More than 2000 people were involved in Frost*Collective’s rebrand of Canterbury Bankstown, which has become the largest Council in NSW following its merger.

Frost* knew it had to assemble a consultant team and methodology that could genuinely engage the community in developing the new brand.

Cat Burgess, strategy director, Frost*, commented, “This is a truly evidence-driven piece of work that will not only unify the community from both former council areas but also address barriers that currently prevent people from visiting, working and living there.”

Community consultation experts, Elton Consulting, worked with Frost* to engage more than 1,600 locals through workshops, discussions and interviews and an online survey. The findings from this work were correlated with insights from focus groups and quantitative research with more than 460 Sydneysiders from outside the area, conducted by market research company Environmetrics.

What emerged was a major gap in how Canterbury Bankstown is perceived – with locals proud of its rich diversity, food culture and thriving arts and cultural scene, but those from outside believing there is nothing of interest or unsure of what’s there.

“The brand idea, Where interesting happens, represents a way for not only Council but also residents, businesses, community and sporting groups and visitors to get the message out there about all of the fascinating experiences it has to offer,” Burgess noted.

In launching the brand this week, City of Canterbury Bankstown’s Administrator, Richard Colley stated, “This was a place brand not a logo we were looking to develop, one that captured the true identity of our city and its people. For that to occur, it was crucial we involved not only our residents and businesses in the brand journey from the very beginning, but also visitors and people who have not yet experienced our city.

“Frost responded with a comprehensive community engagement strategy which resulted in an enthusiastic and genuine response, that then enabled it to create a brand that was ‘very real’ and a true representation of us.”