City of Paterson
Learn how Kelsh Wilson developed a comprehensive, message-driven branding and communications program that helped launch the City of Paterson's new image. Kelsh Wilson Design creates message-driven marketing communications, in print and on the web, for education, business, and nonprofits. Admissions / Advancement / Branding / Photography + Video
Paterson Restoration Corporation
A Case Study in Image Building
Spreading the Good News
When Kelsh Wilson began its multi-year partnership with the City of Paterson, NJ, and the Paterson Restoration Corporation (the PRC), the good news was that there was plenty of good news—from America’s newest national park, just established in the city, to a wave of public and private investment. The bad news was that Paterson’s image lagged behind reality by years, if not decades, due to a historic underinvestment in communications.
Putting the Pieces in Place
Together, KWD and the PRC followed a step-by-step approach to developing a multifaceted marketing communications program. Kelsh Wilson’s involvement ranged from shaping the message strategy to delivering new print and web materials, and from interviewing local business owners for success stories to building an archive of quality photos.
PROGRAM COMPONENTS
• message strategy
• logo and tagline
• image ads promoting progress
• audience-specific marketing brochures
• an all-new website: www.patersonrestoration.org
CORNERSTONES OF THE BRAND
KWD created a new logo and tagline, starting points for a consistent visual brand and messaging program.
The website
With the power to reach members of every target audience, across New Jersey and around the world, the PRC website is an important component of the communications program. Working with our technical partners, Kelsh Wilson developed the site in its entirety, from the information architecture to the interface designs, the content, the coding, and a Drupal-based content management system.
Strategic Segmenting
One of the keys to the project was to realize that Paterson not only had a great story to tell—it had three: one for business, one for tourists, and one for residents of the city, or those who might relocate to the area.
Some advantages, such as Urban Enterprise Zone tax incentives, apply to one group and not another, while other themes, like the city’s remarkable history, matter to everyone, but in different ways. By structuring print, online, and advertising communications by audience, we were able to reach each group with the right message.
Standing Proud, Stepping Forward
The work of building a city’s image is the ultimate long-term project—consistency the most important ingredient in success. Right from the start, however, the impact of Paterson’s new communication program has been clear. At a website launch event, community members and leaders cheered to see their hometown presented as a world-class city. Patersonians truly were Standing Proud and Stepping Forward. Next up: a new brochure cataloging recent milestones in the city’ progress. The good news keeps coming.
A STRONG image PROGRAM IS A CRITICAL FIRST STEP TOWARD ENGAGING your community members AND INSPIRING THEM.
To learn how Kelsh Wilson Design can help you achieve your image and branding goals, contact Fred Wilson at 267.765.0700 x701.
