Council hears branding study recommending ‘convenient heart’ DNA for Greenacres

Northstar Branding and Marketing presented its midterm findings to the Greenacres City Council on Oct. 12, outlining resident and external survey results and a proposed brand "DNA" intended to guide creative work for the city's marketing campaign.

The firm's principal, Sam Preston, told the council, “For those who dream of a South Florida that is both welcoming and within reach, Greenacres, the convenient heart of Palm Beach County ... has been a natural haven for hardworking families for nearly a century.” He said the presentation reflected interviews, focus groups, a 150-response community survey and a 300-response external survey of neighboring markets.

The consultants summarized the city's strengths as parks and open space, a central location within Palm Beach County, diverse restaurants and active community events. Survey findings showed room to improve resident advocacy: Northstar reported a brand advocacy score of negative 16.89 for living in Greenacres, negative 16.21 for visiting and negative 15.54 for conducting business there. The community survey (150 responses) and the external survey (300 responses) produced consistent patterns, the firm said: high marks for parks, trails and quality of life; lower scores for shopping, dining variety and housing options.

Council members asked about survey methodology and representation. Council Member Diaz thanked the team, saying, “You really went out there and did some serious research.” Preston described the community survey as open for six to seven weeks and self-selected; he reported resident demographics in the sample included about 30% living in Greenacres fewer than five years, roughly 40% between six and 20 years, and about 29% more than 20 years, with 43% of respondents identifying as White and 32% as Hispanic (self-reported). The external survey excluded Greenacres ZIP codes and recruited respondents by ZIP code in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Council Member Noble pressed the consultants on financial messaging, noting Greenacres’ comparatively low tax rate. “You didn't take a look at the financial aspect of the qualities of Green Acres,” Noble said, urging that affordability and tax advantages be included in messaging; Preston said affordability would be incorporated into the creative work.

Other council members and staff noted areas for future emphasis. Council Member Tharpe said he appreciated that consultants reported negative perceptions as well as positives: “I do appreciate that you didn't hold back on the negatives.” Director of Communications Mrs. McCue described planned follow-up work alongside the branding: strategic planning sessions, a retail/ redevelopment strategy, a parks master plan and possible early childhood program expansion. Preston said the team will move into creative development in the next two to three weeks and that the DNA platform shown would guide the visual and message work.

The presentation also highlighted specific, actionable findings the creative team will use: strong association of the city with green/open space, high resident interest in walkable/mixed-use places, and a low level of external familiarity (the external survey excluded 343 initial respondents for lack of familiarity). Visual preferences in the resident survey leaned strongly to the color green (about 88% of respondents) and to the “minivan” as the most representative vehicle (42%); the brand archetype most selected was “the helper” (about 47%).

Council discussion closed with staff and consultants agreeing to provide more detailed site-visit notes and demographic breakdowns of the resident sample to the council. No formal action was taken on the branding recommendations at the meeting.

An earlier procedural item: the council approved the meeting agenda by motion from Deputy Mayor Dugo, seconded by Council Member Diaz; the motion carried.