A new promotion of Fenton has begun.
The Downtown Development Authority has partnered with New Moon Visions, a Milford-based marketing firm, to showcase the town, and on Tuesday the company unveiled Fenton's new logo, Web site and campaign plan.
About 40 residents, business owners and city officials attended the short program.
The company was hired for $49,700, with the DDA providing $46,000 and the Local Finance Development Authority also chipping in.
The city is planning to spend $196,445 is marketing next year.
New Moon Visions worked with city officials, merchants and residents to uncover the community's brand. It includes a new logo, a blue-and-white fleur-de-lis; a new slogan, "be closer"; and a new Web site, www.fentonbecloser.com.
It also includes a marketing plan, which will be used to communicate all that Fenton has to offer to visitors, locals and potential business owners through social media, billboards and radio ads.
"We wanted to get the message out to the rest of Genesee County, Oakland, Livingston and beyond that Fenton is a great place," DDA Chairman Craig Schmidt said. "We are looking for businesses to have an uptick in dollars. As a small community, we want to get our name out there, on the radio, on the Internet. It's a tremendous package for us."
Schmidt said he started to consider the idea when he was interviewing a prominent restaurant owner in Ann Arbor, who said, "Oh, Fenton, that nice little farming town off of U.S. 23."
"I realized people didn't know we are here and what we are," Schmidt said. "This well help give us an identity."
The DDA hired New Moon Visions last summer, and the company went to work getting to know the town, said spokeswoman Natalie Burg. Officials met with Fenton merchants, council members and residents to try to learn Fenton's identity, and they zeroed in on the closeness of the community and its proximity to lakes and major cities.
Fenton residents and business owners believe the new marketing campaign will help the town.
"A good Web site is like a town square," said Fenton resident John Strayer. "People used to go downtown and talk. Now, everyone does it online."
Fenton resident Jacquie Ochs said she thinks the promotion will make a difference.
"It gives Fenton a real professional image," she said.
Dennis Leyder, an official at the State Bank in Fenton, said he believes the Web site will help drive visitors to the town.
"People can look at events and think of Fenton," he said.
New Moon Visions has worked with Canton, Brighton, Milford, Northville, Plymouth and several other towns around the state.
"Our goal is to get people to take a closer look to live in Fenton, or open a business or visit for the day," New Moon Visions art director Kim Rivera said.
Schmidt said getting Fenton's name out there is important, and he hopes it leads to people visiting the city.
"We hired them to get people here and drive them to our stores," Schmidt said. "We want to get people downtown."
Ed Huot
6:30 am on Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Give me a brake. I cant wait to leave naples and get back to the patch. Fast Eddie
Robin Blitchok
11:17 am on Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The Fleur de lis is Fentons new logo? Seriously? I thought we lived in AMERICA?
Vera Hogan
1:08 pm on Wednesday, January 26, 2011
What is the significance of the Fleur de lis on the new logo? Where or on what will that logo be displayed? Does this replace the gazebo logo? Also, is this new website in addition to the city's site at www.cityoffenton.org? If I were coming in from out of state, the first website I would look up is the Chamber of Commerce's. Will city and chamber sites (and possibly others) link to the new one?
Linda
8:11 am on Thursday, January 27, 2011
Fenton spent a huge amount of money for this and plans to spend close to $200,000 in the next year on a marketing campaign. They could have saved a lot of money and given residents a sense of ownership/community if the powers that be had involved them. The city could have sponsored a contest and possibly come up with a better tagline than "Be Closer." And Vera, I agree with you about the fleur de lis - there is no obvious significance. Taking away the gazebo feels almost personal, somehow.
Jason Alexander
8:42 am on Thursday, January 27, 2011
The fleur de lis is made up of two lower case "f's" mirroring each other to represent Fenton. Each has a drop of water above to represent Fenton's proximity to the lakes. The blue and teal colors represent the nature and water of the area. The Web site is a new promotional Web site and separate from the city of Fenton Web site, which will remain the same for the time being. The new logo will be displayed for marketing efforts and by local merchants.
Donna Wettig Hitz
9:58 am on Sunday, January 30, 2011
New Moon Visions is a successful marketing firm. http://www.newmoonvisions.net Anyone who would care to look into them would see that. We need to give them a chance. There is no other business of that type that exists in Fenton. I think it was an excellent choice.
Also, anyone who would like to be a part of the Fenton decision making process could get involved in it. No one does. Everyone just anonymously complains in the local paper. This creates contention. Sarcasm does not change things. Fair reporting of the processes that are involved in making changes would be a plus to the community. We need a more positive slant that encourages citizens to get involved. I am hoping that we can find that here at Fenton Patch.
Remind us of when the city meetings are held. Tell us who is on the DDA board and what their interest is in this city. Interview them. Educate us.
Taylor Erwin
9:07 am on Tuesday, February 1, 2011
I think it was a very clever attempt at a logo, however, it looks as though it were chosen prematurely--it does not have the character of a final product--to me, it looks... beginner. What does Fenton mean to it's residents? To it's visitors? What do you think of when you think Fenton? Maybe to some when people think "Fenton" they think the French Laundry and the Bastille Day Run, hence, a Fleur-de-lis? However, "Fenton" to it's long time residents may wish to see more of a nod to our history or maybe even our lakes. I say, keep developing it--and at least we don't have Brighton's catch line!