The trademarked symbol is owned by the Midland Business Brand Coalition, a group made up of representatives from the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce, Midland Tomorrow, Midland Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dow Chemical Co., the city of Midland and Midland Downtown Development Authority, Miller said.
Those groups shared the cost to hire Midland marketing company Bolger + Battle Inc. to develop the new brand and logo, she said.
“What we wanted to do is have one collective concept that all of those organizations could use to promote Midland,” Miller said.
Over the past year, Bolger + Battle conducted surveys, researched perceptions of the area and came up with several concepts, she said.
The Midland Business Brand Coalition chose the “Million Brilliant Possibilities” logo, which features Midland in capital letters, the slogan in smaller type and an array of colorful square boxes.
“Our goal was to develop a fresh, differentiated brand identity for Midland that would help position the community for the future,” said Greta Bolger, co-owner of Bolger + Battle.
Bolger said “A Million Brilliant Possibilities” captures the large number of distinctive places, people and opportunities in the Midland area. The logo also is compatible with the city’s colored directional signs advertising places of interest.
“We’re very excited about the impact this unifying brand can have for Midland,” Bolger said.
Miller said the chamber hasn’t used a logo in recent years. Midland has long been known as the “City of Modern Explorers,” but the new concept conveys that there are exciting things to do and see in the community.
“Having a strong, energetic, consistent identity can help us attract business, tourists, young talent and others that will strengthen our local economy and quality of life,” said Sid Allen, president and chief executive officer of the Midland Chamber.
The new brand and slogan could soon appear on billboards, Web sites and advertising to promote Midland, she said. The new logo is available for use by local organizations for promotion by calling Bolger + Battle.
The new logo doesn’t conflict with recent efforts to promote the Tri-Cities as a region, Miller said.
“I think all the organizations involved are proud to be part of this region. However, we felt it was important that Midland have an identity as well,” she said.
Bay City and Saginaw each have their own logos as well. In Bay City, the slogan is “A beautiful view … of life” and the Saginaw Chamber of Commerce uses “Strong Roots …Strong Future.”
Eric English covers business for the Bay City Times. Contact him at eenglish@bc-times.com.