Houghton Planning Commission Chair Tom Merz discusses the results of a city branding survey during Tuesday’s meeting. (Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — A video from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. carried some wisdom for Houghton’s rebranding committee to take forward: think of branding not as something permanent, like a tattoo, but something that can be changed as necessary, like a dress shirt.

“When you want to change shirts, you change shirts pretty easily,” said Planning Commission Chair Tom Merz. “But the brand should not be a tattoo that we live with for a century.”

The city is getting closer to deciding what the next shirt out of the closet will look like. At Tuesday’s meeting, members discussed the progress of its branding campaign.

The planning commission voted in July to create a branding committee, including commission members and other community residents. The branding process included a survey sent to residents to gauge their feelings about Houghton.

About 27% of the 637 responses came from people identifying as Houghton residents, City Manager Eric Waara said in a memo to the commission. People living elsewhere in Michigan accounted for another 68%. Tourists and visitors made up about 36%.

“I’m really impressed with what we’ve gotten,” said Planning Commissioner Norma Veurink. “It’s sort of a high percentage from out of the area, and I think that’s actually good for branding, to know how we’re perceived.”

The city analysed the responses with parallel processes, Waara said — a human review of sifting through responses, and an analysis through ChatGPT.

The overall response was “strongly positive,” Waara said in the memo. People responded to the area’s natural beauty, the bevy of outdoor recreation opportunities, the welcoming community, small-town charm, and balance of historic and modern qualities, among other assets.

“Whatever that brand is that we are going to use, it has to be genuine, recognizable, and makes feel people it when they are here whether they are visiting or live here,” he said. “It should be a source of pride for residents and make others want to see what we are all about.”

Once the committee agrees on the overall themes on the brand, the city can bring in professional help to formally develop the brand, Waara said.

After the council signals its approval, it can move on to steps such as printing new letterhead.

Future plans call for the survey data to be combined into a brand document, which will be presented to the planning commission in February. The next month, the city hopes to hold a focus group or listening session on the findings to further hone the brand.

Once that has been developed, between April and May the city will look for professional help to develop a marketing plan based on the brand.