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Item 7A-Consider Resolution 08-EDA-246 July 28, 2008 EDA Meeting Page 2 of 3 Of the ten proposals, staff agreed that the following consultants submitted the top proposals: Wolf Marketing & Media, CityImage and Risdall Marketing Group. Attached are the top three proposals for the EDA’s review. Jim Ericson, Ken Roberts and I interviewed the three consultants on July 15-17, 2008. Based on our review of their proposals and the interviews, staff is recommending that the EDA enter into a contract with Risdall Marketing Group to complete branding services for the City of Mounds View. This work would be considered “Phase 1” of this project. Representatives from Risdall Marketing Group will provide a brief presentation and will be available to answer questions at the July 28, 2008 EDA meeting. “Phase 2” of this project is to complete a marketing and public communications plan for the City. It is the intent of City staff that the EDA also use Risdall Marketing Group for “Phase 2”. This would require a separate contract to be considered by the EDA at a later date. Benefits of Branding, Marketing and Public Communications On July 14, 2008, the EDA requested additional information on the benefits of branding, marketing and public communications. These activities and their benefits are often intangible. As such, it is important to have a basic understanding of branding and marketing. The following articles (totaling 60 pages) provide good background material about branding and marketing: • “What is a Brand?”, A Chapter from Brands and Branding, February 2004 • “Reputation and Its Risks”, Harvard Business Review, February 2007 • “Introduction to Marketing” (article written by Lars Perner, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing at the University of Southern, CA) In addition, marketing and its results are often difficult to measure. A way to attempt this is to conduct surveys. For instance, a common way businesses measure their marketing efforts is by asking their consumers or clients the question “How did you hear about us”? If surveys from within and outside of Mounds View are completed, Mounds View will begin to understand how Mounds View is perceived. Several Minnesota cities believe in the importance of branding and marketing. The attached matrix lists a sampling of cities that have completed a formal branding process. A sample branding timeline (provided by the City of Burnsville) and a branding pyramid (provided by the City of Savage) is attached to the matrix.