Are outsiders going 'wild' about Anchorage Big Wild Life?

• Author: Campbell, Blythe

"BIG WILD LIFE IS A BRAND THAT CAN MEAN SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO EVERY CONSUMER--YOU'VE GOT TO LET THEM DECIDE WHETHER 'WILD' IS GREAT NIGHTLIFE OR A MOOSE WALKING DOWN THE STREET."

Bill Geist, Owner * Zeitgeist Consulting

Think Big Wild Opera. Big Wild Summer. Big Wild Animals. Big Wild Job Openings. Anchorage's new brand, Big Wild Life, may have had a rocky start, but it's so much a part of the vocabulary now that it has its own parody on YouTube.

"It's growing organically," said Nance Larsen, vice president, communications & marketing programs for the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau. ACVB, funded by Anchorage's hotel bed tax, is the official marketing arm for the Municipality of Anchorage.

ACVB partnered with the Municipality of Anchorage and the Anchorage Economic Development Corp. to develop the new brand, which was based on existing research on Anchorage; new research, including interviews with visitors and decision-makers; and a public forum. The brand was designed to appeal to residents, visitors and the business community.

SPLIT THE POT

The three organizations spent $80,000 for the brand development and two advertising agencies--the Nerland Agency of Anchorage and Stone Mantel of Colorado Springs--developed the brand strategy, donating $20,000 in in-kind services. Other Alaska companies, including the Anchorage's KTUU TV Channel 2 and Talking Circle Media, provided footage for the video created to launch the new brand.

"The developers of the brand had a real challenge: devise a slogan that appealed to residents, to businesses and to out-of-state visitors. We think they hit it squarely on the head with Anchorage Big Wild Life," said Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.

After the brand was unveiled in January, there was a flurry of negative opinion on talk shows and letters to the editor, primarily focused on the brand's temporary "splat" logo.

ACVB took the lead in organizing a contest to find a logo that would fit the brand and be easy to use on everything from keychains to giant banners. Nearly 170 entries were received. "The entries really showed the creativity that is in this town," said Larsen. A judging panel narrowed the choices to 15, then eight, then to the three that were presented to the community for a vote.

More than 5,000 people viewed the logo contest Web site, and 3,170 voted. The winning logo was unveiled at an Anchorage Town Square celebration in May, and features a design of moose hoofprints and human handprints...