sharing will

elevate the site’s overall performance. It is recommended to use professional photography and

video of people and recreation during all seasons.

Content for Negaunee’s site should include the following information in multiple media formats

including text, images, and video:

■ The story of Negaunee

■ The history of Negaunee

■ Negaunee’s brand vision

■ Negaunee’s businesses

■ Negaunee’s events

■ Links to dining and shopping locations

■ The many recreational opportunities including images of the locations (Iron Ore Heritage trail,

ATVs and snowmobile trails, snow biking, Ice climbing, luge, ski jumping, cross‑country skiing,

hockey rink, disc golf, RAMBA racing, boating, fishing, hiking, etc.)

■ Parks & Playgrounds

■ Michigan Iron Industry Museum

■ RAMBA racing key info

■ Other recreational opportunities and points of interest

Great examples of destination websites:

■ Travel Marquette: https://www.travelmarquette.com/

■ City of Fenton: https://www.fentonbecloser.com/

■ Traverse City: https://www.traversecity.com/things‑to‑do/

■ Munising: www.exploremunising.com

■ Wilson, NC: https://www.historicdowntownwilson.com/

46

Site URL recommendations:

■ Visitnegaunee.com

■ discovernegaunee.com

■ destinationnegaunee.com

■ forgeyournegaunee.com

■ negauneeexperience.com

■ experiencenegaunee.com

■ negauneeadventure.com

■ forgenegaunee.com

OFFICIAL CITY WEBSITE

Overall, the city’s website performs well and could benefit from some additional content added to

the site. To maintain alignment with the visual brand, it is recommended that the color scheme be

updated to reflect the logo colors from blue and green to teal and dark red/rust.

For the city website, it is recommended to incorporate economic development content on the by

incorporating the following content and elements:

■ An Economic Development page with key messages and high‑level demographics from

the Forward Together report (examples: https://www.miamiCity.com/127/Economic‑

Development, https://www.choosedeerfield.com/government/economic‑development/

economic‑development/)

■ Community Profile page that contains summarized findings in text and infographic format

(accessible location, population, largest employers, average household income, education

similar to this page: https://www.choosedeerfield.com/government/economic‑development/

community‑profile/

◆ Content from the Moving Forward magazine could be repurposed for this section

◆ Competitive advantages:

» Proximity to Marquette

47

» Cost of living

» Quality of life

» Education

» Natural beauty

» Recreation

» Forward‑thinking city leadership

■ Developments: Planned, existing, and future redevelopment

■ Priority Sites: Site specs, images, available incentives, other real estate data

■ Listing of events with images

Example from a community in Ohio: https://www.choosedeerfield.com/media/government/

Choose%20Deerfield.pdf

Example of a video about a community: https://www.elocallink.tv/m/v/

Redesign4/?pid=w8Qzw9w3&fp=mihil20_wel_rev3_iwd#c|mihil20_dev_rev5_iwd

48

Strategy 2: Content Marketing TARGET AUDIENCES: ALL

Content marketing is the practice of crafting messages to resonate with target audiences. It

provides the opportunity to build credibility and trust by turning visitors into audience members,

then audience members to potential visitors, and potential visitors into actual customers and

then loyal advocates. There are four types of media content—paid, earned, shared, and owned. An

effective strategy incorporates all types.

Paid Media: Paid media for a communications program is social media advertising, sponsored

content, and email marketing.

Earned Media: Earned media is either publicity or media relations. The media outlets include

local and state‑wide news media, radio, and publications, both online and in print. It’s getting the

community’s name in print, having a newspaper or media outlet write about you, appearing on the

news, radio, or podcasts.

Shared Media: Shared media is also known as social media. It includes not just social networking,

but partnerships, distribution, and promotion. 

Owned Media: Owned media is otherwise known as content. It is something owned, and it lives on

the website. You control the messaging and tell the story in a way you want it told. 

By integrating paid, earned, shared, and owned media, the community brand can be further

established and its reach more concentrated. When you integrate the four media types, you may

find you also have influencer engagement and partnerships that extend beyond your internal walls.

49

Where to start?OWNED MEDIA

The easiest place to start is owned media because the organization has control over the

messaging. Content generation plays a role in the effectiveness of marketing/branding your

community, and public relations relies heavily on content. As we think about the primary audiences

for the city’s marketing, we need to think about the type of information that would both interest

them and form a concept of who and what Negaunee is all about.

Start with the recreational opportunities and business that support them that are based in

Negaunee. Ask the downtown business about the reasons they chose Negaunee, what challenges

they face, what successes they experience, how they find employees, and any long‑term plans they

may have. Compiling those stories will develop and generate content to provide to media. Learn

the story of the businesses that are experiencing success in the community and share them with

media outlets through press releases and story outlines. Proactively provide branding elements

and images to the media to accompany stories and releases.

Using a social media hashtag (#ForgeYourAdventure) when you post or share these stories would

enable residents, business owners and visitors to easily find related content online and would

encourage them to use the hashtag. Encouraging the current business owners to use the hashtag

when sharing on their social media channels will catalyze the ripple effect and continue to help

build awareness of the city with the target audiences.

Public Relations Campaigns and Content Ideas:

■ Community history lesson (interview and photo of a long‑term resident who is

knowledgeable about the community’s history)

50

■ Completion and updates of plans related to economic development

■ Local business spotlight (interview and photo of the business owner)

■ “Entrepreneur Corner” or “Entrepreneur of the Month” (interview and photo of either a

business owner who started their first business or a participant in the Innovate Marquette

SmartZone program)

■ “Commercial real estate site of the week” (vacant land or building with photo and the story

behind it/info about it)

■ Non‑profit spotlight (interview, background story, and photo)

■ Pre‑event preparation with photos

■ Post‑event summaries with photos

■ Sharing stories of events and other news from neighboring communities

■ Photo contests

Identification and outreach to existing blogs, websites and associations that align with Negaunee’s

offerings would elevate the brand awareness.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of possible blogs and other online outfits to reach out to:

■ Winter sports: https://www.michigan.org/article/trip‑idea/extreme‑winter‑sports‑michigan‑

does‑best

■ Snow biking: https://www.tripsavvy.com/great‑destinations‑for‑winter‑fat‑biking‑4123839

■ General outdoor recreation: https://www.outsideonline.com/

To organize the content marketing plan, the team can use an excel spreadsheet listing the

data categories of date, type, channel, author, and link to photo; and share it for accountability.

The important factors to keep in mind when putting together a content marketing strategy is

frequency and consistency. It is recommended to determine a set frequency for the content types,

51

so your followers keep the city front of mind. Making sure the content can easily be shared and

even asking people to share it will expand your reach.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of relevant media outlets including radio:

■ Site Selection Magazine: https://siteselection.com/

■ MLive: https://www.mlive.com/

■ The Mining Journal: https://www.miningjournal.net/

■ Michigan Radio: https://www.michiganradio.org/

Once the content is available, you’ll use shared media to distribute it, paid media to amplify it,

and earned media to rubber-stamp it.

