4 1 D O W N T O W N MARKETING Follow Us @downtownwichita Community Outreach The Downtown Wichita communications staff works in partnership with the public and private sector to develop and implement strategies to creatively communicate the vision outlined in Project Downtown as well as progress on development initiatives. The communications team produces public presentations, manages social media, and maintains the website, downtownwichita.org. Other duties include graphic design and digital and email marketing to promote Downtown events, efforts and initiatives including 2nd Saturday and Final Friday. In order to spark new development and be a catalyst and creator of change, the Downtown brand needs to evolve as the district evolves. In 2016, a new logo, brand and responsive mobile friendly website were unveiled to further unify and enhance awareness of the district and organization. This new branding effort creates a strong visual identity and is representative of the creative, thriving and collaborative environment that exemplifies Downtown Wichita. These new tools provide the foundation and platform to share messages in an engaging way that tailors to key downtown audiences: developers, residents, visitors, businesses and employees. Key to the updated branding effort is the new brand promise of Possibility People, which provides an opportunity to promote all that is possible from economic development and investment to cultural vitality to diverse lifestyles. The new logo, brand and website were designed by Howerton+White, a local integrated marketing agency, who worked closely with Downtown Wichita during its development. Digital and Video Marketing In 2016, over thirty presentations were provided to local, regional and national organizations. Strategic emails communicating development progress were sent with an average open rate of 30%. The national average for open rates for a non-profit as of July 2017 is 19.71%.19 Approximately 60 Downtown Weekly Event Emails and Special Event Emails were published with an open rate of 25%. In 2016, Downtown Wichita enhanced their video marketing, releasing an end of year progress video and multiple development videos throughout the year. Holiday Marketing Promoting holiday events, shopping, and dining in Downtown brings awareness to the unique offerings in the district. In 2016 Downtown Wichita promoted the Downtown for the Holidays marketing campaign, which encompassed print marketing, digital advertising, and created a mobile friendly webpage, downtownwichita. org/holidays, which had approximately a thousand pageviews.