IMAGINE ORILLIA

A BRANDING AND WAYFINDING PROJECT FOR THE CITY OF ORILLIA

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Slide 1: Imagine Orillia – A branding and wayfinding project for the city of Orillia

Slide 2: Content

This presentation will introduce you to Imagine – Orillia a branding and wayfinding project for the City of Orillia.

It will cover the outstanding opportunities that this program represents c for Orillia, what ity branding includes, and also how to go about it.

It will also re featu a fair amount of detail c about publi participation throughout process, the and what deliverables Orillia will receive as an end result.

Slide 3: About Argyle Communications

Argyle Communications is honoured to be working with the City p of Orillia to hel shap e a branding and wayfinding strategy .

Argyle is an award-­‐winning full -­‐service Canadian public relations, communications and branding consultancy. We have extensive experience working with municipalities and civic organizations. In the last three rs yea alone our team has worked in various roles with the cities of Mississauga, Kingston, Brampton and Guelph as well as Halton region.

Slide 4: Orillia’s opportunity

Slide 5: City branding – Orillia’s opportunity

Today, cities and urban regions compete for attention, investment, visitors, shoppers, talent, events, and more. Due to globalization, the main competition is no longer the municipality down the road or city across the lake. Instead, mobile ay capital tod means you are competing with cities in other provinces, across the border, sometimes even with entire economic regions halfway around the world.

Our approach will aim to equip Orillia with the branding tools necessary to compete favourably in this global theater.

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Slide 6: Some fundamental brand questions

This repositioning process allows us to ask some questions. Some of the questions we need to consider include:

• What does/should Orillia mean to the “world”? • Is Orillia different or unique, and how? • What kind of city does Orillia want to strive be? • What does Orillia want to look like? • Why should anyone want to work, live, invest in, or visit Orillia? • How can people find or discover Orillia? What is special about Orillia? • What are the Orillia things needs to do now? • What does Orillia need to keep doing to ensure a better more prosperous future for its citizens?

Slide 7: Logo confusion

This program also presents an opportunity to do a bit of brand “house ”. cleaning Almost every organization that is at its core decentralized, eventually experiences a proliferation of brands that then needs to be reined in.

Slide 8: The value of knowing how to get there

A key to successful city branding is good signage and wayfinding planning, design and execution. Designing spaces and cues to help people find their way to key points of interest helps cities deliver on their brand promise.

So we need to ask some important questions:

• When you travel to and within Orillia, how do you find your way around? • Do you look for signage? • Is Orillia’s wayfinding and signage system the best it can be?

We will be taking a close look at as wayfinding and signage part of this process.

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Slide 9: The road we have travelled

We are here because of a succession of initiatives, studies and reports conducted by various departments and organizations over time. All of these parties have varying mandates, but all conclude that the Orillia brand must be managed in a more optimal way.

This is our opportunity to validate this work.

It can be said e that th present initiatives go back to work that began in the 90s through . to 2010 Some of these initiatives include Orillia’s Strategic Plan, the marketing and communications recommendations of the Orillia Economic Development Office, and more recently Downtown omorrow T , and the key insights from the First Impressions Community Exchange rogram P , to name just a few.

Slide 10: The road we have travelled

Because of this, we can confidently move forward with a purposeful brand positioning program that will look to shape the brand identity of the city and that will be supported -­‐ at the local level with a well considered wayfinding and identification lan. signage p

Slide 11: City branding – An expression of pride

Slide 12: What is a brand?

Let us begin with determining what we mean by brand. Quite simply, it’s a story or a certain idea people have of you.

Since it is an idea, it lives in the minds of others. Like any idea it is most likely supported by either certain functional attributes or simply by an impression, and since it exists in the minds of others, you are not entirely in control of it.

That’s where branding comes into play. Branding is the process and discipline of shaping this idea or story toward a favourable impression or outcome.

Slide 13: A good brand can improve economic activity and stimulate growth

From an economic development perspective, the chief randing aim of city b is to and/or improve stimulate growth and economic activity.

The three key principles on which these programs must be founded are:

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1. Focus. It is important to arrive at a statement of common purpose and to not try be all things to all people. That’s the biggest challenge for any city. 2. Authenticity. You also cannot over-­‐reach. You must be honest about your capabilities and not claim to be something you are not. Play to your strengths, not someone else’s. 3. Consistency. It is important to be consistent in how you appear and how you present yourself, in what you say and in how you behave, and also in ensuring that you are consistent in your communications.

Slide 14: How branding applies to cities:

Branding programs help also to address fundamental issues for such cities, as:

Community identity, how does Orillia identify itself and how do others identify Orillia? This is about perception versus reality.

A community’s cultural values, or what defines you.

Its collective capabilities, such as institutionally, astructure infr and human resources.

Its credibility. Are you as good as you say you are? Do you keep your word?

