How to use this guide – think of it like a cookbook!
This guide offers BID practitioners insight into how a brand is developed and applied within the BID context. It also includes easy-to-follow “recipes” for measuring the impact and effectiveness of a BID’s branding efforts, defining a BID’s branding needs, and engaging a qualified branding consultant. Each recipe is designed to offer BID practitioners a step-by-step set of actions, together with an understanding of key implementation details, including level of difficulty, magnitude of cost, lead time, and necessary partners.
The Recipes
Key Definitions and Ideas
Brand – An identity assigned to a product, service, place, or experience
Brand Equity – The value of the public’s brand awareness, positive perception, and loyalty
Brand Positioning – The unique value a brand presents to its target audiences. In the case of BIDs positioning, determines whether a brand is consumer- or business-facing.
Core Image – Images that communicate positive brand attributes
Core Messages – Key messages communicated to the public
Core Personality – Human characteristics associated with the brand
Target Audience – The desired users, visitors, stakeholders, and community
B2B – Business to Business
B2C – Business to Consumer
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.
Downtown NOLA versus Downtown Development District
B2C branding example
B2B branding example
BID Branding in Practice
Brands that Do Double Duty
Some brands try to split the difference between B2B and B2C branding by creating a single visual identity, using both a logo and name that doubles as an identity for both the district and the organization. Center City District in Philadelphia is an example of a visual identity that does double duty as both an organizational identity and emphasizing a place. Most downtown visitors who see the district’s logo and name on street furniture and signs are unaware of the organization that exists behind –the scenes. The name “Center City District” does not necessarily suggest an organization, but rather a place.
The Hollywood Partnership is another example of a logo and visual identity that does double duty. In this case, the organization is called “The Hollywood Partnership”, which clearly identifies it as an organization, rather than a place. Yet the standalone logo, which is used on street furniture and staff uniforms, creates an impression tied to Hollywood as a place, not just an organization.
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.
Examples of B2C brand goals – target audiences are residents, visitors, and consumers
Retain existing and attract new visitors
Support increased spending in local businesses
Build brand awareness and set an experience expectation for the consumer
Boost credibility and trust
Examples of B2B brand goals – target audiences are rate payers, businesses, and investors
Attract more businesses and investors
Differentiate your district from other districts as a place to conduct business
Build brand awareness
Build trust and credibility with potential tenants and investors
- 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
- Visual Elements, such as
- 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.
-
Milwaukee Downtown Business Improvement District #21 (BID #21) was established in 1998 to support the interests of the downtown Milwaukee business community. BID #21 funds a wide variety of initiatives and programs aimed at creating a clean, safe, friendly, and economically thriving downtown neighborhood for all to enjoy. Milwaukee Downtown currently manages approximately 150 downtown city blocks representing over 400 commercial property owners.
Project Objective and Overview from RFP
The 10,000 square-foot mural in the center of the historic Schlitz Park campus is visible to 4,000 daily Schlitz Park employees and countless Milwaukeeans across downtown and along the Milwaukee River.
The new mural on the Powerhouse wall is an integral piece in Crestlight and TPG’s plan to not only invest money but fully embrace the rich history of Schlitz Park and celebrate the legacy that gives so many Wisconsinites nostalgia for being on campus. The mural will not only be a statement for Schlitz Park but a narrative for Milwaukee.
Tips for Turning a District’s Brand into Public Art
Public art is a wonderful element of placemaking and a potential inspiration for place branding. If there is existing public art in a district, BID practitioners may decide they want to incorporate it into their brand identity.
- Create a BID brand that embraces and highlights the public art in the neighborhood but maintains its own identity that can be evergreen.
For example, pole banners with pictures of neighborhood public art with the BID’s logo and/or design elements. Please note, maintaining a distinction between the BID’s brand and the artist’s work is important as there may be instances when artists or their work are no longer accessible, appropriate, or open to partnership.
Be diligent in understanding and renewing licensing and copyright agreements with the artists whose work you may showcase in the district.
Communicate with property owners and developers in the district about the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) which provides certain artists rights over work even if it is not their property.
Public art and brand identity can also work in the opposite direction. If practitioners have developed a brand identity that hinges on creativity and innovation, they may turn to public art in the neighborhood to reinforce that concept.
When recruiting artists for new public art projects in the district, keep the district’s brand, vision, and messaging at the forefront of the RFP/conversation.
- Work with artists on the development of works that would complement the district’s brand identity for seamless integration into the website, marketing materials, etc.
For example, consider the palette of the artwork and how that may work with the brand’s existing color family.
Resources
- ICSC Guide to Improving Tenant Mix
- Storefront Activation Toolkit prepared for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Rapid Recovery Program, 2020
- The CultureHouse Handbook: How to Create a Pop-Up Community Space
- Shopify What is a Pop-Up Shop and How to Set Up one
- Musicant Group Toolkit for Activating Storefronts
Acknowledgements
Authored by
-
Larisa Ortiz
Streetsense, Managing Director, Public Non Profit Solutions
-
Emily Morin
Streetsense, Research Analyst
This checklist and the BID Toolkits were developed thanks to generous support from the NYC Department of Small Business Services and The Association for a Better New York (ABNY).
Funded By
Produced With
Related Reports
466