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EASTON — From its burgeoning culinary scene to its walkable neighborhoods and downtown business district, Easton has a story to tell — one that Dawn Ferrante hopes to feature in a marketing initiative aimed at attracting new businesses and visitors to the city. Ferrante, Easton's director of economic development, recently unveiled a $42,550 marketing plan that calls for promoting the city in a variety of new, mostly digital, ways. Using videos, monthly podcasts, new websites and a newsletter, she wants residents of Easton to use their own words to share the city's virtues with the rest of the world. "We aren't going to have someone else tell us who we are. We are going to tell our own story," Ferrante said of the 18-page strategy approved by City Council last month. Over the years, Easton has marketed itself through print and television ads, highlighting festivals and neighborhoods. But this campaign will attempt to give the city a slogan that represents what it is all about. "It's mainly to pick out a brand and tag line that represent Easton as a river town with great opportunities and a small community to live in and raise a family," Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said. Easton's marketing plan comes as the Lehigh Valley's three cities attempt to carve out distinguishing brand identities. Over the years, each city has undergone its own revitalization, according to Tony Iannelli, CEO and president of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Allentown has been taking off as a hub for new business since 2009, when the state enacted a 127-acre Neighborhood Improvement Zone meant to provide tax breaks to businesses and encourage development. Bethlehem has always drawn crowds with its historic downtown, while Easton has developed into a restaurant destination with attractions such as the State Theatre and Crayola Experience to draw outside visitors, Ianelli said. In 2005, Bethlehem boosters created a new logo to brand Bethlehem and let tourists know that the city has many things to offer tourists. The logo, "Follow the Star to Bethlehem. One city, two great downtowns. Christmas City USA," was developed by Saraceno Design. It features the city's name written in a bold font with the elongated letters meant to evoke the image of Bethlehem Steel's blast furnaces. Symbols such as musical notes and the Moravian Star represent various attractions in the city. Bethlehem contracts with the Chamber for its marketing. There is a Downtown Bethlehem Association and South Side Arts District, each with its own manager. As part of the effort, a temporary website dedicated specifically to sharing information about Easton's marketing campaign will be launched in the coming weeks. Residents and business owners visiting the website will be encouraged to take a survey about what qualities they appreciate most in the city. Those feeling especially invested can participate in one of four focus groups to be conducted this summer in the city's main neighborhoods: College Hill, the West Ward, South Side and downtown. Tag lines will be developed with words participants use to describe Easton and the results will be put to an online vote so that residents can decide which tag line will become the city's new slogan. Eventually, a second website focused on businesses, recreational opportunities and resident testimonials will be unveiled. The other part of the plan calls for creating video clips of local leaders and residents, and professional photography the city can use to promote itself on the new website and social media. The plan's emphasis on digital is meant to attract millennials, who were born between 1982 and 2000 and now outnumber baby boomers, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Ferrante didn't have an exact figure, but said more millennials are moving into Easton because they can walkto businesses, restaurants and entertainment. "This population expects to be engaged in various ways online, so in order to keep them coming and serve those that are already here, we must improve our technological capabilities as a city," says the marketing plan. Ianelli said Easton is smart to develop a marketing campaign. "This is as good a time as ever. People seem to have more interest in the cities, whereas for a long time there had been an exodus to the suburbs," he said, citing residents' desire to stop relying on motorized transportation. "I think they are, in a sense, striking while the iron is hot," Ianelli said. The Lehigh Valley in general has seen a digital push in marketing, said Colin McEvoy, director of communications for the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. In the spring, the LVEDC released a series of videos aimed at attracting new businesses and visitors to the three cities, Northampton and Lehigh counties, and the Slate Belt. In December, the organization launched a new website. "It makes sense to have a strong digital presence because we have that much more opportunity to get the message out there and reach that many more people," McEvoy said. In addition, websites often serve as the first introduction for a developer looking to start a new business. In January, Easton City Council approved increasing its marketing allocation from $10,000 to $50,000. Ferrante hopes to keep costs down by partnering with Lafayette College on the initiative. Students will implement the plan, and in turn earn hands-on experience in their field of study. For example, sociology students will prepare the survey and conduct focus groups, and English students will piece together information for the new website, Ferrante said. She does not anticipate hiring additional staff to carry out the plan. In addition to the $42,550 the city will put forth for marketing and community outreach, the plan also includes $150,000 in grants from the Northampton County Community Improvement Partnership Program to be divvied up over the next three years. That money will be used to replace signs at key locations around the city. While the city has marketed individual initiatives in the past, such as the farmers market and State Theatre, this will be the first formal effort to publicize the entire city's appeal, Ferrante said. "It's just such a cool city," she said. Now it's time to spread the word. Read the original article here.