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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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
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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:
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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
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■ 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)
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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
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■ 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
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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
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■ 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
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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?
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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
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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
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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
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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/
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■ 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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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/
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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
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» 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
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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.
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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)
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■ 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,
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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 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.
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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
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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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■ 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
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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.
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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:
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■ 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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Michigan Travel Guide media contact:
Richard Konopaske, [email protected], (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
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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
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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
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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.
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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?
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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)
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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.
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■ 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.
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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.
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■ 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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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
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
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
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.
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