Arlington Heights rethinking marketing campaign

As much as there is to love about Arlington Heights, nobody said marketing it would be easy.

The village board is asking for input from the Arlington Economic Alliance on how to construct a strategy to underpin new ways of promoting the community.

For more than five hours Monday night trustees heard reports on marketing the village and discussed whether the “Discover Arlington” campaign that has been around for at least eight years has run its course.

The village has been marketing the community for at least 20 years, said Village Manager Bill Dixon. In the current fiscal year the village budgeted $272,752 for marketing, and $112,688 of that has been put on hold until the board decides the direction to take.

The Discover Arlington campaign has been successful in attracting and retaining businesses and is evolving to use more social and electronic media, according to village staff.

But the village must decide what it wants to be and come up with a strategy to get there and attract the types of businesses and customers it wants, said economic alliance member Angelique Gunderson.

The village’s challenges include competition from other towns and the bad economy, she said.

“We’ve got things you can’t get anywhere else. What ties all of our assets together? We’ve got a great library and park district and school system and a great downtown. What is it collectively that makes it better than the rest?” she asked. Examples of strategies she suggested include concentrating on Northwest Community Hospital and becoming a wellness and health center; using the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre and other institutions to brand the village as a cultural destination; claiming the persona of an artist community; or calling itself the city outside the city.

“The bottom line is we all have the same goal here,” Gunderson said. “We want it to be the best possible place, the destination of choice.

“If I’m looking for a home I know why I should choose Arlington. It should be crystal clear,” she added. “If I own a company and I want a place outside Chicago, it should be crystal clear why it should be in Arlington Heights. A consumer shopping around the area should understand why he or she should go to Arlington Heights.”

Besides attracting and retaining businesses, the village needs to attract more residents, too, said Trustee Carol Blackwood.

“How can we differentiate ourselves?” asked Trustee Mike Sidor. “We were first, but everybody else caught up. We want to tell them why we’re better and here’s why you should come here.”

Dixon warned that trying to establish a community strategy and community identity without representatives of other interests including the park district and schools could be “like picking up a porcupine.”