Benicia Picks Slogan To Brand City

Benicia Picks Slogan To Brand City
Council reviews plan to market city as 'great day by the bay'
By RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN/Times-Herald staff writer
Article Launched: 03/28/2008 07:58:01



The Benicia Economic Development Commission selected this logo and slogan to present to City Council. (Courtesy image)

The Benicia Economic Development Commission selected this logo and slogan to present to City Council. (Courtesy image) BENICIA - Is Benicia "a welcoming, charming place to explore," or is it more "a great day by the bay?"

Those were the slogan choices officials were asked to consider at a recent meeting of Benicia's Economic Development Board. The advisory panel voted 5-1 for the "great day" slogan, said Benicia economic development manager Amalia Lorentz.

The City Council will review the plan developed by The Placemaking Group and either approve or reject it, she said.

The plan to develop a marketing strategy for Benicia, including adopting a logo and a slogan, has been in the conceptual stage for about two years, Lorentz said.

"We've been working since November with a citizens advisory board to work out what marketing plan would help bring people to Benicia," Lorentz said.

A consulting firm was hired to determine what makes Benicia special, she said.

"Benicia is a focal point for art, shopping and California history, set in a beautiful waterfront location - that's the wording," she said. "Our marketing strategy will concentrate on those elements."

"Hopefully we will adopt this within the next few months and then we can move ahead with its implementation," which will include signage and targeted advertising, Lorentz said.

Any city hoping to attract tourists, must find a way to set itself apart, Lorentz said.

"It's important for any community that wants to attract visitors to have a focus," she said.

The concept is not alien to Vallejo officials, just essentially unattainable because of the city's fiscal crisis, said Vallejo Convention & Visitors Bureau head Mike Browne.

Browne, in fact, tried to help launch a marketing program for Vallejo last year. At that time, the bureau had earmarked about $80,000 for a branding and marketing program, but drastic budget cuts nixed the plan.

"You have to consider the situation with our budget," he said. "Maybe when we get to it, it will come not from the city, but from a combination of forces like us and the Chamber of Commerce, the downtown association, the CCRC and local developers like Triad and Callahan DeSilva, working together to make Vallejo a much stronger destination."

Browne said he's attended some of the Benicia meetings on the issue, and continues to gather ideas in anticipation of when Vallejo officials can focus on recovery and see the benefit of "branding."

Browne said he's philosophical about Vallejo's inability to make a marketing plan materialize. But he hasn't given up on the idea.

"What Benicia is doing is very important for Vallejo to do, also," Browne said.

Vallejo Chamber of Commerce President Rick Wells on the other hand, said he is slightly frustrated.

"I hear stories like that (about Benicia following through on ideas Vallejo seems unable to) all the time," Wells said. "There's clearly room for drastic improvement."

• E-mail Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at RachelZ@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6824.