If municipal logos and slogans were a reality makeover show, a hipster host might admonish Newmarket for its lacklustre appearance.
If Newmarket’s small town charm and wide open greenspace makes it beyond the ordinary, then word hasn’t spread to the rest of the GTA.
Vaughan, the self-styled City Above Toronto put itself on the map, albeit amidst controversy, with its slogan.
Richmond Hill is A Little North, A Little Nicer and Brampton residents would have you believe all roads lead to their city.
So where does that leave Newmarket?
Apparently, in the midst of a slight identity crisis.
The town will pull back the curtain for the reveal in a month or two. Marketing firm Mindshape was awarded the $125,000 contract and will present three options to the town in a month.
With Newmarket on the cusp of a bold renaissance, the town is ripe for a change, Mayor Tony Van Bynen said.
A new logo and slogan can give Newmarket a competitive advantage, he added.
“This is a big part of our overall economic development and marketing plan to attract new businesses to Newmarket and create homegrown career opportunities. This is a good time to define and project our identity,” the mayor said.
However, an Internet poll of 1,190 Greater Toronto Area residents, including 118 from Newmarket, shows a tear down, rather than a renovation, is needed.
Just 8 per cent of respondents could correctly identify Newmarket’s coat of arms logo.
Toronto scored the highest at 95 per cent, followed by Mississauga at 38 per cent and 16 per cent of those surveyed could identify Richmond Hill’s logo.
Newmarket scored similar results from the survey on its slogan, Well Beyond the Ordinary, which only 4 per cent of respondents correctly identified.
At nearly 50 per cent, Vaughan scored the highest out of eight GTA municipalities.
During a presentation to Newmarket council earlier this month, marketers from Mindshape said the town has struggled to define itself.
“Newmarket has a range of attributes that, while positive, are not unique to the town. Many municipalities in Ontario can point to greenspace, community orientation, heritage trails and an historic downtown as attractive features for residents,” the report states.
But the slogan doesn’t have to be controversial to be effective, Mindshape strategic planner Paul Curwen said.
The company has worked with other municipalities, including Toronto.
Newmarket will have to make a choice between the community it was, versus defining and marketing the town as it will be in the future, Mr. Curwen’s presentation states.
More focus groups are planned for early September and a decision about the town’s new brand could come as early as Sept. 29.