3 keys to sustainable arts-based community and economic development. Part 1: Branding
Good news for artists and other cultural professionals: More Union County towns want you. In the past decade, North Jersey communities as diverse as Cranford, Linden, Rahway and Woodbridge have developed plans to build the creative sector.
But what’s good for artists and cultural organizations may be challenging for the communities. When too many places too close together try to attract the same kind of enterprises, a few are going to succeed and some are going to spend too much for too few results. New Jersey communities have a history of competing against each other for the same businesses, so we shouldn’t be surprised if Union County towns do the same with the arts.
How then can communities that are within 10 to 20 minutes drive of one another maximize their return on investment? Through branding, collaboration and regional marketing.
In the first part of this three-part series, we will look at the importance of branding for communities.
Branding
Branding is the art of convincing customers that you bring a value to them that is different from others they consider to be similar. It is what allows different colas, hardware stores, and other products and businesses to stand in some cases side-to-side and still be profitable. Neither The Coca-Cola Company nor Pepsi Co simply promote the taste of their best-known soft drinks. Coca-Cola promotes the idea that its namesake product is connected with fun, refreshment and tradition (such as in their Christmas advertisements.) Pepsi is branded to be connected with youth and energy.
Luckily for Union County (and New Jersey) municipalities , “the arts” is such a large and diverse concept that there might be no end to brand niches. Some municipalities could be craft centers, while others can be destinations for performing arts. Some could orient themselves to young hipsters, while others could attract mature learners. Each town would do best to build on its existing assets and conditions.
There are many ways to create a distinct niche. Consider the hundreds of possible niches by focusing on a type of arts, customer and place experience (ethnic urban or leafy suburban).
Diverse cities like Elizabeth and Linden are in a better position to attract arts activities that are more “ethnic” or “urban,” while the tony suburbs of Summit and Westfield can more easily focus on the kind of art that is sold to wealthy collectors and expensive museums. In this scenario, Summit and Westfield would find it more challenging to replicate Elizabeth and Linden, and vice-versa.
Of course, a municipality can’t tell artists what to do or where to locate. (Don’t even try.) But when a municipality brands its arts niche, it will attract more artists, organizations and visitors. They in turn will attract other types of businesses, such as restaurants and small stores. If zoning and housing supply allow, more artists and some visitors will want to live in or near the arts district, making a community more likely to attract community-oriented businesses, such as groceries, bakeries, and services.
One of the best idea books for branding places is Rhonda Phillips’ Concept Marketing for Communities. In this short book, Dr. Phillips gives examples of the many ways communities can create more distinctive images. (Full disclosure: Rhonda Phillips teaches in the Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program.)
For more information:
The Leading Institute provides training and learning in strategic communications, a cornerstone skill in marketing. For more information, please visit The Leading Institute website
The Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program offers a number of Deep Learning courses and Learning Labs on communications, branding, and business development. These include:
*Who do They Think You Are: Branding for Planning, Design and Development Firms (Learning Lab)
*Concept Marketing for Communities (Learning Lab)
*Business Development for Planners (BOCEP Deep Learning)
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