1. WELCOME!

2. STARTING OUT

3. experts have told us time and time again...
YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU
NEED TO BE ONE OF THE TOP
PERFORMING PLACES IN THE
NATION.
but....

4. YOU DON’T WORK
TOGETHER WELL.
and...
YOU DON’T CELEBRATE
WHAT YOU HAVE.
(many of you don’t even know what you have)

5. a growing group of people are saying,
LET’S SOLVE THIS.

6. START BY
RALLYING AROUND A
SHARED IDENTITY:

7. AND WORK TOWARD
North Star’s First10 Steps:
•
Hire a brand manager
•
Create a sense of place
•
Create a brand PowerPoint or
video
•
Foster a sense of regionalism
•
Engage the brand in economic
development
•
Engage community
imagination with premium
branded items
•
Create a media plan
•
Develop brand stationary and
business supplies
•
Involvement from the private
sector
•
Establish an innovation
imperative within the region

8. MORE CRITICAL STEPS
Seed Here’s additions for year one:
•
Build buy-in within the region
•
Engage the creative
community
•
Unlock existing local pride
•
Strengthen connections across
generations, organizations and
industries
•
Foster more collaboration
across organizations and
geographical areas
•
Create tangible programs with
measurable deliverables that
everyone can understand and
be part of
•
Build basic organizational
infrastructure

9. 2013 STRATEGY
•
Focus on the internal audience
•
Create fun ways to collaborate
•
Build meaning around the new
brand identity
•
Create easy ways everyone can
participate
•
Aggregate assets to show critical
mass
•
Celebrate successes in small
ongoing and large big bang ways
•
Make it easy to articulate the pride
for this place
•
Raise the design and production bar
to build excitement and belief
•
Show real people creating and
innovating in the region

10. 2013 TACTICS
•
Empower use of the logo
•
Tour the region
•
Host events
•
Promote all innovation-related events
•
Collect and share our region’s innovation stories
•
Produce Creative Week
•
And in the process, build some basic organizational infrastructure.

11. EMPOWER LOGO USE

12. EMPOWER LOGO USE
•
Empower use of the logo
•
Tour the region
•
Host events
•
Promote all innovation-related events
•
Collect and share our region’s innovation stories
•
Produce Creative Week

13. A CAMPAIGN

14. EMPOWER LOGO USE

15. WE CREATE HERE CAMPAIGN

16. TESTIMONIAL
I LOVE the new “We Create Here” campaign and have already used one of the badges
on my website. Cool!
~ Susan Shullaw
I love the WE CREATE HERE slogan. Very cool.
~ Dusty Embree, Jones County Economic Development

17. OUTCOMES
•
Develop brand stationary and
business supplies
•
Established an innovation
imperative within the region
•
Engage community imagination
with premium branded items
•
Engaged the creative
community
•
Engaged economic
development organizations, the
private sector, and the creative
community
•
Creating a sense of place
•
Fostering a sense of regionalism
•
Involving from the private
sector
•
Seeded media partnerships
•
Unlocked existing local pride

18. 2013 TACTICS
•
Empower use of the logo
•
Tour the region
•
Host events
•
Promote all innovation-related events
•
Collect and share our region’s innovation stories
•
Produce Creative Week
•
And in the process, build some basic organizational infrastructure.

19. TOUR THE REGION
•
Amana
•
Monticello
•
Ainsworth
•
Mount Vernon
•
Anamosa
•
North Liberty
•
Cedar Rapids
•
Riverside
•
Coralville
•
Stone City
•
Iowa City
•
Tipton
•
Kalona
•
Vinton
•
Marion
•
Washington
•
Mechanicsville
•
Wellman

20. TOUR THE REGION

21. OPEN COFFEE TOUR

22. TOUR THE REGION

23. TESTIMONIAL
There's a reason why we put ourselves through this and today was a perfect example of
pure awesome. It wasn't just 26 people- it was a diverse group of amazing people
ready and willing to propel themselves forward. It is going to be so fun to watch what
happens in these places over the next few months.
~ David Tominsky

24. OUTCOMES
•
Built buy-in within the region
•
Engaged economic
development organizations, the
private sector, and the creative
community
•
Established the innovation
imperative within the region
Strengthened connections
across generations,
organizations and industries
•
Fostered more collaboration
across organizations and
geographical areas
•
Engage the creative community
•
Created a sense of place
•
Fostered a sense of regionalism
Unlocked existing local pride
•
•

25. 2013 TACTICS
•
Empower use of the logo
•
Tour the region
•
Host events
•
Promote all innovation-related events
•
Collect and share our region’s innovation stories
•
Produce Creative Week
•
And in the process, build some basic organizational infrastructure.

