Owatonna, just south of the Twin Cities, is home to historic architecture by the renowned Louis Sullivan, Minnesota’s largest free fair, corporate headquarters, and a community that is always ready to work together to get things done. Previously known mostly for being “too far,” Owatonna’s new brand embodies the promise of worthy returns for going the extra mile.
BRAND DNA
- Target audience
- For those driven to do better for each other,
- Frame of reference
- Owatonna, on I-35 at US14 and home to the Steele County Free Fair, Minnesota’s largest,
- point-of-difference
- is an outsized economic center whose prairie grassroots generosity is never outdone
- Benefit
- so things just get done.
City Challenge:
Despite having a rich story to tell, Owatonna lacked awareness beyond its immediate neighbors. With a humble, Midwest attitude and no cohesive community-wide identity, the city struggled to deliver its message to the outside world. To achieve its long-term vision for growth and prosperity, Owatonna needed a unified voice to define and convey its many benefits to talent, visitors, businesses, and its own residents.
brand solution:
Through extensive community engagement and research, North Star uncovered a powerful story defined by a commitment to excellence and a drive to get things done, whether in municipal government, community groups, or person-to-person. The “Where the Extra Mile Takes You” branding provided the platform to tell a unified story to a variety of audiences. It also directly challenges preconceptions that their location is too remote by positioning that “extra mile” as the path to something special.
