Region leaders push for brand

SPRINGDALE — “Northwest Arkansas. Great for Business. Great for Life.”

That slogan unveiled Tuesday in Springdale, paired with five arrows pointing skyward, is at the center of a new campaign to attract companies and professionals worldwide to a spot they may not at first consider: Arkansas’ northwest corner.

Speakers at a news conference hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Council, a group of about 100 business and civic leaders, said the campaign is designed to create an image for the region: a world-classplace to do business that also offers urban amenities and natural beauty.

This is the first major campaign to market the region as a whole, rather than city by city, organizers said.

But don’t look for the slogan or logo on national television anytime soon, or even on a series of highway billboards, said Northwest Arkansas Council President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Malone. It’s targeted toward economic development professionals and business leaders.

“You might see it on a bill-board at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport,” he said. That’s because about a million people pass through the Highfill airport each year, many of whom are decision makers in their businesses.

The promotion also will go to site selection consultants who help companies choose spots to relocate and to companies that market business talent, Malone said.

Marketing professionals at Procter & Gamble’s office in Fayetteville who helped develop the branding campaign realized part of the job was “to convert skeptics of Northwest Arkansas into believers,” said Tim Marrin of that office.

Northwest Arkansas “is a hidden gem,” the team realized. “A surprisingly great place to live, work and play,” Marrin said.

But that’s not well-known. For example, Marrin said his company “had a tough time” moving people from its Cincinnati home office or otherbetter-known spots to Northwest Arkansas.

“They’re kicking and screaming because they don’t know much about the place,” he said. “Then we ask them to move back five years later, and they’re kicking and screaming because they don’t want to move back.”

Procter & Gamble’s entire marketing team, which works on household brands such as Crest toothpaste and Tide detergent, got involved in the project, he said. Besides the area’s livability, they decided to emphasize the region’s “thriving entrepreneurial spirit.”

A couple of phrases Marrin’s group latched onto to describe Northwest Arkansas, while brainstorming, were: “Living and dreaming big with a small-town feel,” he said. “We called it ‘Sushi & Sweet Tea.’”

Branding experts from Procter & Gamble, CranfordJohnson Robinson Woods and Mitchell Communications Group developed the campaign, with help from Saatchi & Saatchi X and Rockfish Interactive.

Scott Caldwell of Cranford Johnson said his group sent the proposed new logo to about 300 business leaders and professionals in Northwest Arkansas for their reactions.

“We wanted a logo that could be interpreted in many different ways,” Caldwell said. In the arrows, “some people saw trees, some saw mountains.” Also appealing was the “clean, simple look” of the logo and consistent presentation of the key ideas - business opportunities along with amenities such as education, culture, outdoor recreation and community spirit.

Malone said he didn’t know how much the Northwest Arkansas Council would spend on the marketing campaign. “That hasn’t been decided yet,” he said after Tuesday’s announcement.

Branding campaigns are as important to marketing cities and regions as products, said Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

“It’s a competitive marketplace to bring in new companies to a region,” Deck said. “So regions or areas that have consistent messaging, that have a consistent look, that are able to provide easy access to good information are at an advantage for businesses to locate there.”

“It’s the same as any branding effort,” Deck said. “You want to look at the brand and know the product. We want site selectors to look at the brand and know Northwest Arkansas.”

Steve Clark, president and chief executive officer of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, said the region’s chambers back the effort.

“This is a message of partnership, economic development by partnership” he said. “A rising tide does benefit all boats. ... We can advance our communities while we advance our region.”