West Columbia has ‘Head West.’ Columbia was ‘Famously Hot.’ Lexington seeks own identity
How do you brand a town?
Lexington is taking a fresh look at how it presents itself, looking to make sure it's doing its best to tell the story of what the community has become, said Jack Stuart, the town's economic developer.
"We have a logo, but not the story of who we are today behind the logo," Stuart said. "We're in a new age of Lexington where our Main Street is different than it was 10 years ago, everyone wants to live here. So we look at it from a marketing standpoint, from recruitment."
That's why the town is in the process of hiring a branding and marketing firm to help it "develop a comprehensive brand identity."
With a population of nearly 25,000, Lexington prides itself on its small-town feel. But the area has seen some of the highest growth rates in the state, if not the country . That's leading the town to re-evaluate its identity.
Once hired, the firm would conduct meetings and community focus groups to get a better sense of the town and how it wants to be represented. The goal is not necessarily to create a new logo for the town, but to craft a story around Lexington's identity it can tell its residents and present to the rest of the world.
"Something I hear often from people is that they can't quite put their finger on what the feeling is in Lexington. People have a hard time describing what that is," Stuart said, explaining that crafting that image can help with business recruitment and luring visitors to town.
"As of today, don't have a catchphrase," he said. "West Columbia's is 'Head West.' Columbia's isn't 'Famously Hot' anymore, but that was a great brand. You can see tangibles like that.
"That also could lead us into understanding who our residents are and planning events and stuff," he said, noting that Lexington doesn't have a signature event like Irmo's Okra Strut and Pelion's Peanut Party.
The ultimate goal, Stuart said, is "inevitably to be the best place to live, work, play and worship in the middle of South Carolina."
The project will be funded by a $25,000 grant the town received from the S.C. Municipal Association's Home Town Economic Development program, with a 10% local match from the town. Stuart said other funding sources could be sought depending on what needs are ultimately identified.
"We'll be looking at proposals as they come in, see who's most qualified and what budget might align with that," Stuart said.
This is only the latest effort Lexington has undertaken to re-craft its image. The State previously reported that Lexington has spent around $100,000 on rebranding efforts since adopting its current logo design in 2005 — which included replacing an old town seal that included a Confederate flag . That effort included repainting water towers, changing displays at Town Hall, and getting new town police badges.
Stuart said town officials are open to revising the logo again — away from the stylized "Town of Lexington SC" with a crescent for the "o" in "of" and a palmetto tree replacing the "t" in "Lexington." But the end result will be a wider presentation Lexington can make about itself.
"We're more than a palmetto and a crescent," Stuart said. "That can be turned into something. There's a story to be told."
