Herndon Council Receives Update on Town Branding Initiatives

Members of Herndon’s Town Council received an update on the town’s branding and marketing initiatives at its Tuesday night work session.

Town of Herndon Public Information Officer Anne Curtis said the town has been working to incorporate the new brand in its materials like pamphlets and emails, and will continue to do so as projects come up and the year goes on.

Curtis said the new logo has also been incorporated into the 2013 Herndon Festival logo, and the town is working toward building a new website. For the time being, the current website has been updated with the new logo and matching color template.

In January the town launched its new customer service initiative, Count ON Us, which follows the brand as well. Additional projects the town is looking to incorporate the brand in are new gateway signage, logos for town vehicles, banners and a new Town Square sign board for Count ON Us.

The Count ON Us customer-service initiative has also been expanded with the ability to track zoning violation reports online through the town’s customer relationship management application at Herndon-VA.gov. Users on the site can click the “Report a Problem” link on the Quick Links list.

Users have been able to track other department of public works items online since 2010, including potholes and graffiti, but now they can report issues such as residential overcrowding, inoperable vehicles, illegal signs and other zoning violations.

The Town has also worked to reach out to businesses to provide them with information and resources on incorporating the town’s new brand, including Come ON In decals, Curtis said.

She said the town has created pitch kits to provide to organizations and businesses to help them incorporate the brand into their business. Additionally, presentations have also been done for the Herndon Chamber of Commerce and Friday Night Live.

The town is still seeking to incorporate the brands into other aspects of the town, such as a crowd sourcing event, pop-up exhibits and retail shops, and a business startup incubator.

Curtis said in perhaps next year the town will look at doing new research, surveys and interviews to see how effective the new branding and marketing has been.

In addition to promoting the town’s new branding among all town businesses and organizations, the town also has a special focus for its restaurants and the promotion of restaurants.

Curtis said the town is at an advantage when it comes to variety, diversity and authenticity. More than 80 percent of the restaurants in the town are independently owned, she said.

The town is working to create a restaurant-specific website to promote the town’s restaurants, as well as special events centered on Herndon’s eateries. The website is set to be launched in April and will incorporate the town’s new brand.

Curtis said the town is working to conduct interviews with the town’s restaurants to collect information for content on the site. The site will also include general information on restaurants, such as hours, links to their sites, and links to other sites such as Yelp and Open Table.

Restaurant owners will also have the ability to log into the website with a user name and password so they can keep their information updated.

Restaurant-focused events the town is looking at include a crowd sourcing event called Lunch is ON, having “snack breaks” at offices in town with possible food trucks, a Taste of the Town type event and incorporating restaurants in events such as Herndon Arts Week and Herndon Festival. 

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