26. HOST EVENTS
The Project Launch
April 19, 2013
288 attendees

27. TESTIMONIAL
Just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you how much I enjoyed today. You and the
entire Seed Here Studio team really hit it out of the park demonstrating the
emotional connection of the Corridor's brand and why everyone in the room needs
to get behind it..
It's especially exciting to see how far the effort has come along since I was involved on
the front end (brand consultant selection and participating on the branding subcommittee with John Lohman).
Know that I have the poster hanging on my office door and that I'll do my part to
continue promoting the Corridor's brand and spreading the word!
~ Joel Milefchik, Rockwell Collins

28. OUTCOMES
•
Built buy-in within the region
•
Engaged economic development
organizations, the private sector, and the
creative community
•
Unlocked existing local pride
•
Established the innovation imperative
within the region
•
Fostered more collaboration across
organizations and geographical areas
Engaged community imagination with
premium branded items
•
•
Premiered the brand PowerPoint and
videos
Gave us a deadline to:
•
Build basic organizational infrastructure
•
Create tangible programs with
measurable deliverables that everyone
can understand and be part of
•
Laid out the media plan through
Creative Corridor Stories and Digest
Strengthened connections across
generations, organizations and industries
•
•

29. 2013 TACTICS
•
Empower use of the logo
•
Tour the region
•
Host events
•
Promote all innovation-related events
•
Collect and share our region’s innovation stories
•
Produce Creative Week
•
And in the process, build some basic organizational infrastructure.

30. PROMOTE
INNOVATION EVENTS
42
588
DIGESTS
EVENTS

31. TESTIMONIAL
It's a great e-newsletter that I actually read and it's cool and encouraging to see all
the things happening in the Corridor even if not all of them are specifically relevant to
me.
~Alicia Streeter

32. OUTCOMES
•
Strengthens connections across
generations, organizations and industries
•
Fosters more collaboration across
organizations and geographical areas
•
Makes it easier to articulate pride in this
place and give examples
•
•
Fosters a sense of regionalism and subtly
creates a sense of place
Creates a tangible programs with
measurable deliverables that everyone
can understand and be part of
•
Key part of the weekly media plan
•
Engages economic development
organizations, the private sector, and the
creative community
•
Aggregates our assets (weekly events)
showing critical mass in creativity and
innovation
•
Builds buy-in within the region
•
Introduces branded business stationary
•
Establishes the innovation imperative
within the region

33. 2013 TACTICS
•
Empower use of the logo
•
Tour the region
•
Host events
•
Promote all innovation-related events
•
Collect and share our region’s innovation stories
•
Produce Creative Week
•
And in the process, build some basic organizational infrastructure.

34. TELL THE STORIES
27
STORIES

35. TESTIMONIAL
Thanks so much John, Sarah, and Andy! You all did an amazing job -- I'm really, really
impressed with both the honesty and the generosity of the presentation... we come
off looking our best selves, but still ourselves, and that's quite an accomplishment.
Thanks so much for the opportunity, and thanks for taking the time and care to tell our
story in the way that we would hope to tell it ourselves. Looks fantastic!
Best,
Eric Jones
Adamantine Spine Moving

36. OUTCOMES
•
Makes it easier to articulate pride in this
place and give examples
•
Directly involves and celebrates the
private sector and the creative community
•
Establishes an innovation imperative
within the region
•
•
Fosters a sense of regionalism
Creates a tangible program with
measurable deliverables that everyone can
understand and be part of
•
Aggregate assets to show critical mass
•
Shows real people creating and innovating
in the region
•
Creates premium media collateral
•
Subtly creates a sense of place
•
Strengthens connections across
generations, organizations and industries
•
Creates a fun way to collaborate and easy
way for everyone to participate
•
Fosters collaboration across geographies
and organizations
•
Has led to the Gazette’s We Create Here
section in the Sunday newspaper

37. 2013 TACTICS
•
Empower use of the logo
•
Tour the region
•
Host events
•
Promote all innovation-related events
•
Collect and share our region’s innovation stories
•
Produce Creative Week
•
And in the process, build some basic organizational infrastructure.

