A friend of mine who worked on the city’s brand a while back saw my recent post and messaged me on Facebook with a comment about the City’s branding mission.
We tried to get them to understand the true nature of branding and how creating a viable socio-economic platform, not just a tagline, would build the foundation for future communications. But all I got back was “where’s the funny headlines?” and “we want to do some TV.” Got to love a city that hires someone for their expertise then tells them what to do. Trump [has] brought the issue of border culture to the top of the media’s mind, and the timing is gonna be perfect for the next 15 months to establish a real and viable identity for the region.
Part of the problem is that everyone thinks they’re an expert, and much of the City’s marketing decisions are made by committee.
The City currently employs someone with the title Public Information & Marketing Corporate Manager. According to the City’s website, she is Juliet Lozano. Ms. Lozano appears to be well-versed in the rigors of Public Information, but I’m not sure that combining the duties of a Public Information Officer and a Marketing Manager fulfills the City’s commitment to transparency. Those duties sometimes conflict and rarely coincide.
My friend discretely did not name names regarding his dealings with the city, and I’m certainly not trying to impugn Ms. Lozano’s reputation. But maybe the City needs a C-suite executive managing our marketing efforts.
Or at least a consultant.