City Council

City of Norwich Brand Marketing Initiative 2018 | 2019 FISCAL YEAR Overview For the 2018/2019 fiscal year, the City of Norwich defined a $25,000 line item for marketing. These funds are to be used judiciously and effectively to help our community build awareness and get a foothold with target populations that could offer the greatest impact/return on investment. Ideally, these efforts will also increase positive brand awareness for the City of Norwich. What follows is a transparent and concise overview of the plans (underway and pending) regarding these inaugural marketing dollars. While aware of other marketing initiatives (Global City Norwich, F66, Norwich Events), those projects do not fall under this budget/scope of work, nor are they managed by Miranda Creative. But first… an introduction. For those in attendance this evening, viewing from home, or reading this presentation at a later date, my name is Maria Miranda, Creative Director of a But first… an introduction: Norwich-based enterprise called Miranda Creative and with my colleague, Mary Brodeur, I am honored to be your guide this evening regarding plans to execute this modest marketing initiative for the City of Norwich. While as a 30-year entrepreneur in this City, I may be a familiar name for many of you, for those who are friends I have not yet met, a few quick stats about my qualifications and that of the company I represent: But first… an introduction. For those in attendance this evening, viewing from home, or reading this presentation at a later date, my name is Maria Miranda, Creative Director of a Norwich-based enterprise called Miranda Creative. With my colleague, Mary Brodeur, I am honored to be your guide in executing these marketing plans for the City of Norwich. While I may be a familiar name for many of you, for those of you who are friends that I have not yet met, I will introduce myself with quick stats about my qualifications and that of my company: • Miranda Creative is brand management firm located on the Norwichtown Green. • Upon graduating from the University of Connecticut in 1988, and finding no local career options in design/marketing, I chose to create my own opportunities opening The AD Agency in an apartment on what the locals call the east side. • Renamed in 2003, Miranda Creative, Inc. has grown in size and reputation—now providing quality jobs for 16 talented team members in a wide range of skills, servicing clients throughout the United States. • While we outgrew that apartment long ago, at our heart we remain the same community- focused company, hiring local and supporting local. We are a resource for free business education programs and job shadows/internships at all grade levels. • We are honored to have been recognized for our work and our core values by many respected organizations. In addition, we are a registered minority/woman-owned enterprise by the State of Connecticut. • I share these facts this evening not only to define credibility, but to also express our joy in supporting the community we have called home for more than three decades. City of Norwich Brand Marketing Initiative DEFINING BEST USE OF RESOURCES Working SMART — Working SMART — When there are large market opportunities but limited funding, the most effective approach is to step back from broad-based messaging and to focus on specific opportunities where reach can be measured, goals are achievable, and opportunities are relevant. For the City of Norwich, five key pillars of the initiative were identified for a concentrated timeline of the second half of this fiscal year. In addition, all marketing investments were reviewed for secondary benefit/use. 5 Pillars — Maximize Maintain the Retain and Shift brand Using local opportunities momentum grow impression resources, presented at of growing established and increase create General food/brewery Norwich awareness testimonial Dynamics culture enterprises among videos to Electric Boat through through potential support through partnerships education, homeowners efforts and participation within outreach and as to the begin to at GDEB restaurant development. unique develop an sanctioned industry. property inventory of efforts. offerings in reusable Norwich. video products for years to follow. 1. Maximize Opportunities Related to General Dynamics Electric Boat PARTICIPATING IN LEADING THE WAY ON 5.29 On Wednesday, May 29, there will be a full-day event at the Mystic Marriott sponsored sponsored by the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) of New England, the Southeastern CT Enterprise Region (seCTer), and the Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD)] along with other community partners in coordination with General Dynamics Electric Boat. As of the date of this presentation, over 400 individuals from approximately 300 organizations from throughout New England have registered for an opportunity to meet with procurement personnel from seven divisions of General Dynamics. Norwich, as a high-profile participant and entry-level sponsor (currently the only town) will have access to these attendees through ad placement, sponsor credit, and booth display. (continued) While we can not predict all aspects of who will attend, we do know that it will be a highly qualified audience of potential suppliers with a predictable need for regional locations to service the demands of the New London/Groton sites. For a $2,500 sponsorship fee, the City of Norwich will receive: - Sponsorship credit on all materials - A high-profile event booth (booth materials estimated to be an additional $500) - Ad placement in event booklet and mention in event materials Along with other participants, the City also receive: - Access to a directory of the 400+ individuals and 300+ organizations participating in the event for follow- up communications. - Positive brand awareness among a group of influentials that will include members of congress, governor’s office, and more.  