Overland Park has new logo, slogan

Overland Park wants to become a well-known commodity instead of a rather well-kept secret.

To do that, the city, its Economic Development Council and its Convention and Visitors Bureau are working jointly toward developing a strategy for better "branding" the city for promotional and marketing purposes.

Though undergoing some refinements, a new city logo already has been created. The next step is to develop a comprehensive strategy for effectively conveying what the city is about. That message will target potential and existing businesses and residents, tourists and business travelers, said Sean Reilly, the city's public information officer.

The city is being guided in this process by North Star Destination Strategies of Nashville. Up to $114,000 could be spent on the entire project, but Reilly said it is not expected to cost quite that much.

North Star, in explaining what the effort is all about, states, "Your brand is what people say about you when you're not around. Branding is what you do about it."

If there are misconceptions or a lack of knowledge about the city, officials are hoping the branding effort will change that.
"Cities can't stand still, because to be viable and attractive to businesses and visitors and residents you have to get the word out and do it in an effective way," Reilly said.

North Star conducted a variety of surveys by mail, online and in person to determine how the city is perceived. It also used marketing information extensively to assess the city and develop strategies.

The company developed almost 200 recommendations for how the city might conduct branding efforts. Reilly said the city is just beginning to examine and consider those recommendations.

Even after initial strategies are adopted, that will not be the end of the effort. New plans and approaches constantly will be considered and implemented.

"If you stop selling yourself, you will never succeed," Reilly said.

To date, the city has been limited in how it has promoted or marketed itself, Reilly said, and that puts it at a disadvantage.

"Cities are very competitive. Overland Park has tended to sit back on its laurels while other surrounding cities have been very aggressive," Reilly said. "You have to do what it takes to bring in new businesses and residents."

North Star identified a host of city assets and challenges. Among the plusses are such things as the area's educational systems (including higher education), shopping, Corporate Woods, the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, the new soccer complex, and the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead.

Among the challenges are a lack of a central community gathering place, a distinct identity and significant entertainment venues and cultural institutions. It also is fighting on a national level some negative imagery regarding Kansas and the Midwest.

The city's current logo, originally adopted in 1990, is a tree supported by the letters OP. The new one simply states in attractive type the city's name, and it is accompanied by the slogan "Above and beyond. By design." As now conceived, The Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Economic Development Council would substitute their agency names in place of the slogan.

Outside this immediate area, Reilly said, the OP letters in the current logo do not have meaning to non-residents.

In its survey work, Reilly said North Star determined that 17 percent of out-of-town shoppers coming to the Kansas City area head for Overland Park. That compares to 18 percent who choose the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City and 19 percent who opt for The Legends in western Wyandotte County. Another 22 percent come with no particular preference in mind. It is hoped, he said, that better branding and marketing will entice more of those visiting shoppers to select Overland Park as their destination in advance.

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