Even though their Traverse City, Mich.-based agency is a 6-hour drive north, owners of Intersection overcame the distance to help their hometown revamp its image.
Chance Benbow, Andy Kennedy and Tyler Hernly are all graduates of Delta High School in Muncie and founders of Intersection, a marketing agency that is lending a hand to the nonprofitMuncie Downtown Development Partnership to revitalize the reputation of Muncie and instill pride into its residents through a campaign named “DWNTWN: The Original Muncie.”
The name originated from the campaign’s goal to empower everyone, regardless of age. “The Original Muncie” has dual meaning, the first of which is to honor the rich history of Muncie and those who have lived in the city for a long time, Benbow said
“The other way the ‘Original’ works is for millennials,” he said. “They like original, authentic things. That’s why they wear Levi’s, Chuck Taylors and collect records. In this digital age, millennials want authentic, original, tangible things, not this marketing b.s.”
The spelling of “DWNTWN” gave the campaign a twist that shook off apathetic connotations of the city.
“A lot of times, people are complacent about Muncie, but we feel that if it was seen in a better light that they would reconsider what Muncie is,” Benbow said. “We just want people to be proud of where they live, and there’s a rich history that Muncie has.”
Intersection created a video that was shot mostly in downtown Muncie. It has received more than 6,000 hits on YouTube since it was added on Feb. 21.
“The number of people who have responded surprise me,” said Vicki Veach, executive director of MDDP. “It’s even coming from outside of the state of Indiana. We couldn’t be happier at this point.”
Benbow said that the campaign started when MDDP wanted a simple logo for the campaign.
“We told them, ‘Hey, we can do a new logo, but how about we do a pride-instilling, consideration changing movement for the downtown area?’ and they got on board with it,” Benbow said. “It became a rallying cry for all of downtown Muncie.”
The video is only one part of the “The Original Muncie” brand. A new website was also created that features news and other information about the partnership’s growing platform.
“We have gone from about 12 partnerships in 2011 to almost 47 partnerships in 2012,” Veach said.
Those partnerships and cooperations are what is driving the goals of the nonprofit MDDP. But the organization is not just making friends and spreading a message.
“Our mission is to have sustainable economic and cultural growth in the downtown area,” Veach said.
The organization has also written up a plan that includes improving the appearance of downtown facades and other areas, uniting the banner system and improving traffic flow while keeping city funding at a minimum by increasing fundraising and acquiring grants. The plan will be revised in April, according to Veach.
“The campaign was part of our marketing goals,” she said. “This is just a kick-off of the original message.”
“Our goal is to put downtown in the mind of not just this community, but surrounding communities, when they think about going out and shopping and looking for entertainment or a place to eat,” Veach said.
It will happen if residents feel more pride in the city, Benbow said.
“There was always a special spot in our hearts for Muncie,” he said. “It’s a cool town and there’s a lot to be proud of.”
