Dunwoody - Smart people / Smart place
Dunwoody – September 28, 2010 – On the evening of Saturday, October 23 at Brook Run Park Dunwoody Mayor, Ken Wright, will be joined by the City’s branding partners, the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Dunwoody (CVBD), and the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce to officially unveil the new unified Dunwoody brand. The unveiling will take place at the Dunwoody Music Festival main stage at 6:30 p.m. followed by a fireworks display.
“Creating a brand for Dunwoody has been a collaborative process with area residents, and our partner organizations representing businesses and local tourism,” said Warren Hutmacher, Dunwoody City Manager. “This year-long process has enabled us to create a cohesive brand strategy that also catered to each partner organization’s unique mission.”
The project began in January of this year with the selection of Sky Design, to work with the City and each partner organization. The end result is Dunwoody’s first comprehensive brand strategy, developed based on extensive quantitative and qualitative research, and creative development. The unified brand is designed to evoke the recognizable and distinctive qualities belonging to Dunwoody to appeal emotionally to the City’s target audiences: residents, business owners, family and business travelers, and Metro-Atlanta visitors.
“The new brand is a representation of Dunwoody as a forward-thinking, passionate, caring, and fun community,” said Edie Damann, Dunwoody Marketing and PR Manager. “A unified brand strategy provides each of our organizations with the tools to deliver more impactful, stronger, longer-lasting messages while reducing confusion as to who is delivering the messages.”
As part of the promotion for the brand launch and the Dunwoody Music Festival, the City is raffling off a 2010 SMART Car. Tickets are $25 each and all proceeds will be going to Brook Run Park. Tickets can be purchased at City Hall or the Chamber of Commerce building, located in Dunwoody Village at 5518 Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
The City also worked with the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (PCIDs) as a partner in brand development. In 2011, the City and PCIDs will work together to implement branded gateway, way finding, and street signage. Following the launch, the City of Dunwoody, Convention and Visitors Bureau of Dunwoody, and Chamber of Commerce will reveal updated website designs. As the need arises to replace infrastructure, documents, and publications each organization will incorporate the new brand.
For more information, please contact Edie Damann with the City of Dunwoody at 678-382-6712 or edie.damann@dunwoodyga.gov. Additional information will also be available following the brand launch at www.discoverdunwoody.com, www.dunwoodycommerce.org, and www.brandingdunwoody.com.
I like the tag line -- it's part hoot, part racheting up Snellville's a notch, and part playful play on Dunwoody's supposed snootiness.
ReplyDeleteBut gee that logo looks familiar.
My daughter was looking over my shoulder as I pulled up this post and she pointed it out in about 3 seconds.
Yes, we've got one of those familiar establishments in the Dwood, and I am happy it is here. That's not the problem. It's the similarity thing. Was this noticed before? Have a meaning? Doesn't everybody see it?
I'll keep my hat on and think positive thoughts. I hope this works -- if it doesn't, change the font.
Have we been pranked? Did we really spend money just to adopt a Wal-Mart logo as our brand?
ReplyDeleteWow, how much did the city pay for that logo? Our kids could have come up with something more unique and exciting through a contest in the schools!
ReplyDeleteMy other half guessed who the branding consultants were within a couple of seconds of viewing the debut video. ;-) (Hey, it's OK. When you're used to working around ad firms, consultants, and the like, you get to know their style and it's not hard to pick them out. No big deal.)
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of that debut video there's a quick-and-dirty version on the Music Festival Facebook group. 8^P
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=325395555924
Don't worry about it everybody, these logos and themes come and go.
ReplyDeleteEveryobdy thinks they will come up with the "I Love NY."
Fotunately they fade into the backgroundlike the well known results of Atlanta's branding campaign, "Always A Destination...." no that is not it. "every day is opening day"
nah, but I am getting close.
Anyway, let's all get together at the music festival today and sing the new theme song . You know it, it sounds just like the song Atlanta spent all that money on..hmmm what was that tune again?
For a City that was founded on the will of the people, is it me or is this something fell right out of some corporate think tank.
Betcha it is going to look great on the "Welcome to Dunwoody" signs,
warm and welcoming.
Welcome to Dunwoody were we are smarter than you and we have specials on aisle 4.
Bob--
ReplyDeleteForget "I 'heart' NY". Everyone knows the best city tagline of ALL TIME belongs to Vegas: "What happens here stays here." We could have some fun with that one too.
OK. It's not April and this blog is not commonly associated with satire. At least not intentionally.
ReplyDeleteSo...let's assume this is real.
It is no wonder that the arrogance wasn't seen by those who approved it. Hubris works that way. Smart place - smart people??? What, surrounded by dunces? Who would we not insult with this? But then we don't care, do we?
When folks run around proclaiming how smart they are it is most often the case they have a much greater ego than intellect. On this point the City of Dunwoody, lady though she may be, doth protest too much.
But it does make one wonder what "bad ideas" were left on the table.
