City Moves Forward on Unified Brand for Dunedin

Commissioners will seek outside marketing help to establish a unified city brand.

During an April 21 commission meeting, the city agreed 4-1 to pay Wilesmith Advertising, a West Palm Beach-based independent advertising company, just more than $73,000 to help the businesses roll out with a unified marketing identity and strategy.

A Wilesmith spokesman said his company would solicit input from community stakeholders and ultimately meld it into a brand concept that would answer to potential visitors, “What you stand for … what you will deliver, what you will promise.”

“You know there’s a magic in the air about our city,” said Vice Mayor Ron Barnette, speaking in support of the measure. “We need to articulate that and encapsulate the concept.”

Commissioner David Carson was the only dissenting vote.

“I’m not sure how it serves all 35,000 people [in Dunedin]. I think it serves the business community,” Carson said. “We just started talking about next year’s budget. We are going to be $1 million short. Now we are going to be $1,075,000 short. … We already have ‘Delightful Dunedin.’ I hope we don’t come back with ‘Come visit Delightful Dunedin,’ when this is over.”

City Manager Rob DiSpirito said that downtown businesses, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Dunedin Blue Jays, Dunedin Downtown Merchants Association and downtown hotels, spend an estimated $400,000 each year on marketing their individual brands.

Director of Community Redevelopment Agency and Economic Development Bob Ironsmith said his group proposed Wilesmith — an outside company — because it would provide “fresh eyes” for what attracts visitors to the city.

Members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Community Redevelopment Agency Association turned out to express their support.

“It’s a city that lots of us are proud of,” said businessman drawing on his experience with branding his business, BradyCarlin Events, “… It’s very hard to take [all of those things] and speak one word.”

Mayor Dave Eggers expressed hesitation at the timing of the expense, given the tough economic climate, but ultimately voted in favor of awarding $73,000 to Wilesmith Advertising.

He issued a warning to the company and its supporters, “I hope that all the [supporting] groups are ready to go … We’re counting on them to get out and talk to these businesses. [They’ve] gotta get involved so we have buy-in. That’s gonna be difficult. Don’t underestimate that difficulty.”