SHARED MEDIA

Instagram

Instagram is a good channel when it comes to reaching a younger audience and using images

to create awareness and promotion. It is recommended that Negaunee, especially downtown

Negaunee, consider setting up an Instagram page on behalf of the community to reach younger

residents, tourists, and potential residents. The city’s commitment to recreational opportunities

in every season translates well in images, which is Instagram’s main method of communication.

Building development and available property images could be posted to promote economic

vitality.

Grow followers by first following them—reach out and follow residents, businesses, schools, and

others that live, work, and play in and around Negaunee.

52

Twitter

There are some good examples of cities that are aiming for increased communication and

transparency and they do a good job using twitter to reach their audiences. Setting up a Twitter

account and using a tool like Hootsuite to enable staff to generate posts efficiently and enable

them on various accounts will streamline staff time and will enable a wide reach. Access this link for

more information about case studies on cities using Twitter: https://www.clearpointstrategy.com/

cities‑using‑twitter‑foster‑transparency/

You Tube

As video content is created, it is highly recommended to create a YouTube channel to reach a wide

audience. Not only are target audiences on YouTube, but as the internet’s second largest search

engine. YouTube can help improve SEO and overall brand presence. YouTube allows people to

present unique content that’s easy for viewers to consume and share. You can upload your logo to

communicate the city’s brand. Here is more information and a step‑by‑step guide: https://www.

hubspot.com/youtube‑marketing

LinkedIn

Consider creating a Negaunee account on LinkedIn for economic development purposes and

outreach to site selectors and developers. Include information in the “About” copy to include

economic development key messages. This will give the city an opportunity to engage with

target audience members in a professional environment, target key prospects utilizing LinkedIn’s

professional data, and nurture professionals by delivering insightful, relevant, and educational

content in a native newsfeed format. Posting both created and curated content will enable the

community to interact with target audience members and will extend your reach when content

is shared. Local, regional, state, and national level economic development organizations are

53

successfully utilizing LinkedIn for marketing and lead generation initiatives. Below are examples of

the City of Mississauga, Canada, and the City of Largo, Florida’s LinkedIn pages:

The Others: It’s important not to ignore Reddit, Pinterest, TikTok, and some of the others. Test post

in those spots and see what happens. For instance, if you have a nice image on a piece of content

and you pin it to a board on Pinterest, it could help drive a good number of new readers.

PAID MEDIA

Paid media may be in the form of paid amplification (such as Outbrain or Sprinklr), sponsored

content, native advertising, or sponsorships of influential blogs. It also could take the form of

sponsored content on Facebook or LinkedIn or sponsored tweets on Twitter. You can start with a

budget of as little as $5 a day. LinkedIn also often offers free advertising coupons to those who use

the social network often. While you don’t want to spend money to sponsor all your content, it’s a

good idea to test it with one piece each month.

54

EARNED MEDIA

Next, the focus can be on building relationships with industry bloggers, journalists, and other

influencers who may share your content—after they learn who you are and what value you might

bring to their readers or followers.

On Twitter, create a list of bloggers and journalists you want to collaborate with. This will make it

easy to follow them, share their work, and start conversations with them. An example of a good

blog and Twitter account to collaborate with is @johnlongshore and other similar bloggers.

Create a list of books and podcasts you want to review. Every author and podcaster need reviews

and ratings to gain more traction. They may be appreciative of the work you do there and may be

willing to do something for you in return.

On LinkedIn, create tags (https://www.natlawreview.com/article/why‑you‑should‑use‑tagging‑

feature‑your‑linkedin‑posts) so you can augment your LinkedIn visibility and follower growth. This

may lead to new relationships where you can ask them to share your content later.

On Pocket, create a list of bloggers to watch. Then any time they publish new content, share it with

your own networks. Eventually, these influencers may share your content, include it in their own

content or interview you for a piece they’re producing.

OWNED MEDIA

Owned media is content that you own. If you want to truly own it—and never lose it—always

publish on your site first and then use those outposts for distribution and promotion. Answer

questions visitors, prospects, loyalists, stakeholders, your family, and even the trolls ask. Build your

content so one big piece can be repurposed into several smaller pieces.

55

Content PlanningThe best way to get organized, efficient, and effective on social media is to build an editorial

calendar for social media posting. A simple spreadsheet can be used to organize the content

pieces, links, dates, and statistics. This tool could also help guide and plan content with the wider

team as events and business openings happen and will provide a cohesive voice in your online

communications channels.

Date Section Title/Location

Blog/News item/Newsletter story Link Social Channel Image Author Views Shares

Entrepreneur CornerTech company Newsletter Facebook, LinkedIn Person_v1Local Business SpotlightLocal business name Blog/site Facebook, LinkedIn Person_v2Commercial real estate site of the week Site 1 Blog/site Facebook, LinkedIn Land_v1Local Business SpotlightSite 2 Blog/site Facebook, LinkedIn Person_v3

56

Strategy 3: EventsTARGET AUDIENCES: TOURISTS & POTENTIAL RESIDENTS

Local events are an excellent way to build community pride, showcase the area, and invite visitors

in to experience the welcoming and warmth of the residents. Events hosted by the DDA would

provide an opportunity for additional exposure to the area by all members of the primary and

secondary target audiences. In addition to Pioneer Days, the Heikki Lunta Winter Festival, and

other local events that are currently hosted by the city, there is additional opportunity to not only

promote the community from an economic enhancement perspective, but to also show support of

the local business community.

Live, in‑person events offer an opportunity to build awareness of the services available through

the community to support businesses, and present possible networking opportunities with

potential target audiences. Additional benefits also include reinforcement of the community brand,

improving face‑to‑face communications, and creating opportunities to make new connections

with residents and businesses. The city can capitalize on opportunities to distribute marketing

materials during community events.

When considering introducing new events, goal setting, and benchmarking is critical to ensure that

the event accomplishes the initial intent. It will help focus promotional efforts and provide metrics

to measure the success of the event.

57

When considering ideas for new events, consider the area’s heritage, its focus on providing

recreational opportunities and access to trails, Teal Lake, seasonal opportunities, business‑relevant

occasions, and family‑friendly opportunities. Some local event ideas could include:

■ Ghost tours in Old Town (fall)

■ History/Heritage Tours (late spring)

■ Music festival downtown and Teal Lake (summer)

■ Recommendation: Work with brewery owner and bike shop owner to start a seasonal cycle

pub tour similar to TC Cycle Pub in Traverse City (https://tccyclepub.com/)

■ Extreme winter games event (Snocross, ice climbing, etc.)

Promotional Plan for Special Events

1. WHAT ARE THE EVENT BASICS?

■ Event Name

■ Event Purpose

■ Event Type (In‑person, Virtual, or Hybrid)

■ Theme

■ Tagline

2. BUILD AN EVENT-SPECIFIC WEBPAGE ON THE WEBSITE

The next step is to make sure event information can be found online. The page should contain all

the important information about the event and why people should attend. Event partners and/or

sponsors should also have exposure on the webpage by name listing or logo.

