Let the pros do their thing ... it’s a natural
OK, so Where Roads and Rivers Meet wasn’t an inspiring attempt at Peterborough’s new tagline. After paying $77,000 to a local company that has won international awards for its marketing and branding campaigns, city council considered that offering and sent the firm back to the drawing board.
Councillors were at best lukewarm about identifying the city as the confluence of asphalt and water and the tagline did no better when put out for public review. Roughly 900 people responded and were mostly unimpressed.
BrandHealth has now presented Tagline 2.0: Live Outside the Ordinary.
This time council didn’t wait for an official public response. Negative chatter on social media, talk in the street and their own gut feelings led to a quick second rejection.
It appears a majority of councillors are ready to stick with the old tagline, Peterborough – It’s a Natural, or tweak it a bit.
That would be a mistake.
Peterborough – It’s a Natural is safe and comfortable. That’s why council agreed to replace it with something new and more energetic. Giving up now would be ... giving up. What kind of message does that send?
Maybe councillors weren’t aware there would be opposition to any proposal, especially on social media platforms where a high degree of negative reaction from self-styled experts is the norm.
The original “Roads and Rivers” concept apparently drew some thoughtful comments. According to a city staff report people wanted something that more clearly defined the city as a place of optimism, momentum and opportunity.
BrandHealth took that to heart. Live Outside the Ordinary suggests both a call to action and a challenge to improve. It is active, not descriptive.
The city of Calgary had a similar branding experience a few years ago. No longer content with an old, descriptive tagline, Heart of the New West, the city hired a firm that came up with Be Part of the Energy as a replacement.
In a poll, 65 per cent of Calgarians said they preferred the old tagline. The city stuck with its experts, who had an overarching plan for a promotional package built around the new slogan.
That’s also the plan here. A total package of tagline, colour scheme, logo and promotional and marketing materials is expected to cost more than $300,000, with the tagline as the key component.
Asking for one tagline redo was fine and this second effort is an improvement. Now let the professionals get on with their job of defining Peterborough as a place where anyone can Live Outside the Ordinary.