MORGANTOWN — Morgantown Communications Director Drew Bailey admits he’s been known to geek out over a well-formulated marketing campaign.
So, you can understand his excitement with Monday’s announcement that the city of Morgantown now has a new, nature-inspired logo as well as a tagline — “The journey starts here.”
“I won’t get into the nerdy part of marketing, which is what I love, but you want something short and memorable, but you also want something adaptable that can be used in different types of campaigns,” Bailey explained.
You also want something meaningful and relevant.
Bailey said the city’s origins can be traced back to a time when this area served as a common meeting place and launch point for explorers and pioneers. As the city became established, people arrived from across the country and around the world looking for opportunities in coal, glass and other industries.
To this day, he continued, thousands arrive in Morgantown each year ready to begin a new chapter in life.
“The past, the present, the future. The journey starts here,” Bailey said.
The new logo features mountains, river and sun, a nod to the area’s natural beauty, which was a prominent theme throughout much of the feedback collected by the city.
“When you’re looking for a logo for a city, sometimes people will use a popular landmark. Morgantown doesn’t really have something very specific like that, so it makes sense to do more of an environment theme because we’re surrounded by such beauty,” he said.
Bailey, who worked as a senior brand marketing strategist before joining the city in December, has been leading this effort since coming on board.
He said he’s particularly proud of the fact that so many people have been involved in the process — more than 1,000 completed an online survey about the city’s branding efforts — and that it’s all been done in-house.
“A typical city rebrand can run from $20,000 to $250,000. To this point we’ve spent nothing. We’re replacing everything organically. So, paper goods and things that need replaced over time anyway will be used up and reordered with the new branding. We’re not wasting anything,” he said.
The city’s website should be updated within a week or so. A city-wide inventory of signage bearing the old blue M logo is underway.
“We want to put out that unified vision, mission and idea that everyone can look at and feel moved and inspired by,” Bailey said. “I’m really happy with the results. I just hope people are excited.”
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