The event webpage should include:

■ Time and Date

58

■ Location

■ Cost if any

■ Call to Action

■ Links to sponsors, vendors

■ FAQs

■ Rich content, images

3. CREATE AN EVENT PAGE ON FACEBOOK

Using Facebook to promote the event will help spread the word to the community and will enable

the target audiences to see event information. Plus, when then respond that they will attend the

event, that information can be shared with their network, leading to additional exposure. Once the

event is published and shared, analytics like reach and responses are available.

4. GAINING EVENT PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

Partners and event sponsors are a big driver of event participation and success. For one, sponsors

and partners can help with the financial burden of the event and can leverage their network

to gain additional exposure for promotion. The potential event participation and exposure

opportunities for sponsors and partners is a major selling point. Work out clear sponsorship

packages that can be conveyed easily, but also be ready to be flexible.

Tips for identifying sponsors and partners:

■ Reach out to sponsors from related events

■ Narrow down your options to companies and brands who strongly align with the city and

DDA

■ Research what the audience is interested in: Identify which local companies your Facebook

followers are liking or recommending with their network

59

Promotional Tools

■ Digital

◆ Direct Email

◆ Social media: Use hashtags, promote on a set frequency; tag vendors, sponsors, and

partners

◆ Paid Digital Promotion: Boosting posts on social media is an effective way to reach a

wider audience online

■ Analog

◆ Direct Mail

◆ Press releases and/or calls to media and radio

◆ Event signage: Physical signage using flyers, posters, postcards, yard signs, and banners in

high‑traffic locations and store windows

◆ Ask DDA members and active residents to be spread the word via word of mouth and

social media. Use printed flyers or postcards as reminders and ask ambassadors to pass

them out to local businesses

◆ Paid Advertising: Paid newspaper ads are effective, and newspapers are willing to

promote the event on their social media pages for a nominal fee. For large events with

healthy budgets, outdoor advertising (billboards) are also effective. More information

about this tactic is further along in this plan.

60

Strategy 4: Improve Communications/PromotionsTARGET AUDIENCES: SITE SELECTORS/LOCATION ADVISORS, DEVELOPERS, REGIONAL PARTNERS/ORGANIZATIONS, TOURISTS & RESIDENTS

Communication materials to provide to the target audiences are useful both online as PDFs and

in print for face‑to‑face opportunities. It provides an opportunity for branding, building awareness,

and promotion.

PRINTED AND ONLINE BROCHURES

By using key, relevant data about the community, we recommend the city develop, print, and

post brochures that describe the community and highlight key messages including useful

demographic information. These brochures would be a leave‑behind tool for target audience

members. Brochures also provide an opportunity to present the city brand and communicate

the key messages. A PDF of the brochure should be sent as a follow up email attachment after

conversations with investors, site selectors, and other target audiences.

RECREATION BROCHURE

Develop a recreation brochure that highlights all the recreational opportunities in and around

Negaunee during every season of the year. The brochure should also list the businesses that

support recreation and local bars and restaurants. Utilizing professional images that include people

in motion and the interesting facts of the trails, including the unique history, would raise awareness

and draw visitors in. Three‑fold brochures should be made available in the following locations:

61

■ The Mystery Spot in Saint Ignace (2 million visitors annually)

■ Clare Welcome Center and other rest areas along I‑75

■ St. Ignace and Mackinaw City ferry companies

Tourism Study Recommendation: Reach out to Michigan State University Extension and discuss

the feasibility of a tourism study to help the community learn about the existing strengths and

weaknesses as seen through the eyes of first‑time visitors.

Example: First Impressions: Assessing Your Community for Tourism

https://www.canr.msu.edu/tourism_first_impressions/uploads/files/2019%20FIT%20Report%20

Cass%20City‑New%20FINAL%20DRAFT.pdf

WELCOMING VIDEO FOR NEW RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES

A welcoming video for new residents and businesses would serve to communicate and

demonstrate Negaunee’s brand. By repurposing content from the Negaunee Moving Forward

presentation, the Marquette County travel research, images/video of people recreating, answers to

FAQs, and adding a short city tour, the city would have a content‑rich branding video to welcome

new residents and businesses. This could be available on the city’s official social media channels

and on the website. The video could be promoted through service providers, utilities, and real‑

estate agents to direct new residents and business owners to the video.

62

Strategy 5: Identify & Market Redevelopment Ready SitesTARGET AUDIENCES: LOCATION ADVISORS/SITE SELECTORS & CORPORATE EXECUTIVES, DEVELOPERS & INVESTORS, REGIONAL & INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATIONS, PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, CURRENT RESIDENTS

Identifying three to five prime sites to promote to developers and investors focuses promotional

efforts on improving the potential entertainment, overnight accommodation, retail, and dining

opportunities available to residents and visitors. As an effort to attract key target audience

members to learn more about key re/development opportunities, the city should develop the

following:

■ A dedicated webpage promoting the sites with useful information

■ A Business Information Packet, which would also be available on the webpage

■ A Development Manual

■ Request for Qualifications (RFQs)

DEDICATED WEBPAGE

A page on the city’s website that contains information about the city’s vision for the redevelopment

site accompanied with existing useful information about the community assets, competitive

advantages, demographics, real estate information, images, and a city contact would enhance the

site projects, generate interest, and increase reach.

63

BUSINESS INFORMATION PACKET/DEVELOPER TOOL

Another communications tool that would help the community stand out is a Developer Tool

or Business Information Packet that can be developed to give potential investors and outside

business owners straightforward and useful information about the community and its economy. It

can include charts on economic aspects such as market size, proximity to talent, major employers,

affordability, labor market, quality of life using information about the school systems, trail systems,

incentives, as well as brief information and pictures about available sites throughout the area. This

tool is part of the current project scope and will be provided as a tool for the city to leverage with

the developer community.

Once completed, the Developer Tool could be printed and provided to local partners and overnight

accommodations like hotels and motels, Air BnB’s, VRBO locations and other related overnight

accommodation locations. Guests and visitors may be interested in learning more about local

investment opportunities, and providing that information at the right intersection of time and place

could lead to future investment opportunities for the city.

DEVELOPMENT MANUAL

A Development Manual would also provide key information to developers, making their

development process straightforward and accessible. It could provide a potential developer with

the information they would need to initiate a project, including applications, requirements, site

plan review information, processes, fee schedules, permit overviews, incentives, contacts, and other

pertinent information. It can contain the existing flowchart available on the website and should

reflect the city branding elements. This could be a PDF posted on the city’s website for download,

as well as a webpage with the step‑by‑step process outlined.