That logo is really way too reminiscent of the Walmart logo, even down to the tag line. How about a quick alternative playing off the original?
ReplyDeleteJoe: I love that. And it could apply to specific situations by the addition of a couple simple words: A smart place to live. A smart place to work. A smart place to shop . A smart place to play. A smart place to retire. A smart place to meet. A smart place to eat. A smart place to invest. A smart place to bike. A smart place to garden. A smart place to learn. A smart place to . . . oh, you get it. Or maybe the branding folks have this in mind already? Is there a presentation that went with this, John? It would be helpful to see the marketing legs intended for this idea.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... Were the "Happy Ending" guys behind this logo too?
ReplyDeleteThis is depressing. Did Dunwoody really pay a design firm to rip off Wal Mart? You guys should have stayed part of Atlanta if you just want to throw your money away.
ReplyDeleteis this a joke? has to be.
ReplyDeleteI don't get all these comments about the similarity to WalMart's logo. Why, their asterick has 6 spokes and Dunwoody's only has 5. Now, the fact that the slogan "smart people, smart place" is Plano, Texas' slogan might be problematic. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great logo. It fits us. Most everybody in Dunwoody are Republicans and us being Republicans we are smart.
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with using the WalMart logo? Most of us being Republicans work for corporations and respect corporate ethics, so why not borrow from the largest most successful corporation?
This could maybe get us corporate city sponsorship by WalMart and maybe other corporations will want to move their headquarters here seeing that we have such smart people in Dunwoody.
I really think this is a good thing for Dunwoody and you people are looking at it wrong.
Dunwoody
(Smart People - Smart Place)
I like it!
E^Trade called they want their * back
ReplyDeletePlano is about 250,000 people. Wonder if they will care if we stole their tagline.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.planotexas.org/
Are you kidding me?
It looks like Wal Mart's logo.
For all the snobbery that I think exists among some of our elected officials in Dunwoody, we copy Wal Mart? I am a more of a Target girl myself, but I figured Ross and the crew thought of themselves as Saks Fifth Avenue types.
Well I still think it's a good logo. Besides, Plano, Texas is a good Republican city close, I think to where President Bush lives, so why wouldn't we want to copy them?
ReplyDeleteSomebody probably worked very hard on this logo. We should thank them and not critical them.
Dunwoody is courting Plano, TX residents who love Walmart with our new branding. Cattle from China are expected behind the Farmhouse next week.
ReplyDeleteThis is the most entertaining blog I have read in a while... thank you WAY-overpaid marketing people!
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteI am with you that republicans are fiscally intelligent, but to say that by just being a republican make you smart is a bit of an overstatement
I am a British citizen of Indian origin, and the amount of racism I have encountered by "republicans" is appalling. The conservative party (U.K) has a muslim female as head, and guess what no one cares.
Regards
This is a more direct link to the Dunwoody Brand Launch video put up on Facebook from Saturday night.
ReplyDeleteAnd FWIW it is only the Plano Economic Development Board (www.planotexas.org) that uses the same tag line.
"Smart people, smart" does not appear anywhere on
City (www.plano.gov),
Chamber (www.planochamber.org),
or CVB (www.planocvb.com)
websites.
Sarah Rogue,
ReplyDeleteare you for real? You have quite the high opinion of yourself and your fellow republicans. I'm a republican so I guess I should be flattered by your statements but I'm not.
You asked "What's wrong with using the Wal-mart logo" and then also said "Somebody probably worked very hard on this logo. We should thank them and not critical them."
How about remembering that somebody worked REALLY hard designing the Wal-Mart logo and maybe they don't want their design ripped off my another company? You can't just borrow creative or slogans (Plano, TX)
in a nut shell. . get over yourself and understand the rules of branding.
Maybe they asked WalMart or Texas if they could use them too. I don't know, but if you are a Republican you shouldn't be making fun of me being another Republican.
ReplyDeleteIf we Republicans are against each other then we will not win the election and bring back Christian values into this country and stop paying other people's doctor's bills.
I stayed around at Brook Run on Saturday to watch the unveiling, the introductory video and fireworks. I enjoyed watching the video. Great production and motivational. At times I can be a smart aleck with a dry sense of humor. When I saw the new logo, the first thing that came out of my mouth was another statement you say to someone about being a smart "behind".
ReplyDeleteSarah "Rogue" - you're a hoot! Already in the Halloween swing of things, with your on-line "costume" eh?
Here's the YouTube posting of the actual video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jTFdOcH9Bw
OK everybody, now get back to work and don't let the boss catch ya surfing the web.
I am sorry Joe, but I do not follow. What did my comments have to do with Halloween?
ReplyDeleteSarah Rogue,
ReplyDeleteAre you for real? "Most everybody in Dunwoody are Republicans and us being Republicans we are smart." That is the dumbest thing I have heard in a long time. Don't even get me started on your "Christian values."