Slide 15: How branding applies to cities:

There can be multiple benefits to the City of Orillia and to the community from undertaking a responsible and dedicated brand positioning program.

A strategic branding program aims to drive awareness of the city and highlight its unique value to a variety of audiences.

A positive and focused brand will make it easier for Orillia to be selected in any competitive setting because it will be seen in a positive light and have good qualities and benefits.

The brand can be a catalyst for leaders, businesses and citizens to exert greater influence at the regional level:

• Helping with awards and grants • Helping attract talent • Encouraging investments and promoting employment opportunities • Helping win bids to host events and conferences, and more.

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Slide 16: How cities get their brand

Can you identify the strong brands of some of these international cities?

• Milan is often associated with fashion. • Paris brings to mind romance. • New York is known for business, while Los Angeles is known for movies. • Rome is known for history. • Las Vegas is known for gambling. • Here in Canada, Toronto is known for diversity. • What is Orillia known for? This is to be determined.

Slide 17: Imagine Orillia – The process

Slide 18: Process

Pictured is a schematic of the process we will follow.

The first phase is education. In this phase we want to inform people about branding, its benefits for cities, the Imagine Orillia process, and how people can get involved in Imagine Orillia.

Next is public engagement. The purpose of public engagement views is to collect and opinions as part of the research process. The fact is that public participation improves decisions. Our goal is to extend people the respect they are owed, and ask for their input and opinion in this process.

Following this stage, we will develop the positioning and branding strategy that will help us create a visual identity and messaging options. This strategy will lead directly to a Brand Communications Plan.

Our wayfinding work take will place throughout the process. It will also be affected by the identity visual direction.

Finally, we will deliver the elements of the brand : identity from logo refinement or design to taglines and more.

Slide 19: Imagine Orillia – Public engagement

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Slide 20: Pu blic and stakeholder engagement:

Public and stakeholder engagement will provide a means considering for the public’s values, interests and needs into decisions that affect their lives within the . City We hope encourage to the public to provide meaningful nput i into the process.

Argyle will use a blend of research methodologies, qualitative including research such as focus groups and interviews to gauge impressions and attitudes. We will also use quantitative research in the form of a public survey.

We will provide independent , third-­‐party facilitation and tools to make sure we are evaluating the feedback objectively, and will provide multiple ways and opportunities for people to get involved.

Slide 21: Why get involved?

What are some of ons the reas for people to get Imagine involved in Orillia ?

Public i nput can provide early warnings for public concerns and needs, a broader set of perspectives and considerations, and a clearer standing under of why this is needed.

Ultimately, the main reason to get involved may be that everyone can potentially benefit from a more prosperous city and see in an upturn opportunities, tourism and local economic activity.

Slide 22: Public engagement plan

For these reasons, public engagement will be significant to the process.

As this timeline indicates, we plan on providing multiple opportunities for ipation public partic throughout the process.

Starting in early July, we will launch a -­‐ web based survey. The City will promote public participation in the survey and take to social media to help spread the word.

In the first week of September, conduct we will focus groups and roundtable meetings to engage residents, stakeholders and City representatives directly.

Slide 23: Imagine Orillia – Deliverables

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Slide 24: Brand communication plan

A key deliverable in this process will be a comprehensive communications plan, where we will provide an analysis of the research and consultation phase findings and a summary of recommendations. This plan will also feature an implementation plan for including these recommendations activities, timelines and budget estimates.

Slide 25: Wayfinding plan

We will develop a signage and wayfinding plan that will feature an audit and inventory of the current system. This will include an analysis of needs and opportunities for signage at various entry points.

Creative design directions for wayfinding and highway entrance signage will also be provided. B ased on approved design direction, preliminary tendering documentation for high-­‐level budgeting will be drafted.

Slide 26: New or refreshed visual identity

A new visual identity will be developed. This could result in either a new or a refreshed logo, and an identity system that reflects the structure . of the city

Guidelines for implementation of the visual for identity a variety of standard communications materials will also be developed.

Slide 27: N ew tagline and unique value proposition

Finally, a clear and consistent expression of the value and promise the City of Orillia makes to its various stakeholders and residents, both internally and externally will be created.

This may be expressed directly through a tagline and/or as key marketing messages directed at specific audiences.

Slide 28: Three questions to get us started

1. What is it that makes to you proud liv e, work and/or play in Orillia? 2. What makes Orillia different than other cities? What characteristics are uniquely ours? 3. When it comes to welcoming business, visitors and new residents to the City of Orillia, what do we do – well and what could we do better?

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Slide 29: Get involved!

In order to e ncourage public engagement and participation, the team in Orillia has set up a project website at orillia.ca/branding to inform community the and provide project updates.

Please follow #ImagineOrillia on Twitter and look for regular updates on the City of Orillia Facebook page. We will announce updates to the project on the media website and in social throughout the summer.

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