HELP UNCOVER OUR REGION’S AUTHENTIC STORY
OUR BRANDING INITIATIVE
The New Jersey Highlands Council has recently begun a research-driven, region-wide branding initiative. This effort will help the Highlands Region stand out in the marketplace as we grow toward our preferred future. We are currently conducting research inside and outside of the region to uncover perceptions, attitudes, and what’s unique about the New Jersey Highlands.
RESEARCH
We start by conducting research within the Highlands Region and then gather external perceptions. Our goal is to uncover what is distinct and authentic about the entire region.
CREATIVITY
All of that data is transformed into compelling creative tools that tell the region’s story in ways that visitors, businesses, and residents can understand.
ACTION
Next begins the integration of the new brand—not just into marketing and communications, but also into the fabric of our community and our daily lives.
“HOW PEOPLE THINK OF A PLACE IS LESS TANGIBLE, BUT MORE IMPORTANT, THAN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE.”
RICHARD FLORIDA
FAQS
What is Community Branding?
Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not around. In other words, your reputation! Just like people or products, communities have reputations based on all the different experiences people have had with that community over time. Branding is the process of changing, clarifying, refining, or improving that reputation.
The first step in our community branding initiative is conducting research to figure out what the Highlands Region’s existing reputation is. At the same time, we will conduct research to determine what the region’s greatest strengths are. What makes the New Jersey Highlands special and unique? This allows us to look at what our reputation is and what we want it to be based on our strengths. Then, we come up with creative tools, strategies, and advocacy programs that help close the gap between the two.
A new brand won't solve all our problems. What branding can do is focus people on the positive differentiators in the Highlands Region, which can help us stand out as a preferred location. The stronger and more defined our reputation, the more people will want to live, work, and visit here.
Are a brand and a logo different?
A brand is not just a logo or a tagline. A brand is a set of ideas and images (such as a logo) that set an expectation of what our community is about. Our brand is our unique story, and we want to tell our best one.
Can you share some examples of community branding?
You can see numerous examples of community branding on the website of North Star Place Branding + Marketing. This agency is our branding partner.
Why do we do research?
People have opinions about the New Jersey Highlands Region. We want to hear them all. And the only way to do that is to gather lots of data about the community. That data then becomes the primary driver for uncovering the region’s brand. A statistically significant body of quantitative and qualitative research ensures the brand represents the perceptions of all audiences inside and outside the community.
SHARE YOUR STORIES
& GET INVOLVED
At the heart of the Highlands Region are the stories of the people who spend their time here—and we want to hear them all. Did you start a business or a family here? Buy your first house or car? Please share the details. What does your church mean to you? Did your kids learn to ride a bike in the park? Where do you go to have fun with your friends? What is your favorite memory?
If pictures are your preferred way to tell your story, post a picture of you, your family, and friends at a favorite community hangout. Post pictures on your Instagram, Facebook, or X (Twitter) with #AuthenticNJHighlands. The best pictures might even be used in a social media campaign associated with the roll-out of the new brand!
If you have a passion to help with this process, sign up to become an NJ Highlands Brand Ambassador below. Ambassadors are kept updated on the project and given the tools to spread the good word about the region within their own personal spheres of influence.