I was (and continue to be) a supporter of the idea of Brand Oregon long before Governor Ted Kulongoski promoted it as an official initiative last year (here is a cached version of a post I made in 2002 on the topic). The goals of Brand Oregon are to:
- create a set of branded messages with a unified look and feel that works for varied industries and state communications;
- to be in charge of our own story;
- to sell more Oregon products and create more business opportunities through branded marketing efforts; and
- to deploy a multi-faceted, long-lasting campaign and with staying power.
This initiative is one of the Governor’s top economic development priorities and also one of 12 key initiatives identified in the Oregon Business Plan adopted at the Oregon Business Summit last year.
But, alas, it doesn't look like it was so important to the Governor afterall. This week's Portland Business Journal is reporting that the initiative is without funding in the Governor's budget. The best sound bite?
"Regardless of whether there is an actual line item in his budget, the governor is very supportive of Brand Oregon," said MardiLyn Saathoff, business policy and economic development adviser to Kulongoski.
I sure hope so.
Learn more about Brand Oregon after the jump.
From the Official Brand Oregon Site:
So what is Brand Oregon?
Simply put, it's the concept of creating an omnibus brand for Oregon to unify state communication and marketing efforts. Brand Oregon is one of Governor Kulongoski's top economic development priorities. His commitment to marketing Oregon under a unified "brand" recognizes the need to leverage statewide marketing efforts to create more impact and bring about positive economic returns to Oregon businesses and the state's economy. Brand Oregon marketing also is one of 12 key initiatives identified in the Oregon Business Plan.
Governor Kulongoski unveiled the Brand Oregon campaign at the December 1, 2003, Oregon Business Summit in Portland, where more than 1,000 business leaders from across the state came together to discuss strategies for getting Oregon's economy back on track.
The goals of Brand Oregon are to 1) create a set of branded messages with a unified look and feel that works for varied industries and state communications; 2) to be in charge of our own story; 3) to sell more Oregon products and create more business opportunities through branded marketing efforts; and 4) to deploy a multi-faceted, long-lasting campaign and with staying power. The focus for 2004-05 is on tourism, agriculture and business recruitment, and on coordinating with state agencies on external communications.