Restore,
ReplyDeleteSarah is what we call a 'troll' or an old Dunwoody grandma on her grandson's PC
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29
You don't even know what I look like and you are calling me a troll?
ReplyDeletethe hell with the LOGO lets make this all about Sarah.
ReplyDeleteLife will go on
Only now cheaper at Walmart*
BrookRunner,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wiki link. Very informative.
Hmm, I wonder what the return policy is for a logo and a previously used tag line. Hope we kept our receipt.
ReplyDeletePlease, please as Republicans we should be supporting each other! It is Democrats that disagree with each other and eat their own.
ReplyDeleteWe Republicans should be singing out of the same Christian hymn book and supporting each other and our tea party candidates. Your ugly comments about me are not nice.
This is a great logo that reminds people of a great Republican corporation that contributes to our party and if a Republican Texas town uses it as well then all the better.
There are only so many words in the English language and now that we are in the 20th century most of the words have been used already, so don't be critical of these people that created the logo, because most all words have been used already in the history of the world. It is very hard to be original any more. In reading some of my romance novels I am reminded of one I had read earlier and these are good writers too.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteFirst of, we are in the 21st century.
Back to the logo. Last year Oxford English Dictionary said that there are now more than a million words in the english language. I guess what people are trying to say is we were expecting something better than what we recieved.
Great job sky design. You might as well have done an illustration of two dogs stuck together. Dunwoody gets what it deserves on this one. Conratulations.
ReplyDeleteDecatur folks feel about the
ReplyDeletesame. Provided only for information.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteThanks (I think) for that link. it took less than 48 hours for a nearby community to point out that the Dunwoody is not Smart, but is dumb, not original, and an insult to others.
Sarah,
Your looks have nothing to do with me calling you out as a troll
I got a really great idea! We could change the asterisk to a daisy and the phrase to:
ReplyDeleteDunwoody
Clever People - Clever Place
I searched for that phrase and no other city had it. There, problem solved!
I got the idea when my my husband saw the first logo and said, "Isn't that clever!"
Where there's a Will, there's a way! By the way, my husband's name is "Will".
Perhaps Jay Leno will use this new logo on his "Goofy Headlines and Signs" bit, then sojourn out our way and interview Dunwoody citizens for his "JayWalking" segment to determine if we are as truly smart as we purport to be (though better hide Ms. Sara). Yes, it could be some great publicity for our little hamlet.
ReplyDeleteDunwoody welcome signs released in conjunction with new city logo: http://twitpic.com/30wotk
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry about what the folks in Decatur have to say. They're all just a bunch of liberal lefty loonies anyway and probably just envious that they didn't come up with such an innovative and ingenious logo themselves.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally I can see the strategic plan that the Dunwoody haut monde have with this logo. They, much like the folks at FoxNews with their "Fair and Balanced" and "No Spin Zone" logos, figure that if you say it enough times people will eventually believe you and it will come true.
Ah, little Dorothy Dunwoody, just click your heels three times and repeat, "There is no place like home, where the smart people reside."
"Smart people - Smart place"
"Smart people - Smart place"
"Smart people - Smart place"
Ah, it does have a lyrical whimsy to it - I think I'm starting to like it!
When my wife read the "Crier" and viewed the new Dunwoody logo, "Dunwoody: Smart People_Smart Place", she exclaimed to me, "OK, Dumb-ass, where you gonna live now?"
ReplyDeleteSorry for the double entry, Pamela Jo wanted to ensure I quote her accurately this time.
How about changing it to the truth:
ReplyDeleteDumbwoody. Dumb people. Dumpy place.
(Okay, yeah, Dunwoody is a nice-LOOKING place. But what's within the huge houses and behind the lush lawns and the monster mortgages is another story...)
Branding - sorry, obviously not real good as is evident from this blog and many, many other similar responses. Or maybe we just aren't smart enough to understand it .
ReplyDeleteSarah - you're as much of a Republican as Obama. I guess you are too embarrased to show yourself for what you are.
Andrew
ReplyDeleteI am going to be calm even though you have been mean to me, but I would not except anything different with you obviously being a Obama supporter.
I am a Republican and have voted for Republicans in every election. I support Sarah Palin and I want her to keep the USA a Christian country.
Maybe you should stop being such a donkey Democrat smartypants and read your Bible. You will see that being mean to people is not what you should be doing.
I couldn't help but notice that the logo on the revamped City website has a new tagline. It changed from "Smart People - Smart Place" to "Smart People - Smart City". Granted, it's a small and subtle change, but a change nonetheless. Without even a fraction of the fanfare the original got. What else is going to evolve, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteReading these and other comments, it appears the consensus is the logo and tag line are poor. I agree. I find them arrogant and meaningless.
ReplyDeleteSomebody on this blog said that our kids could have come up with something better. I agree with this too. In fact, I think we should ask our kids and ourselves to get creative and think of some alternatives. Just because we paid designers for this stupid logo doesn't mean we have to live with it.
I already have some ideas brewing...