38. PRODUCE CREATIVE WEEK

39. CREATIVE WEEK
137
EVENTS

40. CREATIVE WEEK
THE MEDIA HOOK

41. CREATIVE WEEK

42. TESTIMONIAL
Amanda, I know that when we first got started on this journey, I was one of your toughest
challengers. That said, I want to be one of your BIGGEST Congratulators!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was
in the middle of so many projects/changes in my life that I could not participate fully.
However, that did not stop me from observing, reading and keeping track of what was
going on. Kudos to you, Andy and all who worked to make this week EPIC!
~ Diane H. Ramsey
Executive Director, IWLC
A focus on creativity and innovation is exactly what the Corridor needs, and I'm very
impressed by Creative Week! ~Liz Bennett

43. TESTIMONIAL
I got to about 9 places...All were very encouraging about job prospects and
quality of product coming out of the corridor. I have made 6 solid
contacts including one that has turned me on to 2 job opportunities.
So my experience was very good and well worth the time. I hope to see it
again next year. Maybe expanded to include office based business; graphic
design, web-base and such.
Thank you for the great opportunity to get out and see what is
happening in our area!
Well Done,
John Bregoli

44. TESTIMONIAL
I would like to thank you for providing such a great opportunity for me, and my studio
team would love to take an active role for future events! This is super fun!
~ Tim Zhang, photographer and University of Iowa student
I did want to pass on my congratulations to you and all who contributed to what turned
out to be an absolutely wonderful week of creativity. Thank you for allowing ConnectFive
to be part of the team and we look forward to hearing about how Creative Week spreads
throughout the country and to helping create an even bigger and better experience next
year.
~ Jeff Nock, ConnectFive

45. OUTCOMES
•
Makes it easier to articulate pride in this
place and share personal experience
•
Directly involved and celebrated the
private sector and the creative community
•
Established an innovation imperative
within the region
•
•
Fostered a sense of regionalism
Created a tangible program with
measurable deliverables that everyone can
understand and be part of
•
Aggregated assets to show critical mass
•
Showed real people creating and
innovating in the region
•
Created a fun way to collaborate and easy
ways for everyone to participate
•
Created a sense of place
•
Created premium branded collateral
•
Strengthened connections across
generations, organizations and industries
•
Fostered collaboration across geographies
and organizations

46. 2013 TACTICS
•
Empower use of the logo
•
Tour the region
•
Host events
•
Promote all innovation-related events
•
Collect and share our region’s innovation stories
•
Produce Creative Week
•
Build some basic organizational infrastructure

47. ORG STRUCTURE
•
Project Name, Website, Budget, Board of Directors, Social Media

48. ORG STRUCTURE
56
PARTNERS

49. 2013 IMPACT

50. 2013 IMPACT

51. 2013 IMPACT

52. 2013 IMPACT

53. 2013 IMPACT

54. 2013 IMPACT

55. TESTIMONIAL
I told my husband the other day, that after nearly 5 years of living here, I can finally say
that I'm proud to call the Creative Corridor my home. You, and the entire regional
branding group helped me get there! Excited to see what unfolds next. Thank you!
~Kelly McCann, Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce

56. WHERE WE ARE NOW
I would like to introduce Aubrey Secrest, Founder of Bride Meets Wedding. Her and her
husband, Nick, recently moved into the Corridor to be a creator and she doing some
pretty cool stuff in the wedding planning space. She is helping other local area vendors
and businesses find customers.
I’ve talked up the Creative Corridor community quite a bit which helped make their
decision to move to the Corridor, so now we have to follow through. :)
Thanks everyone!
Roby Miller, TelePharm

57. 2014 OBJECTIVES
•
Find sustainable homes for existing programs and expand
reach and professionalism
•
Expand awareness in the region through more traditional
promotions, gateways and awareness-raising
•
Expand inclusiveness and connection with next wave of
key audiences internally
•
Expand awareness externally

58. DAVID DREWELOW
daviddrewelow@actioncoach.com