INDUSTRY ON THE RISE CITY ON THE RISE Photo: General Dynamics Photo: Barnberry Productions If you are looking for turnkey solutions or shovel-ready sites, see how Norwich, CT can give rise to your business. VISIT ASKNCDC.COM FOR DETAILS OR CALL BOB MILLS AT 860.887.6964 DRAFT AD AND POTENTIAL MESSAGING 5 Pillars — Maximize Maintain the Retain and Shift brand Using local opportunities momentum grow impression resources, presented at of growing established and increase create General food/brewery Norwich awareness testimonial Dynamics culture enterprises among videos to Electric Boat through through potential support through partnerships education, homeowners efforts and participation within outreach and as to the begin to at GDEB restaurant development. unique develop an sanctioned industry. property inventory of efforts. offerings in reusable Norwich. video products for years to follow. Budget: $3,000 Metrix: Lead captures 2. Engage Restaurants/Breweries Statewide GROW LEAD/DATABASE THROUGH INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS A vibrant food/beverage culture is an important quality of life issue, whether on an individual level or on an enterprise level when choosing a location (or relocation). Among the five marketing pillars is the logical goal of maintaining momentum in the development of our food/beverage business cluster here in Norwich. While it’s possible to purchase a list of restaurants from any mailing house broker, the truly valuable information — growth potential, operational effectiveness, reputation/ credibility requires informed partners to help define a curated lists of leads. To that end, the City of Norwich has joined the Connecticut Restaurant Association ($400), to establish a relationship not only with qualified members, but with the organization directly—becoming better informed about industry intelligence. (continued) This membership provides a series of benefits including access to the membership database, content placement on outbound emails, shared social media content, and other forms of marketing. In the coming months, through direct mail and email, we will be hosting an event (potentially in partnership with regional supply chain vendors) to showcase our community, available sites, incentives, and other unique selling propositions such as the increasing populations found at regional apartment centers. The SMART goal of this pillar will be the development of qualified leads (and an ongoing funnel of leads) among established/successful restaurateurs seeking new opportunities in the right locations. These leads will be fed to the team at NCDC for ongoing follow-up. 5 Pillars — Maximize Maintain the Retain and Shift brand Using local opportunities momentum grow impression resources, presented at of growing established and increase create General food/brewery Norwich awareness testimonial Dynamics culture enterprises among videos to Electric Boat through through potential support through partnerships education, homeowners efforts and participation within outreach and as to the begin to at GDEB restaurant development. unique develop an sanctioned industry. property inventory of efforts. offerings in reusable Norwich. video products for years to follow. Budget: $3,000 Budget: $5,000 Metrix: Lead Metrix: Lead captures dev; attendees 3. Retain and Grow Existing Enterprises INCREASE AWARENESS OF RESOURCES/RESPOND TO NEEDS While efforts are underway to pursue new opportunities, this plan, created by a Norwich- based enterprise, recognizes and includes efforts to support and grow established businesses, as well. Through consistent education and direct outreach, this pillar addresses the need to retain/grow those businesses that are current employers, rate-payers and taxpayers. Through a series of “Did you know?” fact sheets, delivered through direct distribution, email, Chamber partnerships, and free educational programs, the goal will be to anticipate/address needs, provide support, and inspire entrepreneurs to continue to re-invest in their Norwich-based enterprise. 