City Officials: Branding Effort Will Help Local Economy

The city has announced a three-day "branding project" to develop Albany's image with help from the public and from a South Carolina-based firm that specializes in city marketing programs.

There will be three meetings in early May, including two community roundtable events, along with a marketing "reveal."

Officials say branding has a variety of benefits, from attracting more businesses and visitors to the city to making it easier to market Albany with a "palette of logos, " and design templates, according to a list of frequently asked questions attached as a PDF to the right. 

The FAQ does not include a price tag for the effort, which will be spearheaded by Arnett Muldrow & Associates of South Carolina. It did specify that the money will come from redevelopment funds available in this current fiscal year," rather than the general fund, which supports city services.

According to the city, "Community branding is much more than a tagline, a logo, or an image. It ... is an exercise the community goes through to explore what makes it truly unique and marketable."

The city said the branding project is the latest in a series of efforts, from Voices to Vision to community surveys, internal mission and goal development, with an eye on "identity building."

At least one Albany resident has criticized the effort on multiple fronts. Christina Van Horn wrote, in a letter to the editor on Albany Patch, that the choice of an out-of-state company to lead the effort hardly supports local business. 

"The second and equally salient issue is, Why does Albany need a brand? How many cities pay to brand themselves? We either have an identity or we don’t," she wrote.

Two city meetings will take place on May 2 at . At 6 p.m. there will be a , and at 7:30 p.m., the item will be part of the regular City Council meeting.

On May 3, there will be two meetings for various groups:

• 10 a.m.: Community groups and members of the public (City Hall)
• 2:30 p.m.: Merchants, Realtors, property owners (Chamber of Commerce)

Design concepts will be on May 4 from 1 to 3 p.m., after an 8 a.m. "early bird" session that day at the  for merchants, Realtors, property owners and other early risers. 

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email her at emilier@patch.com.