Georgetown, We Hardly Knew (How to Brand) You

• July 22nd 2010

by Mark Wellborn

The Georgetown that you know and perhaps love is undergoing a bit of an identity crisis.

Housing Complex’s Lydia DePillis had a shoe-leather reported piece in this week’s issue about the re-branding effort that is going on in Georgetown. DePillis reports that the Georgetown Business Improvement District has hired a branding consultant to find out “what it is that makes the place unique, and how it ought to be marketed.”

You may be wondering why a neighborhood that has been the backdrop for countless movie scenes and home to some of the country’s biggest political heavyweights is undergoing a re-branding effort and you would not be alone; Citizens’ Association of Georgetown President Jennifer Altemus is quoted in the article saying “I’m not sure why they’re doing it.”

DePillis seems a little confused herself, noting that despite a few empty storefronts and the mighty struggle that the Shops at Georgetown Park have faced, things seem pretty normal in Georgetown.

The rebranding study is being carried out by the Roan Group, a firm that according to its website “counsels organizations and institutions at important junctures in their evolution.” A gag order seems to be in place for Roan Group employees until the study is complete, which leaves the re-branding effort up to the masses for the time being.

So, if it were up to you, what changes would you make in Georgetown?

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This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/georgetown_we_hardly_knew_how_to_brand_you/2289.