The process of strengthening Kimberley’s brand is now underway. The first public meeting has been held and two online surveys, one for residents, one for visitors are available until December 15 at www.KimberleySurvey.com or at www.KimberleyVisitor Survey.com. Paper copies of both are available at City Hall.
In addition, anyone who might be interested in joining a discussion group is asked to contact Director of Economic Development Kevin Wilson by Friday, November 30 at kwilson@kimberley.ca or 250-427-9666.
The first public meeting dealt primarily with explaining misconceptions associated with branding, and all that information is online at the City of Kimberley’s website.
For instance, Myth No. 1, a brand is a logo. Not so. A logo is a part of a brand, that over time begins to be associated with a brand. It’s nothing more than a symbol, which gets stronger the more it’s used and recognized, but it’s not the story.
Branding means changing everything (Myth No. 2). Again, not so. The process does not create a whole new story for Kimberley, it merely strengthens it.
There may be areas of Kimberley’s story (how we live, how we interact with each other) that can be improved. The story doesn’t change, but the way it’s told does.
Myth 3. This brand process won’t do much. Not true. A story must be told and told well in order to give people a reason to visit. Brands demonstrate pride, connect with people, give them a reason to experience a story or product and differentiate it from their competition.
The main reason Kimberley is going through the process is to differentiate it from all the other BC communities vying for that same visitor dollar. Kimberley has many assets but so do many other communities. They all have a story to tell.
“A brand is an expression of who we are to the rest of the world, and who we want to be to our community. It’s what makes us distinct and what differentiates us from others. A solid brand offers compelling reasons to be proud of our region and to participate in Kimberley’s experience.
“A solid brand means our story is not just heard, but that it is remembered, retold, and most importantly, best experienced by those who live here and those we might share our community with.”
Building Kimberley’s brand cannot be done without participation of Kimberley residents, so if you have not yet done so, please take a moment to fill out the survey.
The survey will ask you what you like about Kimberley, and what you dislike, what you would recommend about Kimberley to others, what you would change if you could and more.