Bayfield has started its process to determine how to brand the town.
“Our focus is enterprise branding,” said consultant Paul VanDenElzen from Avant Marketing. “Municipal branding is the part we enjoy the most because we get to go into the community and get to know the people.”
The consultants will develop a statement of vision and values. From that, they will create visual branding, including three logo options, letterhead designs, way-finding signs and website development. There will be a five-year marketing and implementation plan.
The goal is to create a unified brand for Bayfield, VanDenElzen said. “We feel a brand can’t be just a logo and a slogan.” It has to resonate with residents and businesses.
Avant senior partner Mark Vogel said the branding should cause everyone to feel “that Bayfield is a place for people like me. We don’t focus on the place. We focus on the people of the place, the shared values and the vision that people have for the future.”
VanDenElzen said high school students will do some market research then create recommendations that they will present to the Town Board.
Town trustees hired Avant Marketing in January, choosing them out of 12 proposals. Trustees approved a maximum cost of $22,500, with 75 percent of that covered by a state grant administered through the Southwest Colorado Council of Governments.
Similar grants are going to Ignacio, Pagosa and Silverton. All are follow-ups to downtown revitalization assessments conducted by Downtown Colorado Inc.
