A community brand is only as good as the amount of input gathered from within that community. To that end, people who live in all parts of Greenville are asked to take part in a community survey.

The City of Greenville and the Convention and Visitors Authority have contracted with North Star Destination Strategies to develop a community brand for marketing the city to businesses, visitors, and residents in 2013 and beyond. According to North Star CEO Don McEachern, “At the heart of Greenville’s brand will be what makes the community special so it can stand out in the marketplace. One of the best places to find that figurative nugget of marketing gold is in the hearts and minds of the people who call Greenville home.”

To find that nugget, North Star developed a customized community-wide online survey. The questionnaire has been carefully crafted to determine the city’s strengths, weaknesses, challenges and opportunities. Everyone who lives or works in Greenville is invited and encouraged to participate in this important community-wide project.

The survey can be found at the City’s website, www.greenvillenc.gov. Printed surveys will also be available at City Hall, Sheppard Memorial Library, Carver Library, East Branch Library, and the Greenville Pitt County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Surveys must be completed and submitted by March 27.

“We have partnered with more than 150 communities in 32 states nationwide, and I can’t emphasize enough the importance of insights gleaned from community members,” stressed McEachern. “To learn what makes a community special, you have to go to the people who spend more than just their money and time there. You have to go to the people who spend their lives there.”

If you are interested in learning more about Greenville’s branding initiative, please visit www.greenvillenc.gov, or contact Debbie Vargas, Executive Director of the Greenville-Pitt County Convention and Visitors Bureau, at (252) 329-4200. To learn more about North Star Destination Strategies, visit www.northstarideas.com.

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