64

Here are some examples:

■ Wixom: https://www.wixomgov.org/departments/construction‑development‑services‑

building

■ Bessemer: https://www.cityofbessemer.org/wp‑content/uploads/2018/07/Guide‑to‑

Development.pdf

■ Green Oak Township (hosted online): https://www.greenoaktwp.com/departments/building_

department/permits_and_forms/index.php

SITE PROMOTION AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

In addition to the above, and in conjunction with a well‑written and city‑branded Request for

Qualifications (RFQs) and Request for Proposals (RDP) for key development sites, the city would

be positioned to select the development that best suits the city’s vision and interests of the

community. By leveraging BidNet Direct and other related websites to post RFPs, the reach can

extend well beyond the city’s official website.

It is recommended to be proactive in development efforts by engaging with community

stakeholders potentially affected by each development/redevelopment. Information and visual

representations about the projects should be communicated through signage, printed and online

information, and located in the city office and DDA office. The material should also be duplicated

and shared with community centers, schools and other public places that have access to public

audiences. Use social media channels to communicate project status, updates, images; and gauge

and respond to public perception and feedback.

As development occurs and as site projects are completed, dedication ceremonies where partners

and supporters are invited shall be held to celebrate success. Post‑project signage should identify

any grant funding, partnership support, financial support, and other incentive programs that

assisted in development, and should be displayed in the same areas where the pre‑development

project signage was displayed.

65

Strategy 6: AdvertisingTARGET AUDIENCES: LOCATION ADVISORS/SITE SELECTORS & CORPORATE EXECUTIVES, DEVELOPERS & INVESTORS, REGIONAL & INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATIONS, PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, CURRENT RESIDENTS

CO-OP MARKETING & ADVERTISING

Exploring opportunities to develop a co‑op

marketing and advertising program with

the Greater Ishpeming‑Negaunee Area

Chamber of Commerce and potentially

Travel Marquette could help stretch

marketing budgets and drive awareness

of tourism opportunities to the wider area.

The approach is to purchase advertising

opportunities in print, online, and in person

(events) on volume to offer discounted advertising prices. The optimal co‑op advertising program

would be managed by a team member of the chamber of commerce, who would be responsible

for developing the various advertising programs and packages.

Specific types of campaigns could be created either around events, launches of new recreational

businesses, or seasonal starts for specific recreational activities. For instance, the city could partner

with the Greater Ishpeming‑Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce or Travel Marquette to build

a digital advertising campaign promoting Pioneer Days, for example, through a variety of online

66

media. Starting with social media channels, the city and chamber could leverage their combined

databases and set up parameters to identify and target individuals to promote the event, overnight

accommodations, and local participating businesses.

A great example of such a program is the Explore Minnesota co‑op marketing program, and more

information can be found here:

■ https://mn.gov/tourism‑industry/industry‑opportunities/partner‑with‑us/co‑op‑marketing.jsp

■ https://mn.gov/tourism‑industry/assets/CoopProgram_8.5x11_tcm1135‑494968.pdf

GEOFENCING ADS

Geofencing marketing is location‑based marketing that lets you connect with smartphone users in

a designated geographic area. Because it’s location‑based, geofencing relies on a mix of GPS, Wi‑Fi,

radio‑frequency identification (RFID) and Bluetooth. Geofences work in three simple steps. First,

a virtual boundary is created around a physical location. Next, a user (and their mobile device) will

pass into the geofenced location. Once they do, it will trigger an ad to be served from a campaign

to their phone.

The size of a geofence can be modified, but most often the shape is a standard radius. A polygon

geofence, or boundaries that are more geometric in shape, is another form of geofencing mobile

advertising that can more specifically outline the shapes of certain landmarks, buildings, or

areas. Typically, geofencing mobile ads will be used in the form of display or push notifications to

consumers with locally relevant messages. Most often, GPS is used to define whether a device has

entered the geofence. Geofencing ads could be served on smart phones via the MESH trail system

technology.

Recommendation: The city could partner with local businesses and initiate a “Forge Your

Adventure” campaign that promotes local events, recreation opportunities, and businesses when

67

those users enter the geofenced location.

More information on setting up geofencing campaigns can be found here: https://ziplineb2b.com/

blog/how‑to‑geofence‑advertising‑with‑google‑facebook‑instagram‑and‑snapchat/

OUTDOOR/BILLBOARDS

Once the city is well‑positioned to accommodate an increase in the number of tourists, and

the downtown has experienced buildouts and redevelopment, it is recommended to select

markets in the northern lower peninsula and Wisconsin to advertise outdoor (billboards). Based

on the Marquette City Travel Report’s most popular points of origin findings, the location of the

billboard should be placed along travel routes where the majority of influx already exists. Billboard

advertising would likely not occur prior to the year 2024, at which time the city will likely have

more overnight accommodation available. Billboards displaying the recreational opportunities in

Negaunee, along with the branding elements should be featured and the call to action to visit

the destination website should be prominently displayed. Metrics for this tactic can be tracked by

charting website statistics before, during, and after the billboard advertisement appears.

PRINT ADVERTISING

As budget allows, print advertising in the Pure Michigan Travel Guide would increase awareness

and interest in Negaunee. The Pure Michigan travel guide also partners with Midwest Living and

has advertising reach within both publications.

Using the branding elements and captivating images of people recreating in the community with

the key messages about visiting Negaunee, the ads would serve effective to build awareness and

can lead to eventual visitor conversions. The critical aspect of print advertising is to ensure a call to

action is included, which is typically a call to visit the website, and the inclusion of a QR code for

audience convenience and tracking purposes.

68

Michigan Travel Guide media contact:

Richard Konopaske, michigansw@aol.com, (269) 965‑3134

Travel Guide links:

■ https://www.michigan.org/travel‑guide

■ https://digital.emagazines.com/pure_michigan/

NATIONAL MAGAZINES

Once Negaunee is at the point where a national media advertising buy would be budget‑

appropriate, it would be worth considering advertising opportunities to widen the reach and

amplify the message to Forge Your Adventure. Media outlets and publications that would be

appropriate for potential tourists include the following non‑exhaustive list:

■ Bike Mag

■ Snowgoer Magazine and website

■ Outdoor Magazine and website

69

Evaluation Plan S U P P O R T I N G T H E C I T Y

O F N E G A U N E E

egauneeegauneeegaunee

70

Brand & Marketing Monitoring and EvaluationOnce the brand is launched and actions are taken to market the city to the target audiences, it’s

vital to monitor progress and adjust when necessary. There are several tactics to gain insight into

consumer attitude and opinion, along with ways to monitor the outcomes of marketing activities.

Several performance measures such as visitor numbers, web analytics, social media metrics,

lodging tax revenue, occupancy levels, visitor spending, advertising responses and others are

criteria that can be evaluated. Surveys and informal face‑to‑face conversations are some of the

ways to understand how the brand is perceived.

Brand Evaluation Strategy Brand evaluation is a critical component of the branding process. Monitoring the following

indicators will help ensure the brand remains relevant and meaningful over time:

1. Focus on the demographics, behavior, and satisfaction of target audiences

2. Monitor and maintain focus to ensure the brand promise remains meaningful

3. Monitor touchpoints to ensure they are aligned with customer needs and reflect the brand

4. Core experiences remain relevant and high quality

5. Visual identity elements and communications should remain fresh and creative

6. Monitor trends that influence demand and behavior

7. Monitor Google Analytics, social media metrics, and user reviews

71

Brand Evaluation Criteria & Timing Brand Evaluation Type Criteria TimingBrand Adoption Review commercial, government, cultural,

and community organizations to gauge the extent of the adoption of the brand beyond the logo and tagline use. Consider the con-tent and accuracy of brand elements in publi-cations, websites, and other communications.

