Century Logo, Website Still Under Development; Marketing Plan Future Unsure After Tornado

March 29, 2016

The Century Town Council and various stakeholders held a workshop meeting Monday night to discuss the status of their marketing plan, including a new logo and website.  The meeting ended with perhaps more questions than answers.

In 2013, the town was awarded a technical assistance grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to develop an economic development strategic plan. After hearing proposals from four contenders, the town contracted with the Haas Center (the research and consulting arm of the University of West Florida) to develop the plan at no cost to the town.

The Haas Center’s detailed plan and recommendations included a new website for the town.

In October, the council decided to pay their consultant to create a request for proposals in order to receive bids to implement the marketing plan, including website maintenance, newsletter production, a recreational guide and formation of a young professional’s group.  The town was set to pay for the services using economic development funds.

Advertisements were published in late December seeking a company to implement the plan. Only one proposal was received. That proposal was from the individual that UWF hired using grant funds to develop the logo and website — Johnathan “Jet” Tisdale of White Paper Marketing. The town has yet to evaluate and accept or deny the proposal.

But the logo and website contracted by UWF are not yet complete, Tisdale said, despite his best efforts.  He said several meetings with the town’s “design committee” had resulting in dozens and dozens of logo revisions and “50 to 100 hours” of extra, unpaid work in attempt to tweak a logo to satisfy the committee. Without the logo and design element choices, Tisdale said, the website design can’t be completed.

He said numerous emails from his firm to design committee members have gone unanswered and meetings have been canceled. “There has been zero progress (on the logo or website) since December,” Tisdale said Monday night, due to lack of response from the town.

“Is this suppose to be a secret,” council member Ann Brooks asked about the logo design. “Can you show us anything tonight?”

Tisdale said he came unprepared to share the logo with the entire council; instead he wanted to meeting individually with design committee members for logo input so that their ideas would not be influenced by other committee members. A computer was located, and Tisdale presented the logo designs to date, asking the council to avoid public discussion instead asking again for individual meetings outside the council workshop.

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“I ask that we keep ideas and opinions about what we see tonight to ourselves,” the marketer said, adding that the design committee will return a favorite logo candidate back to the council for a vote.

“You mean we just get to vote yes or no on one?” Brooks said. “We are we here?”

Tisdale said he attended the meeting because he thought the council was prepared to announce their decision on the proposals that were solicited back in December, not to attend a meeting about logo design.

Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez said Tisdale had been told that the design committee did not like any of the logo designs and perhaps he should start over with a fresh design.

Century Mayor Freddie McCall, who attended only a short portion of the meeting by telephone, said, “The “logos don’t make sense to me. I’ll just go with whatever the council likes.”

“So much has been going trying to help our citizens; so many got slammed,” council President Ben Boutwell said, referring to the EF-3 tornado that hit Century hard on February 15. That recovery, Boutwell said, will likely take precedence over the marketing plan and the acceptance or denial of the December request for proposals.

The council took no formal action during their Monday night workshop, agreeing that Tisdale will hold individual logo design meetings with design committee members. Since grant money has already paid for the completion of the logo and website, those items are expected to return to the council for a vote and formal completion. It is not yet known what action, if any, the council will take on accepting or rejecting Tisdale’s lone proposal for website maintenance and any further marketing work.

Pictured top: Jet Tisdale of White Paper Marketing presents logo ideas at a Century Council workshop Monday night. Pictured middle and below: Additional logo ideas. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

7 Responses to “Century Logo, Website Still Under Development; Marketing Plan Future Unsure After Tornado”

  1. northend resident on March 30th, 2016 9:31 pm

    For what it’s worth, I don’t like the designs either. It looks like a waste of money and everyone’s time. WOW….this matter is getting so ridiculous!

  2. Logo on March 29th, 2016 10:29 pm

    A magnolia grandiflora blossom would be more recognizable than a tree, with palm fronds flanking both sides I imagine a black and white silhouette with the word Century in an arch over the top. Simple, southern and consise.

  3. Logo if needed on March 29th, 2016 1:08 pm

    How about a palm tree and magnolia….like it or not that is now prominent at the state line..with a sunset behind it and the words Century. It resembles the Florida flag and is uncomplicated. If it goes to committee that usually is ineffective. Get on the computer, make a image, make a darn decision..solve a problem. But yes I agree with Mr. Bout well, in some ways. Priority one is to clean up!!!! What the world is going on with that process? By the way is that Darth Vardar with scarf in the wind? I hope that’s not our new legacy. Wicapedias last sentence is the town was hit by a tornado Feb 15. The next sentence is yet to be written. What will it be?

  4. Citizen on March 29th, 2016 12:24 pm

    Unbelievable… But not surprised….I hope to see an article about Century cutting through the red tape especially after the tornado. What positive things have happened? The mill cleaned up by the owner..up for sale..old dilapidated buildings removed..let’s celebrate a home repaired..a story about how the change caused some one to finally move to an area for a fresh start. A report on the finances of the town. Will it recover or will we be unincorporated? I would expect the town council to report the progress of the CRA, the assisted living facility. Share about the process of the interlocal agreement for the SHIP and SBA loans? Is the Methodist Church going to be restored? There is already a WEB site update it or even start a Facebook page. In my opinion the deal with White Paper is a farce and another article said the logo and website was done. It looked like … Idiotic..God Bless the council and Century and prays for the future.

  5. Kevin on March 29th, 2016 12:02 pm

    I would have to agree with the mayor. None of the logos that I see in the photos make sense to me as well. Granted, we do not see all of what was shown. However, what I do see, I don not like. This logo is going to represent me and my neighbors as Century citizens. I am not seeing anything that represents us. Why not give two weeks for citizens to submit any ideas on a logo, since it does represent us, and have the developer go from there?

  6. chris on March 29th, 2016 10:06 am

    Wow. So much for attracting all those young professionals to Century.

  7. dman on March 29th, 2016 9:21 am

    Wow, talk about not having your stuff together. I understand Century has been slammed with a terrible tornado and has other priorities at the moment…but if a small town in backwater USA can’t even get their act together and decide on a logo, than how can we expect DC to do their job??? The first 2 decades of 21st century America: Perpetual offense, gender confusion, and indecision. I’m afraid that’s how we’ll be remembered. I’m praying it changes.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News