In Our View: New Business Brand

With impeccable timing — one day before the arrival of about 2,000 visitors for the state Republican Party convention — local economic development officials on Wednesday announced a new brand. Except it’s not local, it’s regional: “Portland-Vancouver USA — Land Here, Live Here.”

The regional approach and the wording of the brand make just as much sense as the perfect timing. And as a large banner was draped from the Army Hospital Building in Vancouver, just east of busy Interstate 5, a new era in business recruiting began. We say new, but “first” might be better, because no one seems to remember Vancouver and Portland ever collaborating in pursuit of companies and — more important — jobs. It took open minds and a team spirit among 200 or so business leaders (from both sides of the Columbia River, but mostly from here) who created the new brand. High praise is due Identity Clark County, which led the effort, as well as campaign coordinator Amplify Group Inc. of Brush Prairie and graphic design firm Tribe2 Studios of Vancouver.

The new dual-city identity was affirmed by officials at a press conference Wednesday morning in Vancouver, and already we can hear a few nit-picking gripes from the naysayers:

Why are we collaborating with Portland? Instant answer: Because we’re all in this together, and when corporate leaders look to relocate, they examine a region as a whole. We’re the 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the country, and we should act like it. Bonus answer: Because the phrase “Portland-Vancouver USA” helps address any confusion each city might have with another that carries the same name.

Why does Portland get to be mentioned first? Oh, brother! We suppose it took a day or two for Minneapolis-St. Paul and Dallas-Fort Worth to resolve this same thorny issue, but probably not more than a day or two. Truth is, each city should be proud of the other. Both cities should welcome this new alliance with the same gusto they will welcome any new jobs that it brings to the region.

We had another, not-so-negative question: Is that “Land” in the “Land here, Live here” tag line a verb or a noun? As it turns out, that’s one of the beauties of this new brand. You’re welcome to make it anything you want. If “Land here” means to arrive, as has happened for more than two centuries, then that’s OK with the brand promoters. And if “Land here” means “We’ve got acreage here that job-creating businesses should strongly consider,” there’s nothing wrong with that, either.

That’s just one example of the flexibility that makes this grass-roots campaign so promising. Another example is how it can be tailored to fit smaller entities. As Columbian business writer Aaron Corvin reported, officials in Ridgefield might want to acquire the overall promotional kit for a licensing fee of $199, then customize logos or secondary brochures to advertise “Land in Ridgefield, Live in Ridgefield.”

This is not a tourism campaign. It’s designed for recruiting businesses, creating jobs and reducing unemployment rates on both sides of the river. Identity Clark County and other stakeholders hope the campaign is adopted by municipalities, businesses and organizations. That makes perfect sense to us.

“Portland-Vancouver USA — Land Here, Live Here.” is only in its infancy. If it grows as intended, our region could reap significant economic benefits. For more information, visit http://www.portland-vancouverUSA.com.