First things first … defining a brand strategy

What makes BID branding unique?

BIDs walk an extremely fine line between branding their district as a place to visit or shop versus branding their organization. Unlike shopping centers and malls whose management entities are largely invisible to the public, BIDs must strike a delicate balance as quasi-governmental organizations established through the City’s Urban Land Use Review Process (ULURP) and ultimately by a vote of the City Council. BID leaders are acutely aware that they are subject to the input of elected leaders and city officials in addition to their assessment-paying members. This makes the question of what to brand and who to brand for a very loaded question – one that BID leadership must determine before moving ahead with a branding effort.

Generally, there are two elements that can be branded, the district and the organization. These can be branded separately (ideally with a shared language and identity) or together under a single logo and name. B2C (Business to Consumer) branding is often used to brand a place and raise its profile and identity in the public consciousness. A B2C brand is all about the consumer — it is used to increase visitation and spending by raising awareness of the district’s offerings with residents, visitors, students, and office workers. Consumers may not be aware, nor do they necessarily need to be, of the behind-the-scenes administrative apparatus (i.e., the BID) that is at work continually improving the overall visitor experience.

Another kind of BID branding is B2B (Business to Business) branding. Unlike consumer-facing branding and marketing, the focus of a B2B brand is to raise awareness of the BID itself to businesses, property owners, residents and public sector stakeholders. The goal here is often focused on ensuring that those who pay for the assessment attribute the positive impacts of BID activities to the organization. This organizational visibility is important to ensure that a BID is recognized for its good work and this is particularly important for small- and medium-sized BIDs whose budgets are often augmented by resources and support from elected officials and public sector agencies.

BID Branding in Practice

Brands that Do Double Duty

Consumer-Facing Brands

A bit closer to home, the Meatpacking District is an example of B2C branding. When a visitor lands on the website, the emphasis is on ​“Meatpacking” with a landing page that includes Instagram links about businesses and events for the public. At first glance, there is little outward indication that there is an organization working behind the scenes. Instead, users must look further into the website to find a dedicated page that describes the BID as an organization.

Business-Facing Brands

In contrast, the Long Island City Partnership takes a marketing approach that is clearly B2B in focus, with an emphasis on providing businesses and investors with information to inform their decision-making processes. This reflects the different priorities each of these BIDs have and how those priorities influence what they are trying to accomplish with brand expression.

BID Brand Examples Summarized

A BID’s B2C or B2B visual and messaging assets are often deployed across a variety of places and spaces, from the built environment to print and digital media. A BID’s B2C brand may be used on street furniture (e.g., light pole banners, wraparound decals for trash cans, benches, planters), storefront window decals, parade signs, murals, and digital marketing (e.g., website, newsletters advertisement banners, social media). In contrast, a B2B brand might be more appropriate for print materials such as brochures and annual district reports that are aimed at informing members and/or attracting new tenants and investors to the district.

• Identify your Branding Needs – determine what elements of a brand identity you wish to develop as part of your efforts. A professional branding firm can develop elements for you following outreach and research into the target audience to ensure alignment of the deliverables with established goals. Typically, a branding exercise will include the following:
  • Visual Elements, such as
    Logo: a BID logo is a visual representation of the district that is memorable, recognizable, and aligned with the district’s identity and values. It should be designed in a way that communicates the district’s purpose, goals, and authentic offerings.
    Color Palette: a set of colors that are used consistently across all marketing materials and communications. The colors should represent the district’s identity, experience, and personality.
    Typography: these are the fonts and typefaces used in the branding materials. They should be legible and consistent across all materials and aligned with the district’s visual identity.
    Imagery: these are the photographs, illustrations, and other graphics used in the branding materials. These should be high-quality and relevant to the district’s identity and values.
  • Messaging Elements, such as
    Tone
    Messages
    Taglines
  • Brand Guidelines: Written summary of brand identity and messaging to ensure consistency across marketing materials and communications
    
  • Implementation
    Print or Digital Campaigns
    Website
• Set Aside a Budget – the costs of creating a brand for a BID is variable and dependent on many factors, such as the scope of the project, the level of complexity of the visual and messaging elements, and the implementation items included, such as a campaign or associated website. (You can download a budget template that can be adjusted for your needs.) However, some typical cost ranges include:

• Engage a branding partner
  • Research and shortlist branding firms with experience in BID branding. Shortlist three to five branding firms that seem to be a good fit. This list might also include community colleges and visual arts students from local colleges or universities to keep costs down.
  • Request proposals. Provide each potential branding partner with a detailed brief that outlines your established branding needs, goals, and target audiences. Provide them with a budget and timeline.
  • Review and evaluate proposals based on factors such as approach, methodology, expertise, creativity, and cost. Schedule interviews with the top two or three firms to discuss their proposal in more detail and ask questions. Then select one and get started.