alltogetherdubuque.com Website Produced Through the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs' Iowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grant Copyrighted
April 15, 2024
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 09.
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE: alltogetherdubuque.com Website Produced Through the lowa
Department of Cultural Affairs' lowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grant
SUM MARY: Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager Bonnie Spurling is sharing the results of a
$15,000 grant award from the lowa Department of Cultural Affairs
(I DCA)Arts & Culture Marketing Grant program to support an umbrella
communications campaign to capture and brand the uniqueness of
Dubuque's creative and cultural assets.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
MVM Memo City Manager Memo
Staff Memo Staff Memo
alltogetherdubuque web page Supporting Documentation
alltogetherdubuque Branding Supporting Documentation
Dubuque
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: alltogetherdubuque.com Website Produced Through the lowa Department
of Cultural Affairs' lowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grant
DATE: April 8, 2024
Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager Bonnie Spurling is sharing the results of a $15,000 grant
award from the lowa Department of Cultural Affairs (IDCA) Arts & Culture Marketing
Grant program to support an umbrella communications campaign to capture and brand
the uniqueness of Dubuque's creative and cultural assets.
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Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Jill Connors, Economic Development Director
Bonnie Spurling, Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager
Dubuque Economic Development Department
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TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Bonnie Spurling, Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager
SUBJECT: alltogetherdubuque.com Website Produced Through the lowa Department
of Cultural Affairs' lowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grant
DATE: March 29, 2024
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to share the results of a $15,000 grant award from
the lowa Department of Cultural Affairs (IDCA) Arts & Culture Marketing Grant program
to support an umbrella communications campaign to capture and brand the uniqueness
of Dubuque's creative and cultural assets.
BACKGROUND
lowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grants have supported efforts by arts and cultural
organizations and other eligible entities to market their reopening or to publicize the
resumption of activities and public re-engagement in creative and cultural experiences
post-COVID. Funding for this program was established with $1 million of Coronavirus
Relief Funds from the CARES Act, directed to the lowa Governor's Office, consistent with
the Office's authority to provide economic relief to small businesses impacted by the
public health emergency. The grant program sought to recognize the vital role of arts and
culture in strengthening local economies and communities. Requests of up to $20,000
could be submitted and no match was required.
City staff applied for the grant and were notified on October 27, 2021, of having received
a $15,000 award of the $20,000 requested.
In addition to the award made to the City's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, a total of
$97,700 in awards were made to Dubuque-based arts and cultural organizations and
venues through the IDCA's lowa Arts & Culture Marketing Grant program.
At the time of application, no single marketing campaign or strategy existed to collectively
market the breadth and variety of creativity-based, culture-bearing events, venues, and
experiences available in Dubuque. Furthermore, no single entity was charged with the
mission to do this work. As a priority strategy outlined in Dubuque's Arts and Culture
Master Plan, a public / private Branding & Communications task force has been working
to fill that gap with the goal of developing and implementing a communications campaign
proposed to be managed collaboratively by the City of Dubuque and Travel Dubuque.
The task force mentioned above with input through community stakeholder focus groups
over 4 months in 2021 developed a creative brief to guide the project scope and timeline.
Based on the creative brief, this grant proposed to support the development and
implementation of a 2-phase communications campaign by a professional marketing firm
to be secured through City RFP processes.
Phase I would realize the creation of a name and tagline for the brand, a logo, branded
graphic elements, messaging, branding standards, a user-friendly toolkit, and the
establishment of an online presence. Phase I was scheduled to take place January
through June 2022.
Phase II would build out the digital presence established in Phase I into a robust and
interactive website, purchase print and radio media buys, and produce general print
collateral and `guerrilla marketing' pieces of bus wraps, stickers, postcards, and the like
for distribution and adoption by local creatives. Phase II was predicted to cost up to
$15,000 depending on scale of reach and features to be included. Phase II scope was
tailored not to exceed funding secured.
The IDCA grant provided a unique and unexpected opportunity to jump start this
campaign with significant resources.
DISCUSSION
The grant funds have now accomplished the proposed work. City staff contracted with
Gigantic Design Co. to develop the branding and marketing pieces. The results of this
are the "alltogetherdubuque.com" website. Attached to this memo are visual examples
of the site.
The interactive website, alltogetherdubuque.com, was introduced to the creative's
community and arts organizations on March 7, 2024, at a Creative's Cafe event. The
website allows creatives and organizations the ability to enter their artistic and business
information into the website, utilizing the site to promote their businesses at no cost. This
will be a benefit to both established organizations as well as start-up businesses,
especially those without a brick-and-mortar location. The site directory lists artists and
creatives from multiple disciplines and practices, allowing anyone the opportunity to find
a Dubuque artist or creative to spark a new connection or hire them for a project.
The branding element of the website allows the artistic community to connect with other
local artists at AIITogetherDubuque events by using the AIITogether logo for social media
posts. Artists and organizations that add information to the database will receive emails
about upcoming opportunities and events. Anyone in the community can click on the link
"Upcoming Events" to view the posted information regarding artistic performances,
exhibits, and cultural affairs. All entries are reviewed before going live on the site.
BUDGET IMPACT
There has been no budget impact to the City, as the effort was covered with either grant
or previously approved fiscal year carryovers for arts and culture.
RECOMMENDATION/ACTION STEP
This material is for informational purposes.
Cc: Jill Connors, Economic Development Director
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