Main Street Oskaloosa released the Brand Action Plan today and launched a website, www.brilliantoskaloosa.com, to share the recommendations and progress. The brand plan will also be available at the Oskaloosa Public Library and Oskaloosa Area Chamber & Development Group office.
“We have a plan that is robust and based on successful, proven tactics for tourism and branding,” said Oskaloosa Main Street President Josh Buckingham. “Our team believes strongly that if we follow the plan diligently, we will grow tourism and retail sales and expand the variety of businesses in the community.”
Buckingham said there is much work to be done and the Brand Leadership Team (BLT), a subcommittee of Oskaloosa Main Street, will begin to expand committees to implement the recommendations. Buckingham said the BLT has started work on a few of the recommendations, including hanging banners in the downtown and speaking to clubs and organizations to discuss the new brand and answer questions, keeping community members informed and engaged about the branding process.
Oskaloosa Main Street Director Karen Hafner said it’s been great to see the community’s positive response to the new brand. “Oskaloosa High School Art Teacher Matt Kargol recently created a bike rack made out of Oskaloosa’s new logo. We’re excited to see more community members step up and embrace Oskaloosa’s new brand,” she said.
Volunteers Needed
Buckingham said interested individuals should review the recommendations and sign up to join the various subcommittees in order to assist in the implementation. “At the February community presentation, many individuals expressed excitement and said they would sign up to help with implementing the plan,” Buckingham said. “We encourage anyone who has interest in helping to fill out a volunteer form at www.brilliantoskaloosa.com/volunteer or contact Hafner at 641-672-2751.”
Volunteers can choose from 50 recommendations and committee activities including a program to rehabilitate the facades of downtown buildings, working with the city council to hire a company that will develop a city-wide wayfinding system of signs, and consulting with a local volunteer designer for logo gear and collectibles that proudly display Oskaloosa’s new image.“The great thing about this plan is that the items listed in it are recommendations,” Hafner stressed. “The BLT and committees will be reviewing the progress regularly and make adjustments to the plan
Branding Background
The process to develop a brand plan for the community started in September 2014. It involved an online community survey with more than 1,500 participants, interviews with a wide cross section of business and community leaders, and personal experiences of the Brooks team when they visited Oskaloosa.
“Our volunteer team worked closely with the Brooks team to develop a plan that fits our unique community,” Hafner said. “The goal is for Oskaloosa to be known as a place with a vibrant downtown– a place full of activities, events, shopping and dining. We want to help make Oskaloosa a popular attraction for existing residents, as well as those thinking about living and working in Oskaloosa.”
The recommendations, known as the Brand Action Plan, were developed by Oskaloosa leaders and local citizens active in the community who worked with Roger Brooks International, a tourism and branding expert. It will guide the team on steps to take in the rebranding efforts to make Oskaloosa a tourist destination.
