GRAND life 2.0

In January 2021, Grow Grand Island provided $70,000 in funding toward the development of a community brand and subsequent marketing campaign. These initial efforts focused on the creation of a brand (GRAND life) and recommendations for utilization of messaging on social ads and targeted display.

GRAND life has been utilized primarily by Grand Island Tourism. Maybe you have seen it locally in their window or on t-shirt. In 2022 the Chamber of Commerce began introducing it into talent attraction and recruitment collateral, including swag, and social media.

This collaboration is precisely what was envisioned when funds were allocated for the development of a community brand. With the success of the first grant initiative, Grow Grand Island has awarded an additional $100,000 to be used to take it to the next level—think of it as GRAND life 2.0.

Unified place branding creates a single identifiable brand for the city; it will percolate into the associated business and hospitality sectors. From a consumer's point of view, place branding creates a unique picture of Grand Island.

The end strategy is to project images and manage perceptions people have about Grand Island, highlighting the best of our community and sharing our hidden gems with those across the region, whether the message is targeting a visitor or someone who may be considering moving here. We envision other businesses and organizations engaging with the brand as well.

Overarching goals include 1) economies of scale; 2) complementary messaging; 3) consistent measuring and monitoring; and 4) organization autonomy. We want to build consistency while accommodating message style and content needed for the desired audience.

An RFP will be used to find the right marketing firm that can work with us to identify the best approach to collaborating the use of GRAND life and creating the most effective messaging content and distribution between organizations.

In the meantime, we are interested in what you, the people of Grand Island, think about this place you call home. Do you have thoughts or ideas about what GRAND life means to you? Feel free to visit growgrandisland.com and drop me a note on the contact page.