November 9, 2011

Wilesmith Advertising Retained By City of Miami Lakes, Florida

The City of Miami Lakes has selected our agency to brand and market the City.

The project encompasses a destination brand study and the development of a brand promise, brand identity and design across the brand architecture. The first phase of the project will be a six-month undertaking. The second phase will include a comprehensive strategic communications plan that will be implemented by the City.

Wilesmith Advertising/Design has developed and implemented successful brand initiatives for other cities across the State of Florida, including Dania Beach, Dunedin, Pompano Beach and Tavares, which the firm successfully rebranded as “America’s Seaplane City,” resulting in a dramatic impact on the City’s economic development.

In these challenging economic times, more and more smaller cities are coming to understand the power of municipal branding to impact dynamic economic growth. They recognize that building positive brand value can attract new business, create new jobs, retain residents and enhance tourism.

October 17, 2011

Wilesmith Retained to Brand & Market
New $48M Elder Care Facility In Peoria County, Illinois

We are thrilled to announce that our award-winning firm has been retained to brand and market a new, state-of-the-art elder care facility now under construction in Peoria, Illinois.

Wilesmith’s assignment is to develop and execute a comprehensive branding strategy, including name development, logo, tagline and overall marketing and elder care strategies primarily aimed at reaching senior citizens and their families.

Estimated to cost up to $48 million, the new county-214 operated nursing home will house residents, including 80 Alzheimer’s patients, in 151,000-square-foot building on 13 acres.

To engage in branding and marketing for such a valuable community project in Peoria County, Illinois will be another exciting endeavor for our South Florida team. Our branding work with non-profits, particularly with MorseLife positioned us perfectly for this project.

Wilesmith has been the agency-of-record for MorseLife, Florida’s second largest provider of senior services since 2006. In 2010, the agency won the prestigious Bernays Award for our work for them.

“The branding and re-branding process for cities, community agencies and nonprofit organizations is a primary focus for the agency,” added Wilesmith, the author of The Importance of Branding for Non-Profits, which was featured in the PR News Guide.

May 20, 2011

Wilesmith Wins City of Dunedin, Florida

Margaret Wilesmith, founder/president of Wilesmith Advertising/Design announced that the award-winning firm has been retained to brand the City of Dunedin, Florida.

The agency’s assignment includes brand assessment, brand development and design, and the development and implementation of a strategic marketing plan.

“To engage in brand development and design for Dunedin is an exciting project,” said Ms. Wilesmith, whose firm is currently engaged in brand initiatives for cities including Dania Beach, FL, and Pompano Beach, FL. The agency’s branding for the City of Tavares, FL, resulted in a brand identity for the destination as “America’s Seaplane City”, which has dramatically impacted the City’s economic development.

“More and more, smaller cities are coming to understand the power of municipal branding to positively impact economic growth: building value to attract new business, create new jobs, retain residents and draw visitors”, she added.

April 28, 2011

Wilesmith Advertising | Design Retained to Brand
PATH Achieve Glendale in Southern California

Wilesmith Advertising | Design in West Palm Beach, announced that the award-winning firm has been retained to re-brand PATH Achieve Glendale, an agency serving the homeless community in the third largest city in Los Angeles County.

Wilesmith’s assignment is to develop and execute a comprehensive branding strategy, including a complete re-brand of the community service agency, name development and brand design.

“To engage in name development and brand design for such a valuable community service agency in greater Los Angeles will be an exciting project for our South Florida team,” said Ms. Wilesmith, whose firm has developed successful branding and marketing campaigns for over 40 non-profits including the American Orchid Society, Palm Beach County Cultural Council, and MorseLife, a major provider of senior services in Florida.

“The branding and re-branding process for nonprofit organizations has been a primary focus for the agency,” added Wilesmith, the author of The Importance of Branding for Non-Profits, which was featured in the PR News Guide

April 15, 2011

Wilesmith Advertising | Design Retained to Brand
Pleasant City, West Palm Beach

Wilesmith Advertising | Design in West Palm Beach, announced that the award-winning firm has been retained to brand the Pleasant City district, The Northwood Village, as a live/work enclave for artists.

Located in the Northeast corner of West Palm Beach, Pleasant City is a culturally diverse community with a rich heritage that is a vital part of the West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency's master plan for Northwood Village.

“To engage in name development and brand design for a specially designated artists’ live/work section within Pleasant City is a project rich with creative possibilities” said Ms. Wilesmith, whose firm has developed successful brand campaigns for over 40 non-profits and destinations including the American Orchid Society, the City of Dania Beach, FL, the City of Tavares, FL. Palm Beach County Cultural Council, and Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau

November 9, 2010

Dania Beach CRA Retains Wilesmith For Branding & Marketing Initiative

We pleased to announce that the agency has been retained to develop and execute a major new branding and marketing initiative for the City of Dania Beach, FL.