One year after brand adoption

Community Pride and Brand Support

Conduct a benchmark survey of residents, businesses, tourism, government organiza-tions.

Every two years

Co-operative Support Track the level of participation in the city’s cooperative marketing.

Annually

Target Market Profiles Assess shifts in target market profiles Every 3-5 yearsCustomer Satisfaction Conduct ongoing customer surveys to moni-

tor satisfaction with your experience delivery, specifically in the areas of economic develop-ment.

Ongoing

Brand Consistency Review the appearance and content of all marketing materials that project the brand including those produced outside of the area, for example, tour operators, and hotels.

Annually

Media Coverage Monitor the media for the use of desired brand messages.

Ongoing

Stakeholder Feedback Survey key stakeholders, partners, and city messengers to review and monitor brand development issues.

Annually

Image and Attitudes Monitor shifts in attitudes, perceptions, and the image of the city by external audiences and residents.

Every two years

72

Branding Surveys

BRAND PERCEPTION SURVEY

A brand perception survey is a type of survey that allows you to understand the audience’s

perception of your brand. Many things combine to determine how the brand is perceived by the

audiences including their level of satisfaction with their experience and how likely they are to

recommend Negaunee. The first step to conducting a successful brand perception survey is to

answer the question: “Whose opinions are most important for my brand and how do I find them?”

This would include visitors and potential investors/developers.

Questions centered on discovering the feelings and perceptions of your target audience should

be developed. These questions should be structured in a way that allows customers to freely

communicate how your brand makes them feel.

Objectives of a Brand Perception Survey

■ A brand perception survey helps you to understand target audience sentiments towards your

brand.

■ It serves as a means of receiving real‑time feedback from your target market and customers.

■ A brand perception survey helps you to track your brand performance in the industry. You

would know how your brand sits against its competition.

■ It allows for optimized communication between your organization and your customers.

■ Data gathered from brand perception surveys allows you to create an excellent customer

experience for your brand.

73

Brand Perception Survey Question Samples

■ How long have you been aware of Negaunee?

■ When you think of Negaunee, what comes to mind?

■ How likely are you to recommend visiting Negaunee to your friends and family?

■ How would you describe your latest experience with Negaunee?

■ Which (if any) of the following traits do you associate with Negaunee? (provide list)

■ What emotions do you feel when you think about Negaunee?

BRAND IDENTITY SURVEY

Identification questions will help you find out how well your brand communicates its core values

and image to the target audiences. It is a good way for organizations to evaluate their brand image

and understand what your target audiences think about your brand image.

Objectives of Brand Identity Surveys

■ It helps to find out what the brand says to its target audience.

■ It allows the city to understand the brand from the audience point of view.

■ A brand identity survey gives you a better sense of your audience members wants and needs

Brand Identity Survey Question Samples

■ When was the last time you visited or interacted with Negaunee?

■ What is the first thing you associate Negaunee’s brand with?

■ Why do you like Negaunee?

■ What unique value does Negaunee present for you?

■ How would you describe Negaunee to another person?

74

Implementing the Brand Perception & Identity SurveysWhat experiences effect the overall perception of the city and its brand? Thinking about this will allow

the city to identify the channels by which the surveys should be made available. The best ways to

reach the target audiences to gain feedback are through the typical experience touchpoints.

To provide a quick and fairly instant temperature check at a point in time to determine brand

perception and identity is to program a one‑question Facebook poll using some of the sample

questions above. The results would enable the city to gain knowledge of how the Facebook page

followers perceive and identify the brand and its elements.

Coordination with area service providers to request inclusion of survey QR codes or links to the online

surveys on both printed materials and included in digital communications would provide a platform

to access feedback.

Additionally, often service providers request reviews and have their own surveys for feedback on their

service, and you could request inclusion of select questions from the city’s brand perception and

identification surveys. Experience providers and channels include:

■ Museums (brochures, signage, social posts, employee requests)

■ Area hotels (signage, brochures, receipts, employee requests)

■ Downtown businesses (brochures, signage, social posts, receipts, employee requests)

■ Wider‑area businesses (brochures, signage, social posts, receipts, employee requests)

■ Recreational associations like RAMBA, Iron Ore Heritage Trail Authority, etc. (brochures, signage,

social posts, receipts, employee requests)

■ Rental car locations (brochures, signage, social posts, receipts, employee requests)

75

Integrated Marketing Evaluation in the Digital SpaceMETRICS FOR ONLINE PRESENCE AND SOCIAL MEDIA

WEBSITE:

■ Use Google Analytics on the website to track website traffic, page views, average time spent

on website, referral links from partner sites; leads generated.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

■ Track follower growth on social media channels

■ Likes and reactions for your posts

■ Monitor mentions

◆ On Facebook, you’ll get notifications whenever someone tags your page name in their

post

■ Determine reach

◆ On Facebook, go to your Insights tab and click the reach option in the navigation panel

on the left. The top graph you see displays your post reach, which is basically the number

of people who saw your post. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find your total reach.

This is the number of people who saw any activity from your page as a result of follower

interactions, ads, mentions, check‑ins, and so on.

76

■ Review replies and comments for your posts

◆ Replies and comments on your posts can help you gauge how interesting or engaging

your topics are. As with reactions, they’re direct response metrics that help you weed out

uninteresting content from your publishing schedule. Because replies are typed out, you

can also view individual posts that performed well to measure follower/fan sentiment. To

find this information on Facebook, go to your Insights and click the Posts option in the left

navigation. Scroll down to All Posts Published and click the right drop‑down arrow to view

Reactions, Comments, and Shares.

■ Find out and track what content is being shared

SOCIAL MEDIA LISTENING

Another option to monitor comments or feedback about Negaunee, including what is shared by

tourists on their social media networks, would be to initiate a social media listening tool. Many

good options for tools, including the descriptions of the tools’ operations can be found here: https://

www.socialmediatoday.com/social‑business/12‑best‑social‑media‑monitoring‑tools‑consider

CONTENT MARKETING EVALUATION METRICS

For each media type, there are different metrics to track.

Paid Media: It depends on the tactics you use under this umbrella, but could include the following:

■ Social media marketing, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter ads and boosted

content

■ Landing pages and how many people download your content and go into your email

marketing database

■ New fans or followers who come from reading your sponsored content

■ Leads and conversions.

