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Introduction: Branding Vidalia
Branding vidalia
The Vidalia onion has a strong brand identity across the globe. Vidalia’s community brand, however, is not as well known...yet.
Vidalia has not maximized its potential in attracting new residents, businesses, and industry. Due to the lack of a consistent message, look, and strategy, a common concern from public input participants was “how do we explain that there’s more to Vidalia than the onion, but still keep the onion in our branding?” The answers often came in the form of humorous onion puns, such as “there’s lots of layers to Vidalia,” Vidalia has “layers of local flavor,” and “you have to peel back the layers.” These “layers” are what make life sweet in Vidalia (sorry, another onion pun!) and include a great quality of life, excellent health care, short commute times, friendly people, arts and culture, a charming downtown, and more. Participants also complained that visually, Vidalia’s community brand is represented by “too many different onions” and that each city department had a different look and color palette. And while “too many onions” is usually a great thing, in branding it can pose a problem. Inconsistent design and logo use can give the impression that the city has a helter-skelter approach, is not unified, and can appear disorganized. Steering committee members and public input participants desired a consistent brand message and look across platforms. They also wanted a brand design that includes the onion but also captures the community’s unique personality and spirit in its design style, imagery, messaging, and colors.
In rethinking Vidalia’s community brand expression, the steering committee aimed to do the following:
» Increase the city’s exposure and brand recognition.
» Attract businesses, jobs, visitors, and new residents.
» Have a consistent look and message among city departments and affiliated partners.
» Increase community pride by having a marketable brand look that people want to buy and wear.
» Strengthen the brand promise as the Sweet
Onion City by making Vidalia onions more readily available for visitors (somewhere to buy them, see how they grow, recipes, and more).
» Create a brand that is associated with onions but also highlights hospitality, forward-thinking leadership, and a close-knit community.
» Promote Vidalia’s quality of life.
» Promote Vidalia as a retail and health care hub.
» Promote Vidalia’s downtown and small businesses.
Community Branding
Today’s complex challenges demand that governments at all levels strive to be more responsive, efficient, and effective in serving their citizens.
The Carl Vinson Institute of Government is committed to promoting excellence in government through technical assistance, training programs, applied research, and technology solutions. The Institute of Government works extensively with governments across Georgia and beyond to develop the knowledge and skills that elected officials, professional staff, and appointed board members need to manage effectively in the 21st century. Since 2018, the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government has offered a branding process for communities seeking to create or enhance their overall brand and better position themselves in a competitive global economy.
The Institute of Government’s three-step community branding process is designed to be completed within nine to 12 months. It is a community-driven process that engages the public to develop buy-in and support and to help promote the brand, a crucial step in creating a successful community brand. Institute of Government faculty and staff work closely with the community from start to finish, ensuring that the brand created is one that truly represents the place, people, and culture.
In 2021, the City of Vidalia engaged the Carl Vinson Institute of Government to develop a new brand identity to better tell Vidalia’s story, increase community pride and unity, and attract investment. The Institute of Government’s branding team was led by Kaitlin Messich. Alexa Britton, Executive Director of the Vidalia Convention & Visitors Bureau,and Downtown Vidalia Association Executive Director Tonya Parker led the branding process at the local level.
