Preserve America Grant Project

Blue Island was awarded Preserve America grant from the National Park Service to help the city develop a new logo, tag line, marketing plan, and more!  Be a part of history and take our survey–results are sent to the design firm selected to develop this exciting program.

Click Here to Complete the Preserve America Heritage Branding Survey – Now Online with SurveyMonkey!

Click Here to Download the Preserve America Heritage Branding Survey as a PDF and Submit Directly from Your Desktop

Blue Island was awarded a FY2008 Round 2 – Preserve America Grant of $102,250 to develop a Comprehensive Cultural Heritage Marketing Strategy.  Special thanks to the Community Development and Marketing Department staff and the Historic Preservation Commissioners who contributed their time and energy to completing the application.

As part of the grant the Community Development Department has selected Lawrence Group to help Blue Island develop a cultural heritage brand identity and marketing plan.  The goal is to position Blue Island as one of the premier heritage destinations in the Chicagoland region.  You can help by completing the Heritage Branding Survey and letting us know what you think about Blue Island!  The Community Development Department will forward your response to the designers at Lawrence Group.

Project Title

City of Blue Island’s Cultural Heritage Marketing & Outreach Strategy

Project Summary

Comprehensive Cultural Heritage Marketing Strategy
The City will hire a qualified consultant to develop a comprehensive heritage tourism marketing strategy that includes the development of a collective cultural heritage brand/identity for Blue Island and a marketing/outreach plan that celebrates the City’s history, within the contemporary context. The objective of this strategy will be to extend the reach of existing & future programming by establishing one comprehensive identity for promoting the collaborative efforts of volunteers and businesses who, up to this point, have been working separately. The development of a collective heritage brand will also foster and strengthen partnerships between volunteer organizations, business and agencies, while boosting morale within the community. Community input and the incorporation of existing heritage programming and materials will be central to this strategy.

Outreach Program
The City will use the results of the comprehensive marketing strategy to develop outreach materials and a tour to promote its new cultural heritage brand. Materials will include historical markers, wayfinding signage, web development, the creation and placement of advertisements and brochures, and the creation of a multi-page document about Blue Island’s history. A corner piece to this program is to involve the collection of oral histories. The goals of the outreach program are to raise awareness and excitement for the new cultural heritage brand with Blue Island residents and to attract heritage tourists from the metro area and beyond.

Project Activities

Historic Branding (Kick Off: Late-May 2009)

  • Hire marketing firm to gather historic information.
  • Gather info and assess exiting programs. 
  • Firm will conduct public workshop and gather public feedback.
  • From acquired info, firm will then develop “historical identity” for signs and other media for residents to share and take part in and visitors to easily notice.

    • Marketing/Outreach

  • Develop a comprehensive marketing plan to advertise the “historical identity” and encourage residents and visitors alike to learn more about the history Blue Island has to offer.
  • Marketing plan will also include a budget of all the media Blue Island will use to promote its history, cultural diversity and architecture.

    • Materials Development

  • Place advertisements in local and regional newspapers and magazines.
  • Develop and produce bilingual brochures.
  • Distribute brochures
  • Formulate and distribute multi-page bilingual magazine about Blue Island’s history.
  • Develop a DVD to distribute that coincides with the magazine.

    • Website Development

  • Produce bilingual website displaying and describing Blue Island’s historical and cultural heritage, including historic buildings, sites and districts, and events.

    • Signage

  • Design and display signs indicating Blue Island’s architecture, historical events and incorporating the “Historic Branding” at major roads when entering Blue Island.

    • Oral History

  • Working with students from Blue Island’s Eisenhower High School, residents will be able to view local documentaries about Blue Island’s history, hear stories from long-term residents, and explore Blue Island’s culture in various media formats. Residents will be able to access these histories at the Blue Island Historical Society Museum situated in the Blue Island Public Library and through the city’s website.