The City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA), the nation’s premier network of local government communicators, presented the City of Johnson City with the first place Savvy Award in the category of Marketing and Tools – Branding/New Logo for a population up to 90,000. The award was presented Sept. 5 during the 3CMA national conference in Denver.

The 3CMA’s 2019 Savvy Awards recognize outstanding local government achievements in communications, public-sector marketing, and citizen-government relationships. The Savvies salute skilled and effective city, county, agency, or district professionals who have creatively planned and carried out successful innovations in communications and marketing. This year, 3CMA received more than 707 entries in 92 categories.

“It is a real honor to be recognized by 3CMA for our new brand,” said Johnson City Mayor Jenny Brock. “This new city brand truly defines our essence – that here in Johnson City, we Go. All. Out. And true to form, our City employees, residents, business owners and numerous partner agencies have embraced the brand. In these early months of the brand roll out, we have seen it unify the community. We look forward to sharing it with people outside of our area as it helps identify what sets Johnson City apart and why people want to live or do business here.”

The City of Johnson City tapped North Star Destination Strategies, the nationwide leader in community branding, to help complete a branding initiative for Johnson City, culminating in the development of its new community-wide brand and tagline of ‘Go. All. Out.’

The brand, unveiled in January, promotes the area as the outdoor, commercial, educational and cultural hub of Northeast Tennessee. Johnson City’s new identity incorporates the mountains in its logo, embracing and promoting itself as an outdoor destination that celebrates its authenticity, culture and self-sufficiency.

The city is working to roll out new brand elements throughout the community and is using ‘Go. All. Out.’ as a call to action to get outdoors, do your best and become involved. It is an invitation to explore the city’s mountain setting and economic opportunity. It also encourages innovative thinking and a spirit of perseverance and resiliency.

As part of the 3CMA conference, the City’s Communications and Marketing director Keisha Shoun and Digital Communications Manager JT McSpadden were the featured speakers in a session titled The Nature of Your Place: How Your City’s Natural Assets Can Inspire Your Brand. Sharing Johnson City‘s story with communications and marketing professionals from across the country, the two highlighted how our outdoor amenities inspired a robust brand that effectively conveys who we are.

CONTACT:    Keisha Shoun, director
                             Communications and Marketing
                             423.557.5177

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