Goshen agrees to contribute $25,000 to kickstart city marketing campaign

By Angelle Barbazon

GOSHEN — People outside of Goshen may start to hear a lot more about the city over the next year or so as a new marketing campaign shines the spotlight on the community — locally, regionally and even nationally.

The city council voted Tuesday night, April 1, to contribute $25,000 to a marketing venture that aims to highlight the Maple City as an “uncommonly great” place to live, work and visit. The campaign has also been pitched to the Goshen Chamber of Commerce, Goshen Community Schools and Goshen College. The city’s contribution will come from its Economic Development Income Tax, or EDIT, fund.

Heading up the campaign is Eyedart Creative Studio, a homegrown company that works in marketing, advertising, multimedia and communications. Eyedart partner Grace Bonewitz said the company was approached by the city, the chamber and local schools to explore the next steps in implementing a branding study the chamber organized in 2010.

The marketing campaign’s cornerstone is storytelling, Bonewitz told the city council. Eyedart will be tasked with creating 48 stories over the span of one year that highlight the community’s positive features. Text, photos and video will be compiled and posted on a website that would act as a hub for the four partners. Billboards, T-shirts, and advertising on the radio, in newspapers and in magazines will also be key parts of the campaign, she said.

Chamber president David Daugherty urged the council to support the project. Bonewitz added that the campaign has been well received by Goshen College and Goshen Community Schools.

If all four partners come on board, Eyedart plans to launch the campaign this summer.