AURORA BOREALIS Winter 2013/2014 | Page 5

Branding Aurora! Take the online survey This fall, Aurora began an exciting new branding initiative. The Branding Aurora team is led by a group of community stakeholders throughout the city working with North Star Destination Strategies, a nationally recognized community branding firm that has worked with more than 150 other municipalities. The benefit of an integrated brand is farreaching, affecting the economic stability of the residential and business communities. Proactive communities brand themselves to be distinctive and to be destinations of choice for businesses, industry, visitors, residents, families and others. What’s the Big Deal about a Brand? It’s just a logo, right? No, not at all. A slogan? Not really. A brand is far more than either of those. And everyone, every product, and every community has a brand. A BRAND is what “they” say about you when you’re not around. So our brand is not just what WE here locally think– but what others think about the Aurora experience. BRANDING is what we do to affect what people are saying about Aurora, and it can elevate the regard that residents, tourists, and business prospects have for our community. What is Aurora’s Brand? That is exactly what we are working to develop! A brand for Aurora is not a campaign theme, tagline, or slogan. It’s an expression of a compelling, unique experience that Aurora offers. It will exist as a message or promise that is seen and heard through multiple channels of communication. Our brand will reflect an experience throughout our community and our ability to deliver on the promise of that experience. How Can You be a Part? Everyone who lives and works in Aurora will have an opportunity to share their perspective! A COMMUNITY SURVEY IS NOW ACTIVE ONLINE AT WWW.AURORA-IL.ORG. Please take a few moments to complete the survey and ask family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to do the same. We look forward to receiving your responses to the survey! 2013 Miss Merry Christmas and Jack Frost The annual Miss Merry Christmas and Jack Frost Contest was one for the record books. With thousands of votes cast via newspaper ballots and online, the twelve contestants brought unprecedented levels of support for their quest for the crowns. Mayor Weisner and members of the Aurora City Council welcomed the young stars to City Hall to congratulate them and to present them with certificates and gifts. After the final tallies, Kaitlyn Ramos was crowned 2013 Miss Merry Christmas and Samuel Gonzalez donned the crown as the 2013 Jack Frost. They both joined Mayor Weisner for the annual Winter Lights Celebration and were given the honor of helping the mayor to ‘light’ the official Holiday Tree for the City of Aurora. Contestants joined Mayor Weisner at City Hall. L to R: Kaitlyn Ramos Ripley Walton Autumn Zink Joey Leonard Eduardo Zepeda Morgan Romanow Diesel Getz Samuel Gonzalez Erik Longo Jack Myers. Not pictured: Lauren Kowal Paige Kowal www.aurora-il.org | 5