TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Over recent months, the City of Merrill has been exploring ways to attract new people to the Merrill area to help fill the ever-present need for more employees for many area businesses and to grow the Merrill community in positive ways. Along with efforts to provide additional housing and daycare options to help facilitate that process, the City also began exploring marketing efforts and how the City of Merrill is perceived.
A Marketing & Communications Committee was formed. A Communications Consultant was hired. And new branding efforts were explored, along with a possible new logo for the City of Merrill. Church Mutual marketing representatives volunteered their time to assist in the development of the new logo, a new tagline, some advertisements, and more, at no cost to the City or to Merrill taxpayers.
A small survey of attendees at an early fall event at the Merrill Enrichment Center suggested the new logo might be well received by the community, so the City Council approved the logo, and efforts to begin rolling that new logo out to the community began. The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors saw the proposal, and Chantel Kuczmarski, the City’s Communications Consultant, posted the proposed new logo and tagline on the City’s website and Facebook page, and then presented it to local business owners at the recent 2022 Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet.
After those initial communication efforts, some wholeheartedly embraced the new look, tagline, and concept, while others questioned the purpose, the expense, and the look and concept overall.
As a result, the City Council has placed the proposed new logo on hold and is seeking public input as to how and whether to proceed.
“We heard you! Your voice matters to us. At this time, we’ve put a pause on the City’s new logo and tagline,” a message on the City of Merrill website reads.
The City Council wants to hear from residents about the matter.
A public forum is scheduled to be held in the City Hall Council Chambers, 1004 E. First St. in Merrill City Hall, on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, at 6:00 p.m.
City officials and members of the Marketing & Communications Committee will share the City’s vision behind the marketing and rebranding process and will answer the most frequently asked questions.
Residents are welcome to respectfully share their comments at the podium, with a three-minute time limit at the podium to ensure everyone has an opportunity to speak.