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Hemet council hires North Star to lead city rebranding, votes 5-0
Summary
After an RFP and interview process, the council approved a contract with North Star to develop Hemet’s branding and community positioning for a not-to-exceed $92,000 scope, including community engagement, research and creative development.
The Hemet City Council voted unanimously on March 11 to award a city branding and marketing contract to North Star after a competitive request-for-proposal process and interviews.
Staff said the city received 21 proposals, interviewed five firms and recommended North Star based on experience, local work in Riverside County and cost. The contract is a not-to-exceed package to develop a strategic city brand, community engagement program, and creative materials.
City Manager and economic development staff told the council the rebranding project was part of the council’s strategic plan and intended to update how Hemet presents itself to residents, potential investors and the region. The consultant’s scope includes community focus groups, a citywide survey, research into regional perceptions, development of a strategic “DNA” statement and creative development for rollout.
North Star CEO Will Ketchum joined the meeting virtually. In his presentation he described the firm’s hourglass-shaped process: broad community engagement and research followed by a distillation into a strategy and creative development. He showed recent work in other municipalities to demonstrate how branding can support tourism, downtown identity and economic development.
Council discussion touched on community involvement and departmental identities. Councilmember Krupa asked whether departments should have distinct logos; Ketchum and staff said that approach is flexible and part of the discovery phase, where the consultant will recommend either a master brand with departmental variants or separate identities where appropriate.
Council members asked about the project budget and the potential for additional costs. Ketchum and staff described the recommended figure as a not-to-exceed budget tied to a planned number of visits and meetings; additional in-person work beyond the stated scope would be discussed with the council before proceeding.
The council voted 5-0 to approve the agreement; staff said North Star will schedule community outreach and stakeholder sessions, then return with strategy and creative options for council review.
