5 Eau Claire Nonprofit & Public Sector Rebrands That ROCK

Using brand affinity as a tool for growth isn’t just for the for-profit private sector.

Developing a brand that resonates with an audience is at the core of organizational momentum and long term relevance in any industry.

Take the 5 below brand nonprofit and public brands for example.

Each has a different audience, a different purpose, a different history, and different growth goals but they’ve all invested in their brand and have seen a tangible impact as a result.

Downtown Eau Claire

“You think of our downtown being at the center of the city but being so connected to the rest of the community. Bridges indicate that you need to go from one place to another and that journey from where we were to where we’re going. The rivers are our biggest amenity so we tied that in.” – Mike Schatz

“Eau Claire is about connections. It was really neat to find that that was the element that seemed to be the glue that connected the city to who we are.” – Stuart Sandler

“One of the features of the rebrand that our organization is really looking forward to is how the logo will differentiate the different districts.” – Julia Johnson

Visit Eau Claire

The new Visit Eau Claire logo “captures the personality of the city known for its independent spirit, creative culture, penchant for originality, and inspiring natural resources.”

Visit Eau Claire spent time listening to visitors and residents to understand the perception of Eau Claire.

“That evaluation process consistently turned up words and phrases including independent spirit, renaissance, arts and music, a ‘forever young’ mindset especially coming into play with sports, an openness to new and original ideas, caring, collaborative, inclusive, hip neighborhoods with lots happening, and natural resources that inspire creativity,” – Linda John

Eau Claire Jazz Inc.

Eau Claire Jazz, Inc. was formed in 2009 and hosts the Eau Claire Jazz Festival which has been going strong since 1967.

It works in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and works to support, promote, and perpetuate the worldwide cultural experience of jazz. They provide vibrant and authentic jazz experiences, inspiring audiences to build life-long appreciations for jazz music.

As part of their mission, Jazz Inc. rolled out a new brand identity at the end of 2019. Their new logo, colors, and fonts display a vibrant and colorful organization.

As part of their rebrand, they also rebranded a popular event. The “52nd Street” event was rebranded to become the “Eau Claire Jazz Crawl”.

Big Brothers Big Sisters

“This new look reflects Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin’s new brand positioning of the urgent need for the adults in the community to step up to defend the potential of every child.”

“Months of national research, including focus groups with potential Bigs, as well as current Bigs, Littles, donors, staff, and leadership showed that the brand was not effectively connecting with younger, prospective mentors or conveying the urgent mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters.” – Wesley Escondo

City of Eau Claire

“The City of Eau Claire’s logo references our rivers, trees, and downtown.”

“But as we’ve grown, so have the number of things for which we are known: a creative economy, an extensive trail system, a vibrant music scene, and our numerous bridges including the new pedestrian crossing bridge at the confluence, which now takes a prominent spot in our logo.”

“We like to think of our revitalized logo as a reflection of our history blended with the achievements of today and the vibrancy of our future.” – City of Eau Claire