Businesses Embrace Co-Branding Effort With Neligh Jackets

Community branding is a key part of marketing, but in Neligh, the business community has taken that even further by co-branding their businesses with the city’s new logo.

It started as a simple idea. Economic Development Director Greg Ptacek wanted the logo on a jacket to wear at conferences. Once he bought his jacket from Moyer’s Department Store in downtown Neligh, dozens more have sprouted around town. 

There are now about 50 Neligh jackets around town. From the two banks to the dentist office, businesses are proudly promoting their business logo along with the new logo for the City of Neligh.

 “It’s gone beyond my wildest dreams,” Ptacek said. “It’s co-branding Neligh and the businesses in Neligh, and it’s mind-boggling to me to think people are getting behind this logo.”

Ptacek said a lot of time and effort went into the logo, which has three tiles that are designed to look like app tiles for a smartphone or tablet to symbolize the community’s progressiveness toward technology. The tiles show fireworks to symbolize family, fun and entertainment centered around Neligh's Fourth of July festival, the family represents community and the tree shows Neligh’s designation as Tree City USA and its green scape. 

“With the Marketing Hometown America process, we had a really good idea to start with, but it’s really doing good. Branding takes a lot of work behind the scenes, so working with Pitzer Digital we really looked at 'How do you make a good logo stick out?' because Neligh isn’t your typical little town that’s going to have that nice street scape and the hill that goes down it. It’s making that logo stand out and we wanted to bring in different elements that really screams 'This is Neligh,' " Ptacek said.

Accompanying the new logo is the communities’ new slogan - Not Too Small To Have It All - which was written by Stephanie Wanek.

“My team started talking about all of the assets we have in Neligh - businesses, recreation facilities, like our wonderful parks, health care facilities. Although Neligh's size is small, we’re really not too small to have it all.”

Wanek also serves on the Neligh City Council and was one of the first people to have a Neligh coat. She’s now one of dozens.

“It does makes me proud to see that logo and proud to see them displaying that logo. It also makes me just so happy that they’re calling Neligh home and that they’re shouting to the world that I’m from Neligh Nebraska and I’m proud of it. 

Adding to the pride of the logo and jackets is the local aspect. It was designed by Neligh marketing agency Pitzer Digital, the t-shirts were purchased from 319 Graphics and T’s and the jackets are all bought from and embroidered by Moyer’s Department Store in downtown Neligh.

"It’s keeping things local, purchasing things locally from different businesses. It’s working with different businesses. It’s great for a small town to do that," said Jeri Anderson, owner of Moyer's Department Store.

Anderson recently finished her stint as Neligh mayor. As one of the communities’s biggest supporters, she’s excited to see the jackets around town.

"They’re promoting their community. They have pride in their community and are trying to make things better and show support of the community with wearing the logo and being seen in other towns with the logo on. People popping up and saying that’s a cool logo, so it’s neat for our town to have that."

And other communities are catching on. Anderson said she’s heard from several towns who are interested in creating a logo and branding their community in similar fashion. 

Ptacek said it’s certainly helping with community pride and realizing what Neligh has to offer. 

“We really wanted to bring in community pride, and that’s what this logo and this branding campaign is all about,” he said. “Neligh is a lot more than just the mill and the drive-in, Neligh has 150 businesses, 386 acres of green space, scenic $28.5 million dollars in investments and it all symbolizes into these jackets."

"It all screams that Neligh is a great place to live," Ptacek said. "So what we really wanted to do was bring in community pride, and that's what this logo is all about. That's what this branding campaign is all about."