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Clearwater Wants to Be Branded

Clearwater | Pinellas News | Pinellas County

Clearwater officials are asking residents to fill out a survey by Feb. 27 to help develop a “brand,” or competitive identity for the city.

CLEARWATER – A brand is just a logo, right? Nope. A slogan? Not really. A brand is far more than either of those. And everyone, every product, and every community has a brand. A brand is Clearwater’s competitive identity – not just what local residents think, but what others think about the Clearwater experience. Branding is what is done to manage the conversations that people are already having about Clearwater, officials say. An honest, relevant, clearly and cleverly articulated brand can elevate the regard that residents, visitors, and business prospects have for the area.

A brand is not created; it is discovered within the spirit of a place. It comes from the history, the culture, the geography and the society of the place – as such it is an accurate reflection of the genius and the will of the people, Clearwater officials say. Using qualitative and quantitative research tools will let officials attain a thorough understanding of Clearwater’s values, assets and priorities, which can then be articulated as the city’s “brand.”

The city’s goal is to produce a cohesive message and consistent feel with elements and tools that can be easily incorporated for use by businesses, government, residents, tourism, and community groups. Ideally, the brand should preserve the unique identity of the past, but look towards the future. An effective integrated brand contributes to a stronger economic base, higher property values, diverse and sustainable employers, visitor attraction, and citizen retention, city officials say.

As part of their efforts, officials want residents to fill out an online survey to share their opinion about Clearwater. The survey, they say, will help focus efforts by understanding how residents perceive Clearwater as a place to live, visit or conduct business. To fill out the survey, go to  surveymonkey.com/s/ClearwaterCS by Feb. 27.

The survey is being conducted by Clearwater and North Star Destination Strategies of Nashville, TN, a national company that helps in community branding. Learn more about North Star at northstarideas.com.

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