How Melitopol Residents Promote Their City’s Brand

Melitopol has designed and approved the marketing strategy and the city brand with the support of international technical assistance project Partnership for Local Economic Development and Democratic Governance (PLEDDG Project). The project consultants assisted representatives of the city authorities and the community throughout all stages of strategy development, working jointly to find the most effective solutions for promoting Melitopol.

The marketing strategy directs the efforts and resources of Melitopol residents toward supporting business by promoting opportunities available in the city, demonstrating openness to innovations and partnerships, and a vibrant cultural life. All activities are aimed at turning Melitopol into a tourist and business center famous both in Ukraine and abroad.

‘From the very outset of cooperation with the PLEDDG Project, we have actively engaged the community. While working on the marketing strategy, we held so-called open spaces and discussions attended by over 100 people, many of them more than once. All the while, we worked on the city’s brand. This process was also open, and the opinions of city residents were heard and considered,’ says Oleksandra Hryhorovych, Chief of the Municipal Marketing and Forecasting Office at the Socioeconomic Development Directorate of Melitopol.

The principles of simplicity, natural values, and clarity are at the core of the Melitopol brand – local traditions, relations between the authorities and the business community, and the city space as a whole. The city positions itself as a center of health and youth, simple and convenient transportation. Hospitable and business-oriented are the words that describe the two aspects of Melitopol through which the city opens itself to its residents, guests, entrepreneurs, and investors with the help of specially selected communication channels and instruments.

The city brand was designed alongside its strategy. After numerous discussions, six final logo prototypes were selected from among several dozen versions of the community’s logo. Melitopol residents chose their current city logo through open online voting on the City Hall website as well as through an offline survey in the city center. The vibrant and dynamic design of the chosen logo speaks to Melitopol’s focus on continuing development. Meanwhile, the concise slogan: ‘Right here…’ is open to new interpretations depending on the context in which it is used.

‘Our logo is fully comprised of the city’s brand features: honey stalls as a part of the city’s name and a symbol of its wellspring of resources; cogs as a symbol of its mechanical engineering past, whose famous traditions live on in small and medium enterprises; and, of course, the world-famous ‘Melitopol sweet cherry’. Our logo is a part of the photo zone and is featured in all social videos shown on the big screen in the city center. It also embellishes city expos and stands of our entrepreneurs at exhibitions, including international ones,’ says Iryna Rudakova, deputy mayor of Melitopol in charge of activities of the executive government agencies.

The marketing strategy implementation action plan calls for various projects designed to imprint the city’s brand on the community’s consciousness, on the city space and infrastructure, as well as the city’s cultural life. One of them is a project titled ‘Melitopol – a Reliable Partner and a Hospitable Host’ implemented in collaboration with the PLEDDG Project.

‘The best promoters of the city are its residents! Our cooperation with the community was not limited to their involvement in marketing strategy development, but continued also at the implementation stage. Owing to the PLEDDG Project, we have launched a special innovative project that is new to Melitopol – the School of Ambassadors. Its program featured numerous tours provided by experts on ethnographic studies, history and local governance. We found some interesting ideas and like-minded individuals among scholars and business people. Today we, jointly with ambassadors and other stakeholders, are already developing the concept for a tourist cluster,’ Oleksandra Hryhorovych said.

Essentially, the School of Ambassadors offers awareness raising courses for those Melitopol residents who would like to learn important and current information about their city and are prepared to popularize the city’s brand through various communication channels. Those who successfully complete the School and intend to engage in promotional activities are conferred the informal title of an Ambassador of Melitopol. The mission of every such ambassador is to promote values of the brand of Melitopol among residents, investors, city guests, and tourists. To qualify to become an ambassador, a person has to know the history and specifics of Melitopol, be a patriot of the city, and peculiarities in public events on behalf of the community. This year’s official ambassadors of the city are management and marketing consultant Andriy Rublevskyi, Ukrainian Mass Wrestling Federation chief Valeriy Gazaev, world and Europe karate and boxing champions Artem Durmadzhy and Ihor Panayotov.

‘While studying at the School of Ambassadors, I discovered for myself completely new aspects of the city’s life. Communication with employees of the ethnographic museum was very interesting and practically enlightening. In day-to-day life, I often get to introduce myself as an ambassador of Melitopol. As a rule, this status is a great conversation starter, since this immediately captures the interest of the residents of other cities who want to learn more about Melitopol,’ says Oleksandr Sorokin, art director of the advertising agency Wizard, Ambassador of Melitopol, and co-author of the city’s logo.

In addition to ambassadors, Melitopol residents promote their city’s brand using various tools. With the support of the PLEDDG Project, the city commissioned the production of a publication titled ‘Melitopol – a Reliable Partner and a Hospitable Host’ and an eponymous video, a trilingual ‘Investment Manifest of the City’, and the ‘Melitopol for Tourists’ booklet. The famous festival ‘Chereshnevo’ did not escape attention either. A separate promotional video was created for it and broadcast on the UA:Social television channel. The video is also screened during city-wide and away activities. Last year Melitopol participated in extensive investment exhibitions – InCoForum and Eco Forum, which took place in Zaporizhia. Meanwhile, in 2019 Melitopol residents presented their city in Kyiv at the international conference ‘Ukraine’s Place in the World: Municipal Marketing and Branding’, organized by the PLEDDG Project. Melitopol’s practical implementation of marketing strategy activities has been recognized as one of the best among the PLEDDG Project partners, particularly its integrated nature and the ever more efficient implementation of jointly developed initiatives.

The concept of a territory’s brand has gained colossal importance in the modern world. Competition among cities, regions, and countries for resources turns them from ordinary geographic units into full-fledged products that have their value, properties, and price. The PLEDDG Project helps partner cities implement a strategically balanced and consistent marketing policy where each initiative complements another effectively. Melitopol’s experience shows that it is easier to implement city marketing projects when the brand reflects the identity of the local population as well as combines the values and goals of the local community.

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How Melitopol Residents Promote Their City’s Brand

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