77

Earned Media: To measure the effectiveness, consider the following metrics:

■ How much Web traffic comes from a story about your organization? See if those news

outlets and blogs are sending visitors to your site

■ An increase in new audiences

■ If you have access to a CRM (customer relationship management system), the number of

new email subscribers that resulted from the story

■ An increase in search rankings for the topic for which the story is about

Shared Media: You have to track the number of fans and followers because sharp declines—or a

trend of decreasing followers—will tell you something is wrong. Try these options:

■ Assign points to things such as likes, retweets, shares, and comments. This gives you

numerical data on whether something works.

■ Use unique URLs, coupons, discount codes, or even telephone numbers only in your social

media efforts. This will tell you whether you’re getting results from these efforts.

Owned Media: The beauty of owned media is it completely integrates with the other three media

types.

Think about the following:

■ Pay attention to unique visitors, time spent on the site, and bounce rate. Those things, such as

an increase (or decrease) in social media followers, can indicate success or failure.

■ If you have an organized owned media program, you’re likely distributing through email

marketing. When you integrate your content with this paid media tactic, you can track things

such as downloads and shares. Do people download the content? Do they read or watch

or listen to it once it’s been downloaded? Is it so good they can’t help but share it with their

communities?

■ Are people sharing your content? This is important to know because it provides proof to a

new reader that you know what you’re doing.

78

■ Track the effectiveness of a community (people who comment on and share your content) by

whether they’re referring business to you.

Benchmarking for EventsThe metrics for event marketing success encompass financial results, event attendance, lead

generation, overall awareness, and post‑event analysis, all aligned with the overall business goals.

Event Attendance: Measuring the total attendee draw is a natural gauge for event success. Higher

attendee numbers have a trickle‑down effect as they can translate into greater event buzz for

subsequent future events.

Media Impact: The media metric has several component parts encompassing social media traffic

and new followers generated; clicks and website visits; and press coverage, both quantitative and

qualitative.

Post-Event Surveys: These surveys can provide an accurate and timely read on the experiences

and satisfaction levels of event attendees. The survey can also touch on other helpful areas such as

likelihood to purchase from vendors, partners, and sponsors.

EVENT ROI

Costs: To determine ROI, getting a handle on the costs of hosting an event is important.

Examples of direct costs include venue costs, food and beverage, travel, entertainment, and rental

equipment. Indirect costs offer a more complete view of the investments to run an event. They

include salaries and overhead of the teams involved in staging an event as well as other shared

expenses. Events also have an opportunity cost. The city or DDA chooses to deploy its resources to

79

an event as opposed to some other activity. These alternative sources of value comprise opportunity

costs. To understand this cost, you need to know the benefits the other activities would yield as

compared to your events.

Benchmarking Economic DevelopmentWhen tracking economic development metrics, it is critical to have a set of metrics that are used

consistently year over year. A simple excel spreadsheet can be used to track the community’s economic

development metrics.

METRICS INCLUDE:

■ New investment

■ Number and type of new business openings

■ Number and size of new business expansions

■ New job creation (as result of new investment)

■ How many jobs retained by staying in the community rather than going elsewhere

■ Business closures

■ Jobs lost

The best way to determine most of the information outlined above is to work with the Building

Department and ask which entities pulled building permits for construction. This information would

indicate the main contact, who can then be asked about the investment, job retention and/or creation,

and other data that may be helpful. At the end of the year, a report of all the above information can be

developed for business purposes and leveraged as content on the site and in social media.

Sources & Appendices

B R A N D I N G & M A R K E T I N G S T R AT E G Y

2022

egauneeegauneeegaunee

81

SOURCES

• Marquette County Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Sum-mary, 2019

• Moving Forward Strategy Report• Negaunee Complete and Connected Presentation• Negaunee Downtown Development Authority District Overview • Negaunee Downtown Development Authority Plan, 2019 • Negaunee Master Plan, 2016• Negaunee Master Plan Community Survey, 2020-2021• Place Branding for Small Cities, Regions & Downtowns, Author: Bill

Baker• Visual Enhancement Report 2004 • Welcome to Negaunee PowerPoint

SURVEY RESULTS: PLACEBRANDING QUESTIONS

What three words best describe how you think others perceive Negaunee? (open-ended)Small/small town: 78 responsesOld/older/old fashioned: 41 responsesFriendly: 37 responses (1: 18, 2:9, 3:10)Great Schools/Schools: 26 responses (1: 9, 2: 12, 3:5)History/historical: 25 responsesQuaint: 16 responsesQuiet: 16 responses(Negative high-ranking responses include: drunk/bars, run down/deteri-orating, boring)

What are the top community values that you think Negaunee embod-ies? (select at least three)Prosperous: 15Scenic: 116Small town character: 254Vibrant: 17Friendly: 200Creative: 19Responsible: 22Economical: 34Walkable: 164Affordable: 135

Natural: 64Kindness: 83Strong: 46Pride: 160Organized: 19Equitable: 7Generous: 39Devotion: 13Heritage: 188Historic: 222Traditional: 82Sisu: 82Beautiful: 80Healthy: 32Accessible: 42Volunteerism: 27Caring: 54Hard-working: 119Engaged Youth: 36Forward-thinking: 35Sustainable: 19Connected: 26Balanced: 17Respect: 39Nurturing: 14Active: 51

If you could create a slogan or tagline for the City of Negaunee, de-scribe what would it be?“Where history and the future meet”A big community in a small townA City on the MoveA clean & growing citya drinking community with a mining problemA great place to call home.a great place to liveA great place to live and workA great place to live no matter how you pronounce it OR More than just Teal LakeA great place to live no matter how you pronounce it.A place of potential, honoring traditions, and roots that run deep.A place to live, a place to explore a place to call home.

82

A town that won’t put keep you down.An old city full of character, but young at heart.Anchored in history, sailing to the future.Beautiful Lake, friendly people, small town pride. Beautiful Old TownBest place you miss driving on 41 Big city ideas, small town values.Birth of the Iron RangeBuilding a future based on the history and values of the pastBuy a houseBuy a houseCity of Discovery and Innovation City of Negaunee where history and tradition meet the future.City of Negaunee: Welcome Home City on the Lake!Cold steelCome a watch our downtown deteriorate Come be a neighborCome be part of our story Come home to Negaunee Come home to Negaunee, live, play, stay.Come see Teal lake but don't use itCome to Negaunee. We're not dieing as quickly as Ishpeming. Community of the Past, Community of the Future.Community StrongCoolest small town Creating strong community tiesDon’t have one at this timeDon't knowDon't knowEscape to Negaunee, your hometown Excellent place to raise your precious family.Expensive food but it will be a good timeFriendly,Engaging,&GrowingGrowing in the right direction Here, the miner's spirit lives onHistoric Beautiful IronTown Historic city with a bright futureHistoric DownTown Negaunee is always fitting Historic mining townHistoricalHistorical Irontown USAHistorical Negaunee

Historical past, working towards the future Historical with a view of Teal LakeHometown proudI don’t know. Something including the lake and heritage trail assets.I don't know.I was tag line last time created, Neguanee Iron Town USA. If you can't afford to live in Marquette, come live here!Invested in the past, looking forward.iron ore is our claim to fame.Iron prideIron TownIron Town Moving UPIron town prideIron Town StrongIron town USAIron town. It hasn’t changed same sloganIronclad values. Irontown proudIrontown USAIrontown USAIrontown: Where the past meets the future creating quality of life.Irontown; pioneer spirit, present day prideIt’s truly gods country Know and honor your past...we do!Let our past become our futureLinks to the past, open to the future.Live here play here.Live here to love lifeLook closerMiner Town, USAMiners Safe HavenMiners Safe HavenMore than just neighbors.More than just neighbors.Move forward with usMoving ahead Moving into the future together Negaunee iron ore made Marquette Negaunee the Heart of the Iron Range Heritage of the UPNegaunee, a Town to Experience Where Time Stands StillNegaunee, City of History !Negaunee, Coming Back Strong!Negaunee, the friendly little city.

