Greater Lafayette rolls out new brand, part of a $500K project to attract businesses

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LAFAYETTE – Greater Lafayette on Monday embraced a new brand, introducing a look aimed at attracting new residents and businesses to the area and further sharing the stories of the people and companies that call this region home. 

The Greater Lafayette Marketing Coalition — comprised of the Lafayette, West Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Visit Lafayette-West Lafayette, Purdue University, Purdue Research Foundation and Greater Lafayette Commerce — began work on the new brand in 2018.

The campaign kicked off Monday through an event culminating at the Long Center for Performing Arts  in downtown Lafayette, with the brand officially rolling out to the community Tuesday.

The goal of the new brand is to encourage talent attraction and economic development in Greater Lafayette through marketing and talent campaigns that will bring new people and businesses to the area, Michelle Brantley, marketing director and brand manager for Greater Lafayette Commerce, said.

“There are a lot of positive things happening in Greater Lafayette, and this is how we tell our own story,” Brantley said. “It’s intentionally focused on attracting talent and new business.”

The marketing coalition partnered with branding and marketing firm Ologie to design the campaign, advertising agency Dearing Group to create the brand website and design firm Madhouse to produce a campaign video.

The members of the Greater Lafayette Marketing Coalition contributed toward the cost of the venture, which came to around $500,000, Scott Walker, president and CEO of Greater Lafayette Commerce, said.

The new brand is meant to stand alone and is solely focused on economic development and talent attraction, Brantley said, and will not be fully incorporated into the existing logos that Purdue, Tippecanoe County and the cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette currently use. Instead, they can use parts and pieces of the new Greater Lafayette brand in a hybrid format. 

Part of the new brand promotion consists of the Greater Lafayette Magazine, published quarterly by Greater Lafayette Commerce, and a new logo with variations for both cities, Tippecanoe County and Greater Lafayette Commerce. Various social media accounts were also launched in October to further promote the brand’s mission. 

The brand’s main objectives are to increase the talent pool by retaining and attracting a workforce, spur economic growth by attracting business investments and creating a positive perception within and outside Greater Lafayette, Emily Blue, the senior manager of brand, advertising and sponsorships at Purdue, said.

Additionally, four key groups were identified: prospects, which include employers, businesses and students; influencers, which include government officials, business leaders and public stakeholders; ambassadors, which include current residents of the area and visitors, which include business travelers and people passing through the area. 

A website for the brand launched Monday, which serves a starting point for information new residents and businesses looking to move into the area. It directly links to the members of the Greater Lafayette Marketing Coalition and provides a hub to search for local jobs.

Beginning in 2021, the marketing coalition plans to launch a talent attraction campaign with the goal of “aggressively pursuing” new people to come to the area by using digital marketing and technology, Tracy Brown, Tippecanoe County commissioner, said.

“We have endless opportunities here in Lafayette, and it’s going to require a global talent moving forward,” Brown said. “Not just local talent, but around the nation and global talent. We want these folks to understand who we are and what we value, and we want them to make this place their home.”

Emily DeLetter is a news reporter for the Journal & Courier. Contact her at (765) 201-8515 or via email at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyDeLetter.

Read or Share this story: https://www.jconline.com/story/news/2020/10/27/greater-lafayette-rolls-out-new-brand-part-500-k-project-attract-businesses/6038910002/

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