City of Wheat Ridge Branding/Identity Project
Case Study
Background
The City of Wheat Ridge – a suburb to the west of Denver, Colorado – had a population of approximately 31,000 in 2006. Founded as a farming community in 1859, Wheat Ridge supported Denver and mining communities in the nearby Rocky Mountains. Wheat Ridge did not incorporate until 1969, when it was faced with imminent annexation by surrounding cities.
During the past several decades, Wheat Ridge’s surrounding neighbors have successfully positioned themselves as destination cities; friendly to business, visitors and families alike. This positioning helped them reap social and economic benefits. Unfortunately, Wheat Ridge was left behind.
Making the disparity worse, the lack of a proactive identity and absence of a positive image left the impression among outsiders that Wheat Ridge was run down; not a place one would like to visit – much less call home.
Client Challenge
Faced with the challenge of keeping pace with neighboring destination communities, the City of Wheat Ridge questioned how it might become more proactive in its positioning. How could the city encourage economic growth without alienating long-time residents who resisted change? How might this positioning support a wide-range of programs and initiatives designed to attract business, families and visitors from across the Front Range?
As one of the first of many steps, Wheat Ridge City Council made it a top priority to develop and implement a new marketing logo and brand identity in 2007. Their goal was to create a consistent and cost-effective brand identity that would unify all of the city’s entities and organizations, highlight the community’s rich history, showcase Wheat Ridge’s distinctive values and vision, and reinvent their community in a positive light to attract residents all along the Front Range.
That’s where CIG came in.
CIG Solution
CIG recognized that addressing decades of brand neglect would require a great deal of effort. Not the least of our concerns was reaching out to the community’s “old guard,” who were deeply entrenched and very resistant to change. To counter these concerns, CIG engaged the community through outreach, education and input gathering.
One-on-one interviews with a range of stakeholders including City staff, community leaders, business owners, residents, City Council and other elected officials allowed CIG team members to become experts on the community’s history, the public’s existing perception and the City’s shared vision for the future.
In addition, CIG invited members of the community to take an online survey to share their opinions about the City’s past, present and future.
Finally, CIG hosted a public meeting where residents were invited to learn more about the process and share their opinions about the developing community branding campaign.
By working closely with all stakeholder groups and communicating effectively, the brand identity CIG created was adopted by City Council. In comments prior to the vote, council members agreed the design clearly communicated the community’s shared vision and future goals, as well as its rich history and pride.
The new brand and identity have been a success, with 70 percent of the public agreeing that the new city identity represents the City of Wheat Ridge as a positive, progressive community.