83

Negaunee, the spirit of the U.P.Negaunee, where everyone fits in Negaunee, where you can find beauty right outside your door.Negaunee: rediscover the futureNot quite Marquette but better than IshpemingNothingOld Town ClassicOld towne flavorOn the banks of historyOre town Negaunee, the real historic gem. Negaunee, come to visit and you won't want to leave.Our community is as strong as the iron on which it was founded. Outdoors at your fingertips Perseverance RocksPioneer spirit lives here.Preserving the past and embracing the futurePreserving the past. Pioneering the future.Reimagining and Redeveloping a Mining TownRich in history Save Our Citysmall town americaSmall Town charm with rustic adventure.Small town flavorsmall town living uptown pricesSmall town prideSmall town, beautiful natureSorry I don’t have one Strong as ironStrong as IronStrong as IronTeal Lake’s Better HalfThe city of brighter tomorrowsThe gateway to Marquette!The irontownThe Miners spirit lives in us!The opportunities are endlessThe past meets the future, today. The place you’d want your kids to grow up in.This would take some thought. Tough as the Miners who started this town Tradition, updatedWatch out for caving grounds

We like to have a good time We’re Better Than IshpemingWe’re not Ishpeming Welcome backWelcome HomeWelcome to beautiful historical NegauneeWelcome to Negaunee, now go home!Welcome to Negaunee. We're more affordable than Marquette and have less meth than Ishpeming Where friends meet.Where quality of life resides.Where the real yoopers liveWhy live anywhere else?Your home away from home.

DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNERS MEETING ON 7/14/21

Strengths: Community pride, helping/supporting others, working togeth-er (vista funding grant)

Visions

• To give back, meet and come together, pro-business community with the city employees, accommodating, good communication, not as packed as other places (beaches, park spaces, etc.)

• To have a busy downtown• Eliminate vacancies in buildings—Negaunee is in the process of

“coming back” and businesses are coming in where people want to be

• There’s a consorted effort to create success in the community• Infill projects (41 projects at this time of writing)• DDA—more festivals, events, placemaking• The city is enforcing a rental code and property maintenance code

so downtown facilities aren’t used for storage• Have a sustainable tourism plan—the Iron Ore Heritage Trail is

partnering with NMU to create a “mesh system” where the trails will have internet capability and be able to track data and provide feedback on usage as well as geo-fencing capabilities

84

Assets

• Teal lake—promoting access where one can put in a boat without fees • Recreational—in the middle of the crossroads “all trails lead to Negaunee”—ride, horseback riding, snowmobile• Desire for change—community recognizes the need for change• Schools—good school system, sports complex is being built• Turn-over in home ownership to young families who expect services• Housing market is hot• Preserving the past “embrace the past, forge ahead”• Low crime• A lot of places in town are within walking distance• Negaunee has the youngest population on average in the county, but there is also a large aging population and not much senior living available

Where are people coming from? Lower peninsula, Minneapolis, Wisconsin, Chicago, Marquette, Iowa, Georgia, Maryland...all over

Notes on History: In the 60s-70s, there were over 3-4,000 miners here. Now there are 1,100.

Emerging Industry

• Outdoor recreation• Partnership with Invent NMU to push for huge project in the UP that includes the Mesh trail project making the Iron Ore Heritage Trail digitally

connected so data can be gathered, and more interactivity can be generated (think signage with QR codes, GEO fencing)• The city owns about 900 acres of land that can be made use of and used for recreational use, placemaking, and business development• Recreational marijuana (except in downtown) especially around foreign weed seekers—people coming from other countries to have experienc-

es with and buy marijuana b/c they can’t in their country One word to describe Negaunee (business owner’s perspectives)

• Accommodating• Potential• Up-and-coming• Proud• Collaborative• Hard-working• Ambitious• Welcoming• Friendly• Forward-thinking• Active• Supportive• Vibrant• Authentic

319 W Case Street, Negaunee, MI 49866 • 906.475.7700 • forgeNegaunee.com

Brand StandardG U I D E L I N E S

MARCH 15, 2022

egauneeegauneeegaunee

What’s IncludedOur Vision 1

Approved Logo Usage 2

Improper Logo Usage 2

Negaunee Logo Hierachy 3

Brand Color Palette 4

Primary Font Usage 5

Display Font Usage 5

Stationery: Letterhead & Envelope 6

Stationery: Business Card 7

Social Media 8

Outdoor & Digital Advertising 9

00.CONTENTS

Branding GuidelinesONE VISION. ONE VOICE.

Every organization has a brand identity — an image that is the sum of

all the perceptions conveyed through people, services, facilities, and

communications. It projects and defines the image of the organization.

This document is designed to assist the City of Negaunee, Michigan, in

standardizing its visual brand identity. It contains standards for the use

of the organization’s visual brand identity — logos, color palette and

typography. Please refer to it so that all communications you create or

have created by outside vendors reflect the appropriate and consistent

image of the organization’s brand identity.

VISUAL BRANDING AND COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANCE

If you have questions about using our visual brand properly, or need

help creating communications that meet the standards outlined in this

publication, please contact the City of Negaunee at 906.475.7700.

01.OUR VISION

AVAILABLE FILE TYPES

VECTOR (.ai, .eps, .pdf) : Vector-based images are graphics that can be scaled to a larger size and not lose any image quality. These are the prefered file type for standard printing as well as large-scale artwork (signs, banners, etc.).

JPEG (.jpg): JPEGs are standardized compression mechanism for digital images. JPEG files are typically used for digital platforms and have a white background.

PNG (.png): PNGs are a lossless compression file format, which makes it a common choice for use on the Web and other digital platforms and have a transparent background.

Approved Logo UsageThe logo should be used consistently whenever possible in all forms of

communications to maintain brand continuity. Maintaining a minimum area

of isolated “white space” (.25”) around the logo ensures legibility and impact.

There are only three ways the logo can be used: 1) full brand specified colors,

2) grayscale, 3) white, reversed from a black or dark background.

