Photo Credit: Courtesy of Arlington Parks and Recreation
Faced with increasing competition from the private sector, a changing population and a lack of a strong public identity, the Arlington Parks and Recreation Department in Texas decided to take on a branding initiative in 2007.
At the time, the department was focused on services rather than image. Staff members often stated that, if the department was doing a better job with its communications program, everyone would know the depth and breadth of its programs and services. When it comes to mass communications, however, this logic is false. Studies show that, if you tell people one thing you want them to remember, 85 percent will remember. If you tell them two things, the percentage drops to 25. And, if you tell them three things, only 5 percent will remember. Therefore, it is best to convey only one message in a mass-communications program.
To define the department’s single message, the marketing department was charged with creating a process to define the brand. And, because no one knows the business of the department like its own employees, it was done internally.