By Jamie Engle
Staff Writer

The second citizen survey, part of the city’s research for developing a new branding and marketing campaign, is under way. By going to http://bit.ly/brand-murphy (or the city’s Web site, www.murphytx.org and clicking on the right side survey box), citizens can give their opinions on different logos, taglines and colors under consideration. The survey runs through midnight on Monday, Sept. 28.
“This survey is one means to solicit community input, and your opinion is important and appreciated,” said City Manager James Fisher. 
City council authorized the ongoing project to explore how to more effectively present the city to current and potential residents and businesses. Jointly funded by the city and the 4A Economic Development Corporation, the project involves a comprehensive plan to consider a new brand for the city, develop a user-friendly Web site and develop a marketing plan to position Murphy for economic growth.
Contrary to what some residents believe, the logo and tagline have not been chosen yet.
“I have heard concerns from residents regarding replacing our existing logo. I want to make it clear that we are in a ‘brainstorming’ mode right now. No decision to replace the current logo has been made. It is a possibility, not a given,” said Councilmember Mike Daniel.
The city’s marketing project consultant, Ariamedia, designed the logo and tagline options presented in the survey.
“The logo should reflect the uniquely beneficial aspects of Murphy’s community character,” said Ariamedia’s chief strategy officer Tony Passarello. “This is determined through a process that has so far strongly considered the input of three focus groups and two online surveys among Murphy residents, as well as feedback from Mayor Bret Baldwin, the city council and its open forum, and the board of the Murphy Economic Development Corporation 4A.”

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Passarello said his sense of Murphy so far is, “Murphy is an engaged, connected, well-educated and diverse community of independent-minded, enterprising, and unpretentious citizens. It delivers a uniquely sustainable balance of close-in suburban convenience and country lifestyle that makes it a great place to raise children, but welcomes families at every stage of life and merchants who embrace its values.”
Taglines presented in the survey are, “Come Home,” “Escape to Real,” “Life’s Better Out Here,” “Life Lived at Your Pace” and “Think Small, Live Large.”
The current survey is the second of two surveys that were compiled based on community feedback and input from a community focus group. The focus group has met with Ariamedia three times since July. According to Fisher, the focus group “included a diverse cross section of Murphy residents and volunteers.” Overall survey results will be shared with the mayor and city council Oct. 5 and the 4A Economic Development Board Oct. 6.
Results from the first survey (which ran from July 31 to Aug. 17) and initial meetings with the focus group and marketing committee showed that many residents described Murphy as a town rather than a city.
“Murphy has been overwhelmingly described by the community and in the survey as a ‘town,’ said Fisher. “At the suggestion of the marketing firm, ‘Town of Murphy’ is one option we are exploring. The committee will consider this when they make their recommendation to council.  If ‘Town’ is chosen, we will take steps to ensure that everything meets the Charter requirements.”
“Murphy was very fortunate during the recent boom to attract a large number of new residents with very little effort. However with the current state of the economy, we need to work harder to reach potential new residents,” said Councilmember Colleen Halbert.  “We still have 600 new home sites plus several large commercial and retail tracts to develop. With the state of the economy, it is important to make sure that we position ourselves to be ready once the economy rebounds.  I see this branding effort as a way to send a cohesive message out about what Murphy is, how great it is and attract those businesses that are most appropriate for our community.”
Daniel, Halbert and Councilmember John Daugherty represent city council on the new marketing committee, formed in February of this year by council. Also on the committee are 4A board members Gunter Watson and Kenneth Tatsch, 4B board members Cary Walker and Dennis Richmond, City Manager James Fisher, City Secretary Aimee Nemer and Network Administrator William House.
In February 2009, when the project began, the committee was formed to work on developing the request for proposals from marketing consultants and to work with the consultants during the project.
Not all members of council believe the time is right for developing a marketing and branding campaign. Mayor pro tem Roxanne Bogdan voted against the project because she “didn’t feel financially this was the right time to do this.”
4A Economic Development Corporation sponsored half of the estimated $120,000 cost. Fisher said the board is considering funding an additional amount but is waiting until other promotional projects are completed before making the decision to fund additional dollars. Other options to cover the balance without using the General Fund include using funds from 4A, 4B or the Utility Fund.
 “I believe it is critical to take advantage of this ‘economic downtime’ and be proactive in our strategy to attract and retain quality businesses,” said Councilmember Mike Daniel. “I do not want to be reactive and forced to take the leftovers from other cities. We have a great city ... a lot to offer. We need to package our message, create a solid brand, and get in front of the businesses that residents are requesting. And we need to do that sooner rather than later.”
Halbert also wants to get ahead of the curve.
“With the economy, I do understand the concerns that no one is moving toward development,” Halbert said. “However we are still getting interest from restaurants, retailers and other businesses.  We need to make sure that we are prepared for this interest as well as being proactive whenever possible. Once more companies start building again, it would be best if they already had Murphy in mind so that we hit the first wave of a rebounding economy rather than waiting for overflow to eventually hit us.”
Fisher said the campaign could help bring new residents and businesses to Murphy.
“During this time of a tight economy, now is the perfect time to prepare Murphy for the next wave of economic opportunity. Businesses are still looking for strong markets to locate stores that will be profitable,” he said. “Murphy is a great community but lacks sufficient opportunities for our residents and neighbors to eat and shop locally. Hopefully, this effort will enable Murphy to establish itself as a community that is a great place to do business and live. We are also trying to encourage people to move out to Murphy and fill in our approximately 600 remaining residential lots. If we can increase our sales tax base it will diversify our tax revenues and, therefore, strengthen our ability to continue to provide great community services.”

Project background
On Feb. 23, 2009, city council, 4A and 4B held a joint workshop to discuss and formulate a plan to develop a new marketing campaign for the city.
“In order to stabilize and diversify our tax base, the city needs to begin a proactive and aggressive marketing campaign,” said Fisher. “The purpose of the campaign is to develop a cohesive image of Murphy that represents who we are, why we live here, why you should be here and the great opportunities that can be found in Murphy.”
Ariamedia’s Passarello said the plan should reflect Murphy’s character.
“It should include a very intentional communications plan both for Murphy residents and businesses and for prospective residents and businesses,” he said.  “It should engage and interact with each of these audiences to act out the values expressed by the brand.  It should always be true to Murphy’s character, as reflected in its mission statement and branding.”
Ariamedia was awarded the city’s marketing and branding campaign by council on June 15. The company specializes in interactive communications, branding, insight and strategy for the public sector. Its clients include the town of Addison, city of Southlake, the Dallas Office of Economic Development, and the city of Carrollton. Current and recent work includes video animation, Web sites and online social media, and public event branding and promotion. The firm, based in Addison, will soon celebrate its ninth anniversary and is led by founder and CEO Ryan Thompson. More information is available at www.ariamedia.com.
Murphy’s campaign includes redesigning the city’s Web site to make it easier to navigate and easier to find information. The new design will incorporate current Web sites for 4A, 4B and the city.
Fisher said the campaign is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. At the Oct. 5 council meeting, Ariamedia will present survey results. The cost of implementation and the implementation timeline of the new logo will be discussed with city council at the Oct. 19 council meeting.
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