02.LOGO USE

Standard (spot or 4-color process)

egauneeegauneeegaunee.25” .25”

.25”

.25”

egauneeegauneeegauneeGrayscale or 100% Black

Improper UsageThe logo should not be manipulated in any

way. Care should be taken to avoid rotating,

scaling disproportionately, or changing to

non-approved brand colors.

egauneeegauneeegaunee egauneeegauneeegaunee

egauneeegauneeegauneeegauneeegauneeegauneeReversed from black or a dark color (for limited use only)

egauneeegauneeegaunee

Negaunee Logo HierachyThe primary overarching Negaunee logo / brand mark is consistently

complimented by a family of sub-brand departmental and affiliate logos.

03.BRAND FAMILY

egauneeegauneeegauneeI R O N T OWN , U S A

egauneeŇegauneeŇDOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

egauneeegauneeegauneeSIMPLIFIED LOGO USAGE

The simplified version of the Negaunee logo is only to be used in situations that don’t provide enough space for the full logo. Example: Door of a vehicle or an ad specialty item.

DEPARTMENT SUBHEAD

LIMITED SPECIAL USE

Brand Color Palette The consistent use and control of color is key to creating a unified brand

impression. The color palette is intentionally limited to unify the brand. Tints

can be used for supporting graphics, illustrations, charts and when needed

for design variation. Colors are specified from the Pantone® Matching

System (PMS) – Coated.

04.COLOR USE

Alternate PaletteThese colors are to be used as accents in

the case that additional colors are needed

alongside the two primary colors. Instances

to use these colors are subject to, but not

limited to: graphs and charts, infographics,

subheads, etc.

PMS 314C CMYK 87/41/22/1RGB 70/125/162 HEX 467DA2

PMS 1525C CMYK 19/83/100/9RGB 164/76/45HEX A44C2D

80% 60% 40% 20% 80% 60% 40% 20%

PMS 7744C CMYK 32/15/100/0RGB 185/187/67HEX B9BB43

80% 60% 40% 20%

PMS 629C CMYK 39/3/12/0RGB 169/207/219HEX A9CFDB

80% 60% 40% 20%

PMS 7409C CMYK 0/32/94/0RGB 234/179/57HEX EAB339

80% 60% 40% 20%

ALTERNATE PALETTE

COLOR SPECIFICATION GUIDELINES

PMS (Pantone Matching System): A color system with standardized ink colors used when working with printers and when needed for exact color matching.

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black): These are the four basic colors used for printing color images and when sending files to be printed.

RGB (Red, Green, Blue): Refers to three hues that can be mixed together to create different colors. RGB is the standard method of producing color images on digital screens.

HEX (Hexidecimal): Renders colors in RGB format by combining three values (red, green, and blue) into a 6 digit code. Like RGB colors, Hex codes are used for digital screen design.

PrimaryThe Montserrat font family represents a versatile, modern and legible font

that complements the Negaunee brand. Different weights are available for

headlines, subheads, quotes and body copy. The Bell MT family is an

approved complimentary font. Kerning should be set to Optical.

05.FONT USAGE

Display FontThe Thirsty Rough family is to be used for

headlines only. For use, the headline should

be limited to 4-5 words. Kerning should be

set to Optical.

BRAND CONSISTENCY

Keeping typography consistent is a powerful tool. These sets of typefaces best represent the honest character that Negaunee embodies as a brand, and should be used across all print and web applications.

If you need access to any of the three font families, or have questions on proper usage, please contact the City of Negaunee at 906.475.7700.

Montserrat Bold — HeadlinesABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz !@#$%^&1234567890 Montserrat Regular — SubheadsABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz !@#$%^&1234567890 Montserrat Regular — Body CopyABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz !@#$%^&1234567890

Montserrat Italic — Optional For QuotesABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz !@#$%^&1234567890

Bell MT Bold — HeadlinesABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz !@#$%^&1234567890 Bell MT Regular — SubheadsABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz !@#$%^&1234567890 Bell MT Regular — Body CopyABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz !@#$%^&1234567890

Thirsty Rough Regular — HeadlinesABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz !@#$%^&1234567890

SANS SERIF FONT SERIF FONT

Brand ElementsP R I N T & W E B M AT E R I A L S

Letterhead & EnvelopeStationery is used by the City of Negaunee as an integral part of the identity

program. The following examples show the various forms of correspondence.

AVAILABILE FILES: PDF for reference. Adobe InDesign Print Ready Files to use

with print vendors.

06.STATIONERY

egauneeegauneeegaunee

906.475.7700 forgeNegaunee.com319 W Case Street, Negaunee, MI 49866

8.5 X 11”

319 W Case StreetNegaunee, MI 49866

egauneeegauneeegaunee

NO. 10 ENVELOPE: 9.5 X 4.125”

ARTWORK SIZING

Please note: Images are not actual size. Size relativity may be inaccurate. Dimensions are listed below image.

Business CardBusiness cards can vary in color. The color is dependent on the sub

organization, and their members using them. Displayed as an example,

is two variations of the business cards. References are using the two

primary colors in the color palette. AVAILABILE FILES: PDF for reference.

Adobe InDesign Print Ready Files to use with print vendors.

07.STATIONERY

ARTWORK SIZING

Please note: Images are not actual size. Size relativity may be inaccurate. Dimensions are listed below image.

3.5 X 2”

egauneeegauneeegaunee

906.475.7700 ext. 11

nheffron@forgeNegaunee.com

319 W Case Street Negaunee, MI 49866

forgeNegaunee.com

NATE HEFFRONCity Manager

egauneeegauneeegauneeDAVID NELSON

City Planner

319 W Case Street Negaunee, MI 49866

906.475.7700 ext.12

dnelson@forgeNegaunee.comforgeNegaunee.com

3.5 X 2”

OPTION 1 OPTION 2

Social TilesYour organization’s image on powerful social media platforms is equally

important. Shown here are sample branded social media posts.

AVAILABLE FILES: PDFs for reference. JPEGs to place on social media.

08.SOCIAL MEDIA

Social/Facebook HeaderShown here are branded page headers specific to

Facebook only. Other social media platforms may

require other various dimensions.

egauneeegauneeegaunee

FORGE YOURADVENTURE

egauneeegauneeegaunee1080 X 1080px

ARTWORK SIZING

Please note: Images are not actual size. Size relativity may be inaccurate. Dimensions are listed below image.

FORGE YOURADVENTUREegauneeegauneeegaunee

820 X 312px

Billboards & Digital DisplayA comprehensive marketing campaign can make use of many

communications channels. This prototype is representative of how the

spirit of Negaunee can be expressed as part of the “Forge Your Adventure”

branding initiative. Different images and variations on the message could

be incorporated as part of an integrated campaign. AVAILABLE FILES: PDF

for reference. Adobe InDesign print or display-ready files to use with vendors.

09.OUTDOOR & DIGITAL ADVERTISING

forgeNegaunee.com

FORGE YOURADVENTUREegauneeegauneeegaunee

BULLETIN BOARD (SIZE VARIES BY PRODUCTION)

ARTWORK SIZING

Please note: Images are not actual size. Size relativity may be inaccurate. Dimensions are listed below image.