Does Champaign really need a marketing campaign? : Opinion: Smile politely
Community pride is built from the ground up through sincere investments of time, money, resources, planning and creativity. This hard work shines through when people visit this place or consider moving there.
A few weeks ago, the News-Gazette reported a planned marketing campaign for the City of Champagne. City Council has approved a request for proposals from professional marketing firms to promote champagne to visitors and residents in hopes of encouraging tourism and economic development. This decision stems from a key project described in the City Council objectives 2021-2023. The objective of this project was to “develop and implement a comprehensive marketing campaign to promote the positive attributes of Champaign and build community pride.”
Rather than trying to convince people who already live here that they live in a great place, or attract visitors with a new website and social media ads, the focus of this funding and this energy should continue to make it a better place to live.
In particular, this campaign will focus exclusively on the City of Champaign, excluding neighboring municipalities such as Urbana and Savoy. Although the City of Champaign is a municipal entity in its own right, it is impossible to completely separate it from the rest of this small town. Residents of these cities pay taxes to their particular municipalities and use government services accordingly. Still, it is very difficult to live your life in this area without venturing outside your city limits. You may live in Champaign, but work in Urbana. You can live in Urbana, but eat in downtown Champaign. Even the University of Illinois spans both cities. Those looking to relocate to this area, whether for work or school, are also looking at this community as a whole.
As described in the News-Gazette article, Mayor Deb Feinen and City Council member Vanna Pianfetti spoke of the danger of this project overlapping work already underway to market Champaign County to residents and visitors. It is a valid concern. We have a full service office, Visit Champaign County, which does everything offered in this campaign. They do branding, event promotion and highlight what makes this county and the surrounding counties, of which Champaign is an important part, a great place to live, work and play – the everything with a purchase of the City of Champagne. This level of marketing is happening specifically for Champaign through the Champaign Center partnership, with financial support from the City of Champaign. Of The report to the city council:
In the summer of 2021, the City provided a grant to the Champaign Center Partnership and worked collaboratively with them to develop the “Heart of it All” marketing campaign. This campaign focused on promoting the city’s business heartland as a must-visit destination for dining, shopping and entertainment and included using a local marketing firm to develop and implement a comprehensive marketing campaign. The marketing firm created and managed a new web page, social media campaign, website ads, TV ad and other promotional videos, and developed print materials including posters, t-shirts, window stickers and other promotional materials.
Won’t this proposed campaign do the same?
The money allocated to this project, $140,000 over two years, is not a lot. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine this will make a measurable difference in improving the city’s image. Yet this amount, along with the time and creative energy that has been and will be invested in this campaign, could be better used to improve the quality of life here. We have emphasized the need for investment in downtown development of engaging programming, for increased funding for public arts, for infrastructure improvements in predominantly Black neighborhoods, and for more investment in those who champion this area.
We don’t need billboards and merchandise to convince people of the city’s value. We need real investments and improvements.
The editorial board is made up of Jessica Hammie, Julie McClure, Trude Namara, Patrick Singer and Mara Thacker.
