"Home of the --": what's your city's tagline?

• Author: Kaelble, Steve

QUICK ... DESCRIBE YOUR hometown in five words or less. Not easy, is it?

That's the challenge facing marketers who take on the branding of Indiana communities. The hope is to re-frame the public's image of a city or town, with the goal of increasing tourism or boosting economic development. "It's certainly easier said than done," says Dan Roman, whose Roman Brand Group is tackling the task for its hometown of Indianapolis.

A good branding effort can do wonders for a community's image, he suggests. As an example, he points to one that's probably the most successful ever, "I Love NY." And football fans recently learned that Jacksonville is "Where Florida Begins."

In Indiana, communities that have developed brand identities include Terre Haute, which last year adopted the "Terre Haute, A Level Above" theme, playing on the city's name, which is French for "high ground." The long-running "Break Away to Bloomington" theme honors that city's starring role in Best Picture nominee "Breaking Away" 25 years ago. There's "Lafayette-West Lafayette--Two Great Cities, One Great University" (a theme that includes the alternate "Home of Purdue University" for those who need reminding which "great university"). Those seeking a good time can "Find it in Fort Wayne" or "Discover Columbus." Gary touts its "City of Vision, People of Commitment," while Kokomo boasts of being "An Innovative and Growing City."

Hoosier city identities might be rooted in the past, as in "Richmond, Rich in History and Heritage," or they may evoke the future, as in "South Bend, Building a 21st Century City." Of course, calendar-linked identities run the risk of becoming outdated--technically speaking, we all live in a 21st century city now, and the clock may be ticking for Muncie's "2004 Community of the Year" tagline and Evansville's reference to its 2003 "All-America City" designation.

At its core, a strong brand can help answer the basic questions of why someone should consider visiting or...