Live Outside The Ordinary proposed as new city slogan
Live Outside The Ordinary has been proposed as the city’s new slogan.
City councillors heard it for the first time Monday night as Gillian Hill and Klint Davies of city-based marketing company BrandHealth updated them on the process to replace the city’s current slogan of Peterborough – It’s a Natural as part of rebranding efforts.
It’s the second kick at the can, after widespread public criticism of Peterborough – Where Roads and Rivers Meet was suggested to councillors in late July.
The latest proposal comes after BrandHealth worked with four parameters, Hill said. The slogan had to be clear and simple, capture the spirit of the community, have an optimistic, warm tone and convey the message that Peterborough has momentum and opportunity, she said.
The slogan was introduced by way of a manifesto played in an audio clip. The narrator explained, for example, that “ordinary” is communiting to work, or seeing people on the street and not recognizing them. It’s boring, uninspiring and exhausting – things Peterborough are not.
The city is, however, where the lines are blurred between urban centre and the great outdoors, where families grow, businesses thrive and people actually smile at you, the narrator said.
Coun. Dan McWilliams said he liked it. “It sort of brings out everything we want to say about it .. it’s got a ring to it. It may work.”
Coun. Gary Baldwin said he likes it too, but pointed out that he liked the last one as well. “It is shorter. You’ve gone from five words to four.”
Mayor Daryl Bennett thanked Hill and Davies for their efforts before joking that the slogan’s acronym “LOTO” could lead to national recognition.
Peterborough director of corporate services Sandra Clancy said staff are excited about how the effort is taking shape, but asked council to “stick with them” until a more complete package is ready.
BrandHealth was hired to develop a new brand for Peterboroughy to attract people to invest in the city and to move here.
The city is paying the company $77,000 for the exercise, which includes coming up with a tagline, logo, colours and a guidebook explaining how to use the new branding in all promotional material related to the city.
A city staff report states that 900 citizens filled out an online survey about the previous proposal and both City Hall and BrandHealth got plenty of phone calls.
“The theme of most of the feedback recommended that the tagline should better capture the spirit of the community in a more optimist tone, and convey that Peterborough has momentum and opportunity,” the report states.