The two-phased project in expected to take up to nine months and will include both brand assessment and brand design.

"We are so excited to be working with the City of Dania Beach,” said Margaret Wilesmith. “The City appreciates the value of branding and are putting resources behind this important initiative. Big companies have long understood the power of the brand to build value. Now smaller cities are awakening to the fact that destination branding is important for the same reason: because customers always have choices.”

Wilesmith Advertising | Design is currently engaged in a similar project for the City of Pompano Beach and recently completed a successful brand development assignment for the City of Tavares, Florida

February 16, 2011

Pompano Beach CRA Retains Award-Winning Wilesmith Advertising/Design for Branding

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Margaret Wilesmith, founder/president of Wilesmith Advertising/Design in West Palm Beach, announced that the award-winning firm has been retained to research, identify and design a brand for the City of Pompano Beach, FL.

Acting as the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, the City Commissioners of Pompano Beach gave Wilesmith the go-ahead to begin the process with an intent to award the $75K contract at the next CRA meeting.

“The purpose behind the initiative is to give Pompano Beach an identifiable and differentiating image that can add value by promoting tourism, attracting commercial enterprise and building community pride,” said Wilesmith, whose firm has developed successful brand campaigns for numerous clients, including the American Orchid Society and the City of Tavares, FL.

“A brand is not a logo. A brand is your DNA,” Wilesmith told a Sun-Sentinel reporter. “It’s not necessarily a tangible or material asset. It may be an attitude, an intangible value. The goal is to create emotional engagement and connection between the brand and consumers.”

February 22, 2011

Soaring in America’s Seaplane City: Tavares

Seaplanes are everywhere in Tavares. They’re painted on the sides of buildings, shaped into mailboxes, even embedded in the city’s logo. Most important, they’re taking off and landing at the city’s $8.4-million seaplane base and marina that opened in April.

Two years ago, Tavares declared itself “America’s Seaplane City,” a title it trademarked as part of an aggressive economic development effort. Since then, the Lake County city of 13,000 has been attracting attention from seaplane enthusiasts all over the world.

The marketing effort was a big gamble. Local leaders were looking for a way to revitalize the waterfront city’s downtown. By the time they honed their vision, the nation was in a deep recession. The city decided to forge ahead with its plans for an 88-slip marina along Lake Dora with harbormaster offices and a retail store, as well as a seaplane-themed children’s splash park and a pavilion to host community events that have grown from four a year to 16.

The plan worked. Tavares’ economy is soaring. The new marina has recorded 340 seaplane landings between April 10 and June 30. “Most people thought we’d be lucky if we got 10 a month,” says the city’s economic development director, Bill Neron. The splash park counted nearly 18,000 patrons in its first four months. In June, the city landed its first seaplane manufacturing facility, Progressive Aerodyne, which moved its operations from Orlando. Other seaplane-related companies are showing interest.

At least 22 new businesses, including restaurants, have opened downtown in the past three years — thanks, in part, to the city’s decision to waive impact fees for the first year. Commercial permits are now outpacing residential — an important factor in a city where the largest employer is the tax-exempt county government, with 800 workers.

“We’ve been a little bit of an anomaly here,” city administrator John Drury says. “During the best economic times, we were not doing well. During the toughest times, we’re growing by leaps and bounds.”

“The result has been incredible from a business perspective.” — John Drury, Tavares city administrator

The City of Tavares selected Wilesmith Advertising | Design to conduct a brand assessment and rebrand the City. The completed initiative includes immersion of the new brand design and messaging into the public realm through environmental graphics, wayfinding, and collateral design. The agency was also responsible for creating an inviting, holistic exterior environment.

November 17, 2010

Washington’s Public Justice Foundation Retains Wilesmith

Margaret Wilesmith, founder/president of Wilesmith Advertising | Design, announced that her firm has been retained to develop a branding and marketing strategy for Washington; D.C.- based Public Justice Foundation

The Public Justice Foundation marshals the resources of over 3,000 of the nation’s top lawyers to fight for justice through precedent-setting, socially significant litigation and advocate for human rights, civil liberties, environmental protection, public health and safety, and access to the courts.

“Our ultimate goal is to re-energize the image of this distinguished and exceptional organization so that it can more effectively advance its mission, win hearts and minds, and sustain success on a national stage,” said Wilesmith.

About the Public Justice Foundation: The Public Justice Foundation www.publicjustice.net is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) membership organization. Membership includes leading trial lawyers, appellate lawyers, consumer advocates, environmental attorneys, employment lawyers, civil rights attorneys, class action specialists, law professors, and law students.