HP Close to Hiring Branding Specialist

The city of Highland Park could have a branding specialist in place by the end of the month.

According to Carolyn Hersch, the city’s business development coordinator, three individuals were interviewed for the position in February, with one being “in negotiations” with the city, which hopes to receive approval from the City Council on a contract at its March 23 meeting.

“We’re hoping to have someone in by March 30,” said Hersch, who noted $137,000 has been budgeted for the specialist to come up with a branding plan and strategy.

The need for a branding specialist, Hersch said, dates back to 2012 when the city’s business and economic development commission presented documentation to the council that the city lacks a strong brand and is behind its competition in that regard.

North Star Destination Strategies was hired at first, providing services such as the design of the city’s current logo and “all the deliverables,” Hersch said.

The next step, which takes us to the current time, is the “implementation and management” of the Highland Park brand.

“The brand is who we are - it has to be something authentic and unique - what we say about ourselves,” Hersch said.

The new specialist will first perform an inventory of Highland Park’s assets, such as what the city is doing now to promote itself, co-branding the nine business districts in addition to community organizations and sister governments.

“We’ll need a visual language plan - a list of what words we’ll use when we refer to ourselves,” Hersch added.

Once that is done, the specialist will train city staff and others on “how to be brand ambassadors” and the utilize it in a way where “we are communicating a consistent and clear message.”

When the planning is complete, the specialist is to purchase media for the city by 2016 and continue to manage the brand thereafter at a rate that will be budgeted differently on a yearly basis.