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Pop quiz: What is the town of Eagle's new marketing slogan? (Extra credit points if you sit on the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce.)
The leaders of every town and city want their community to thrive, and Eagle is no exception. Since the time the town was incorporated in 1905, community leaders, local businessmen and every-day citizens have worked to boost Eagle. At least every decade or so, somebody calls for a marketing slogan that will make the town stand out and intrigue strangers enough to encourage them to come to our town (and presumably, spend lots of money). A few decades past, an effort by the Chamber of Commerce to find a catch-phrase for the town yielded something like, “Eagle: A great place to nest.” That was cute and reflected the fact that this is a wonderful family community, but chances are pretty good nobody ever bought a house here based on that long-forgotten slogan.
These days, experts call this find-a-slogan effort “branding” — which always seems like they are talking about cattle ranching rather than marketing. The point is that the experts and community boosters see a need to establish a marketable community identity. In theory, a good slogan (think “Got milk?” or “Just do it”) can make a product (or a community) stand out.
For whatever reasons, the “branding” efforts to date for the town of Eagle never seem to stick. People can't remember the slogans and the well-intended mottos, if not used repeatedly, tend to fade away.
But that doesn't mean communities ever stop trying. People are proud of their chosen towns and are eager to share that pride with strangers. Just take a road trip and make note of the slogans that various communities have attached to their welcome signs.
Hotchkiss declares itself to be the “Friendliest town around.” Dove Creek is “Some place special.” Ranchester, Wyo., shows great confidence with its bold motto, “Best place on Earth.” Fannie, Wyo., (population 118) claims the status of “Biggest little town in Wyoming.” Bowman, N.D., offers “Small town hospitality/big time style.” The folks of Three Forks, Mont., believe their community is “Montana's favorite small town.”
Some communities prefer descriptive mottos. Priest River, Idaho, is “A progressive timber community.” Crowley, Wyo., is “Tree City, USA.” Jasper, British Columbia, emphasizes its fantastic scenery with the motto “Wonderful by nature.” Robson Valley, B.C., offers “A scenic welcome.” Moab, Utah, is “Where adventures begin.”
Newport, Ore., claims to be “The friendliest.” Obviously, somebody from Hotchkiss needs to head out to the Oregon coast and set that community straight on just what community is really the friendliest.
Any town with the name of “Sweet Home” shouldn't need a motto. Still, the welcome sign at Sweet Home, Ore., features the slogan, “Oregon at its best.”
Although it is most certainly not a product of any Chamber of Commerce “branding” committee, there is a very memorable sign near the border of Livingston, Mont. That sign, which is neatly lettered and looks official, bears the message, “Gophers — Nature's little speed bumps.” Presumably, Livingston is not the kind of community where ground squirrels are protected by town ordinance.
But, back to the original question: The town of Eagle's new marketing slogan is “Eagle — Classic Colorado.” That slogan was born out of months of talk, an on-line survey that generated several hundred suggestions and the hiring of a marketing firm. Time will reveal the effectiveness of the new motto.
If “Classic Colorado” doesn't work out, the community can always come up with a different slogan that more directly explains why we all choose to live here. However, somebody will have to make sure that Ranchester, Wyo., is okay with changing its motto to “Second-best place on Earth.”
— Kathy Heicher is a longtime Eagle resident and a freelance writer who continues to believe that “branding” is really a ranching term.
The leaders of every town and city want their community to thrive, and Eagle is no exception. Since the time the town was incorporated in 1905, community leaders, local businessmen and every-day citizens have worked to boost Eagle. At least every decade or so, somebody calls for a marketing slogan that will make the town stand out and intrigue strangers enough to encourage them to come to our town (and presumably, spend lots of money). A few decades past, an effort by the Chamber of Commerce to find a catch-phrase for the town yielded something like, “Eagle: A great place to nest.” That was cute and reflected the fact that this is a wonderful family community, but chances are pretty good nobody ever bought a house here based on that long-forgotten slogan.
These days, experts call this find-a-slogan effort “branding” — which always seems like they are talking about cattle ranching rather than marketing. The point is that the experts and community boosters see a need to establish a marketable community identity. In theory, a good slogan (think “Got milk?” or “Just do it”) can make a product (or a community) stand out.
For whatever reasons, the “branding” efforts to date for the town of Eagle never seem to stick. People can't remember the slogans and the well-intended mottos, if not used repeatedly, tend to fade away.
But that doesn't mean communities ever stop trying. People are proud of their chosen towns and are eager to share that pride with strangers. Just take a road trip and make note of the slogans that various communities have attached to their welcome signs.
Hotchkiss declares itself to be the “Friendliest town around.” Dove Creek is “Some place special.” Ranchester, Wyo., shows great confidence with its bold motto, “Best place on Earth.” Fannie, Wyo., (population 118) claims the status of “Biggest little town in Wyoming.” Bowman, N.D., offers “Small town hospitality/big time style.” The folks of Three Forks, Mont., believe their community is “Montana's favorite small town.”
Some communities prefer descriptive mottos. Priest River, Idaho, is “A progressive timber community.” Crowley, Wyo., is “Tree City, USA.” Jasper, British Columbia, emphasizes its fantastic scenery with the motto “Wonderful by nature.” Robson Valley, B.C., offers “A scenic welcome.” Moab, Utah, is “Where adventures begin.”
Newport, Ore., claims to be “The friendliest.” Obviously, somebody from Hotchkiss needs to head out to the Oregon coast and set that community straight on just what community is really the friendliest.
Any town with the name of “Sweet Home” shouldn't need a motto. Still, the welcome sign at Sweet Home, Ore., features the slogan, “Oregon at its best.”
Although it is most certainly not a product of any Chamber of Commerce “branding” committee, there is a very memorable sign near the border of Livingston, Mont. That sign, which is neatly lettered and looks official, bears the message, “Gophers — Nature's little speed bumps.” Presumably, Livingston is not the kind of community where ground squirrels are protected by town ordinance.
But, back to the original question: The town of Eagle's new marketing slogan is “Eagle — Classic Colorado.” That slogan was born out of months of talk, an on-line survey that generated several hundred suggestions and the hiring of a marketing firm. Time will reveal the effectiveness of the new motto.
If “Classic Colorado” doesn't work out, the community can always come up with a different slogan that more directly explains why we all choose to live here. However, somebody will have to make sure that Ranchester, Wyo., is okay with changing its motto to “Second-best place on Earth.”
— Kathy Heicher is a longtime Eagle resident and a freelance writer who continues to believe that “branding” is really a ranching term.
