20 - Request for Proposals for professional services to create a unified marketing program

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Item No. 20 TO: Mayor, Mayor Pro -Tem & City Council FROM: Grayson Path, City Manager Maureen Hammond, PEDC Director Paul Allen, LCCC Director SUBJECT: Unified Marketing Project DATE: October 25, 2021 BACKGROUND: In early 2021, Maureen Hammond approached Paul Allen and myself with a concept of developing a unified marketing program for the Paris Economic Development Corporation (PEDC), Lamar County Chamber of Commerce (LCCC) and the City of Paris. In our experience, we agreed that when developers and interested parties see a unified approach by our three entities, it tells them from the beginning that we are on the same page. A unified marketing project would include unified logos, messaging and marketing strategies. These can still be customized for each entity, but they share unified elements that link all three entities together. This will greatly assist us when it comes to marketing for primary and secondary jobs. It also helps show internally and externally that our three entities are indeed working in the same direction. While we have unique charges to fulfill, all three entities align for the purpose of making Paris and Lamar County a great place to live, work, play and do business. It is important not to think of this as a traditional "rebranding" where we create something new and perhaps foreign to us, but rather uncovering more about who we are as a community, what makes us great, and bringing that to the forefront. To assist us with gathering ideas for taking on such a project, we traveled to Denison, TX who took on this project several years ago where all three entities went in together and developed their unified marketing and messaging. They feel that it has greatly helped in their economic development as well as bringing the three entities closer to one another.