Jill Schramm/MDN Roosevelt Park Zoo Director Becky Dewitz speaks at a news conference unveiling the One Brand logo and campaign as Stephanie Schoenrock, executive director at Visit Minot, listens at right.

A colorful new logo and a branding campaign with a community contest were unveiled by Minot’s One Brand organizations Thursday.

Leaders from Visit Minot, Minot Area Chamber of Commerce, Minot Area Development Corporation and partners from the City of Minot, Minot Park District and Downtown Minot revealed a citywide cohesive brand effort called “It’s Magic in Minot!”

The One Brand features a unified logo, messaging and plan to highlight a community full of energy and a spirit, according to the team. The brand was developed after nearly two years of collaborative effort by One Brand partners.

“This campaign showcases the authentic people and places that make Minot so magic,” said Stephanie Schoenrock, executive director for Visit Minot, at Thursday’s unveiling. “We’ve always been the Magic City. This is simply evolving who we have been. When it comes to branding campaigns, the best branding campaigns are those that are a reflection from within an organization.”

The campaign will feature banners, billboards and logo cutouts around the city, along with a downtown mural and a presence on Facebook. The chamber is making logo window clings available.

“I have no doubts that together we’ll be able to market Minot more effectively with One Brand,” Schoenrock said. “This is really about setting Minot up for the future. With this unified voice, with this unified look, with this unified brand, Minot is going to be able to do that much of a better job to market ourselves … for tourism, for economic development, for businesses, for all the things that are going to make Minot that much better in the future.”

“It’s good to finally bring the organizations together rather than having separate logos,” said Chamber President John MacMartin, also acting president for Minot Area Development Corp. “We have begun the combination of the chamber and MADC, and that’s going1 to be good for the community and good for both organizations, and we’ll be able to make better use of the One Brand as we do that.”

As part of the marketing effort, Minot residents are invited to participate in a “Share the Magic” photo and video contest through July 24. Beginning Monday, five participants will be selected over the next five days to each win $100 in chamber bucks.

Details on how participants share photos or videos from their favorite places around Minot can be found online at MagicInMinot.com.

Roosevelt Park Zoo Director Becky Dewitz invited residents to take their photos or videos at the zoo.

“We are fortunate to have been an event destination in Minot for quite some time. We’ve been referred to as a gem in Minot,” she said. “We take you serious to make sure that you have fun when you come to Roosevelt Park Zoo.”

Odney helped develop the One Brand marketing plan under a contract with the City of Minot. The city council had approved spending up to $300,000 from the MAGIC Fund on One Brand. MacMartin said money remains available following completion of the marketing plan to help implement the strategy over the next two years.

Economic development stakeholders had recommended a unified marketing strategy during meetings conducted through the National Disaster Resilience Program.