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Visual Marketing forMain Street

Laura Cole-Rowe,lauracolerowe consultingRachael Snedecor,Livermore Downtown, Inc.

Why Visual Marketing IsImportant It gives potential and existing

customers knowledge of yourdowntown as a viable place toshop, dine, and use businessservices and, with having aconsistent, look will help withbranding your organization

Main Street businesses have comea long way in the past five years ofthe professionalism of theirbranding and visual marketing

How to Get StartedMake sure an element of your

downtown’s branding (logo,tagline, color or pictures) areconsistently in your marketingpiecesMany downtowns use historical

architectural elements as part of theirlogo

Consistent images and color helpsolidify the visual image of downtownin the minds of your local consumer

BUT, things can look different,depending on your audience andwhat you want to portray

Festival/Special Event Logos

Professional looking logos givethe look and feel of yourfestival or special event

This branding of what yourfestival is “all about” canportray “fun” or an upscaleevent

Old Sacramento –Theatre of Lights• Holiday Event based on when thepoem “The Night Before Christmas”was introduced in the SacramentoBee in 1857• The poem was narrated by MarkTwain and told the story with musicand a light show twice nightly onThursday through Sunday nights• History as well as entertainment• Visual Marketing images includedsepia tones and “old-time” fonts

Old Sacramento –Theatre of Lights

Old Sacramento –Holiday Shopping – 2008

Old Sacramento –Holiday Shopping – 2009

Old Sacramento –St. Patrick’s Day

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Ventura DowntownOrganization

Ventura DowntownOrganization

Ventura DowntownOrganization

Ventura DowntownOrganization Downtown San Leandro Downtown San Leandro

Downtown San Leandro Downtown San Leandro Downtown San Leandro

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Ukiah Main Street Ukiah Main Street Ukiah Main Street

Movie Theater Slides Movie Theater Slides DesignConsiderations

• The key to an effective ad is simplicity - 7second rule

• Do not place important elements (copy or art)near the edge. Focus tends to be soft on theoutside edge due to various presentationfactors

• Upper and lower case bold fonts are easier toread than all caps. Use your Website address

• No more than two photo elements per designare recommended

Billboards/Sides of Buses• Keep your

message simple(you don’t wantpeople getting inaccidents readingyour sign!)

• Use your websiteaddress, taglineand logo

• 7 second ruleapplies

NewspaperSupplements/Magazines

• A supplement toyour localnewspaper, donemonthly, bi-monthly,quarterly orannually, is a way tocreate awarenessabout yourdowntown to localsand visitors

NewspaperSupplements/Magazines

• A magazine,dedicated to yourdowntown, can bedirect mailed(expensive) ordistributed to variousplaces includingvisitor centers,hotels, etc. Theseare free magazines.

NewspaperSupplements/Magazines These pieces have a good amount

of advertising in them so that thepublisher can make a profit.

Having editorial control on thefeatures and articles lets you saypositive things about the businessesdowntown, as well as publicizingyour events.

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Brochures

A listing of all of downtown’sbusinesses is a fair and equitableway to promote all businesses.Include a map of downtown tohelp people find their way

Brochures can be marketed toboth local residents and visitors,and is a piece that many localskeep to find products, services andrestaurants in downtown

Brochure Samples Where to place brochures

City Hall Chamber of

Commerce Visitors’ bureau Hotels Restaurants Retail stores Apartment

complexes (mailout program)

Realtors Subdivisions

Visitor centersTrain stationsBus stationsDormitoriesConference centersPerforming arts centersUniversitiesConference plannersSchool districtsWelcome Wagon

Tips on Brochures

For the first time out, estimate howmany brochures you can distributein a period of time (six months to ayear)

Decide how many times a year youwill update and print (no more thantwo times a year)

Track (as best you can) wherebrochures are distributed

Pocket brochures are becomingpopular

Information Kiosks

• A kiosk should givebasic information ofwhere yourbusinesses arelocated (by map orby address) andpoints of interest(art, historical sites)

Information Kiosks• Kiosks can be custom

made as an art piece, orcan be obtained frommanufacturers

• Update no more than oncea year even though youhave business changesconstantly (cost factor)

• A brochure holder on thekiosk is an effective way tohave the customer “walkaway” with more up-to-date information needed

Walking Tour Guides

• Black and White onthe Cover with HistoricPhotos

• Color on the insidewith today’s photos ofhistoric buildings

Informational Fliers

• Pictures ofpeople portrayaction andliveliness

• Mutedbackground

• Special eventlogo/font

Informational Fliers

• Switchingpictures andtext from sideto sidemakes visualinterest