5 Pillars — Maximize Maintain the Retain and Shift brand Using local opportunities momentum grow impression resources, presented at of growing established and increase create General food/brewery Norwich awareness testimonial Dynamics culture enterprises among videos to Electric Boat through through potential support through partnerships education, homeowners efforts and participation within outreach and as to the begin to at GDEB restaurant development. unique develop an sanctioned industry. property inventory of efforts. offerings in reusable Norwich. video products for years to follow. Budget: $3,000 Budget: $5,000 Budget: $2,000 Metrix: Lead Metrix: Lead dev; Metrix: Outreach, captures attendees Biz Retention 4. Shift Impression of Norwich Home Ownership GET MORE IN NORWICH (pending) CAMPAIGN Inspiration for this concept: Popular feature in this long- standing publication Through social media (Facebook) it’s possible to target the users of these apps by age, geographic location, and some aspects of their search history (i.e. spent time on Zillow). This pillar seeks to raise awareness of the unique properties available in Norwich (historic, mid-century modern, architecturally preserved, well-priced starter homes, etc.) by running “Get More House In Norwich” themed ads. Initially proposed as a featured property selected by the regional board of realtors, to avoid any compliance issues, the ads will now feature a rotating collage of sample homes and link to the realtor.com listings for Norwich. (continued) These ads will run “dark” on the City’s Facebook page, only visible as ads in the newsfeed of target profiles (for example, we can geographically target users within a certain radius of Electric Boat during the business day, and specifically not target existing Norwich residents) and via the ad tab. We will know, within days of placement, if the ads are getting traction and make adjustments accordingly. As a value-added benefit, the ads may increase total followers to the City of Norwich social media accounts and thereby allow us to more effectively communicate to target populations in the future. 5 Pillars — Maximize Maintain the Retain and Shift brand Using local opportunities momentum grow impression resources, presented at of growing established and increase create General food/brewery Norwich awareness testimonial Dynamics culture enterprises among videos to Electric Boat through through potential support through partnerships education, homeowners efforts and participation within outreach and as to the begin to at GDEB restaurant development. unique develop an sanctioned industry. property inventory of efforts. offerings in reusable Norwich. video products for years to follow. Budget: $3,000 Budget: $5,000 Budget: $2,000 Budget: $5,000 Metrix: Lead Metrix: Lead dev; Metrix: Outreach, Metrix: Click-thrus captures attendees Bz Retention 5. Develop Effective Marketing Materials RECORD 4 TESTIMONIAL VIDEOS RELATED TO SMART AD PILLARS Working with Barnberry Productions (Norwich), we will be producing four micro videos that will feature testimonials in the followings SMART areas: - Restaurant testimonials (filmed, in editing) - Funding/supportive business partners (pending) - Residential profiles (invited, pending) - Successful enterprises (pending) These videos will be used for outreach marketing (email), social media, and digital pre- load advertising where entrepreneurs engage on the internet. 5 Pillars — Maximize Maintain the Retain and Shift brand Using local opportunities momentum grow impression resources, presented at of growing established and increase create General food/brewery Norwich awareness testimonial Dynamics culture enterprises among videos to Electric Boat through through potential support through partnerships education, homeowners efforts and participation within outreach and as to the begin to at GDEB restaurant development. unique develop an sanctioned industry. property inventory of efforts. offerings in reusable Norwich. video products for years to follow. Budget: $3,000 Budget: $5,000 Budget: $2,000 Budget: $5,000 Budget: $5,000 Metrix: Lead Metrix: Lead dev; Metrix: Outreach, Metrix: Click-thrus Metrix: Video captures attendees Bz Retention Views Maximize Maintain the Retain and Shift brand Using local opportunities momentum grow impression resources, presented at of growing established and increase create General food/brewery Norwich awareness testimonial Dynamics culture enterprises among videos to Electric Boat through through potential support through partnerships education, homeowners efforts and participation within outreach and as to the begin to at GDEB restaurant development. unique develop an sanctioned industry. property inventory of efforts. offerings in reusable Norwich. video products for years to follow. Budget: $3,000 Budget: $5,000 Budget: $2,000 Budget: $5,000 Budget: $5,000 Metrix: Lead Metrix: Lead dev; Metrix: Outreach, Metrix: Click-thrus Metrix: Video captures attendees Bz Retention Views Subtotal Five Pillars: $20,000. Brand Mgt Services (Miranda Creative) $5,000. GRAND TOTAL $25,000 City of Norwich Brand Marketing Initiative CONTINUED TRANSPARENCY/ MEASUREMENTS AND NEXT STEPS As noted, every aspect of the plan has defined measurements that can be tracked, compiled, and shared with the City and the Council. In addition, every investment has secondary purposes/investments—such as the trade show booth system for the Electric Boat event, that will be reusable in other venues. Underway for a few months, most efforts will either be completed, initiated, or encumbered prior to the close of the fiscal year. Ongoing reporting will help the Council define what efforts should continue or be redirected for the 2019/2020 fiscal year. Questions? Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the plan and process.