On Tuesday, December 9 the City of Petersburg launched their new branding campaign to City Council and the community with a presentation of the new logo, I AM PETERSBURG ®. Johnson, Inc., a Richmond-based full-service marketing and communications firm, contracted to develop a comprehensive branding campaign for the City, made the presentation.
Mayor and City Council charged the City Manager to reach the goal of rebranding and improving the perceptions of the City of Petersburg. “The purpose of the campaign is to change the current perceptions of the City, strengthen the sense of pride among stakeholders and enhance economic vitality,” comments William E. Johnson, III, City Manager.
Johnson, Inc. conducted online surveys, focus groups, community intercepts, in-depth interviews and town hall meetings to gather input from over 900 residents, visitors, business owners and community leaders. Two recurring themes from the findings were a deep sense of personal ownership, investment and pride in the City, and a consistent belief in Petersburg’s future potential. Opportunities and challenges for the City were also addressed. Leveraging these findings, Johnson, Inc. developed an integrated multi-platform campaign titled: I AM PETERSBURG ®.
The I AM PETERSBURG ® campaign creates a city-wide platform for Petersburg to showcase its many places of interest, activities and events, while serving as the ultimate form of self-expression and connectivity for its diverse citizens. The I AM PETERSBURG ® brand will instill a sense of collective community pride, drive tourism and serve to bring economic vitality to the City by driving new business. I AM PETERSBURG ® is an open source brand, meaning the brand will be made available for use by the City and all its stakeholders. Colors and placement of the brand can be customized by residents, visitors and the business community.
An Activation Team comprised of select leaders from the City, business sector and the community at-large will manage the release and usage of the brand. I AM PETERSBURG ® will be promoted locally and regionally through traditional and non-traditional media as well as grassroots initiatives.