A survey was conducted between July and October 2012 to gather opinions about branding Rochester, NY. 452 people started the survey and 383 completed it. The survey found that those born and raised in Rochester had slightly different views than those not born and raised there. When asked about Rochester's greatest assets, respondents most commonly cited the arts/culture scene, colleges/universities, and friendly people. Affordability and natural beauty were seen as assets not being leveraged well. When asked what they like best about Rochester, common responses included the arts scene, affordability, schools, and easy commutes. To attract residents, Rochester should promote its arts, schools, affordability, and quality of life. To attract tourists, it

1. +
Branding Rochester
Survey Results
Conducted by Brad VanAuken
Global brand consultant
Author, Brand Aid

2. +
Background
 Survey conducted online between July 4, 2012 and October 7,
2012
 People solicited through social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, AdHub
and email solicitations; targeted groups focused on Rochester,
NY)
 452 people started the survey
 383 (84.7%) people completed the survey
 Slides in which you see or indicate how people who were not
born and raised in Rochester differed in their responses from
those who were born and raised in Rochester
 N = at the bottom of each page indicates the number of people
who completed the question on that page

3. N = 449

4. N = 447

5. N = 256

6. N = 438

7. +
Other Reason Live in Rochester
(open-ended responses)
 Moved here as a child due to parent’s job (4)
 A job (3)
 Met spouse/partner here (2)
 Friends/relatives live here (2)
 Spouse is a student here (2)
 Best Upstate city (2)
 Don’t live here (2)
N = 30

8. N = 377

9. N = 379

10. N = 378

11. N = 382

12. N = 352

13. N = 430

14. 73.7% VS. 64.4%
74.1% VS. 63.9%
32.3% VS. 19.6%
N = 430

15. 55.2% VS. 64.4% 51.3% VS. 60.8%
45.7% VS. 55.7%
44.8% VS. 54.6%
31.5% VS. 40.7%
N = 430

16. +
Rochester’s Greatest Assets (word
cloud)
N = 52

17. +
What are Rochester’s Greatest
Assets? (other responses)
 Smart people live here, intellectual/entrepreneurial capital (5)
 Jazz (Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, Exodus to
Jazz) (5)
 Arts & culture (4)
 High tech work, great companies to work for (4)
 Good suburban schools (3)
 Water supply (3)
 Lack of catastrophic weather (3)
N = 52

18. +
What are Rochester’s Greatest
Assets? (other responses)
 Great restaurants (3)
 Strong spiritual community (3)
 Good healthcare (2)
 Great for cyclists (2)
 Good place for artists and musicians (2)
 Natural beauty (2)
 Genesee River (2)
 Social justice tradition (2)
 George Eastman House (2)
N = 52

19. N = 422

20. 37.7% VS. 53.5%
N = 422

21. +
Assets Rochester is Not Leveraging
Well – Other (word cloud)
N = 44

22. +
Assets Rochester is Not Leveraging Well
– Other (open-ended responses)
 Affordability (5)
 Don’t know (4)
 World-class culture/arts (3)
 Lack of career opportunities (2)
 Quality of workforce (2)
 Creative class/high tech (2)
 Abundant water supply (2)
 Short commute times (2)
 Cultural diversity (2)
 Poor community is a blight (2)
N = 44

23. +
Best Part About Living Here (word
cloud)
N = 329

24. + What do you like best about Rochester? What is the
best part about living here? (open-ended response)
 Can get anywhere in 20 minutes, easy to get around, lack of
traffic (84)
 Thriving arts/cultural assets (83)
 Affordable, low cost of living (48)
 Nice/moderate weather, four seasons, great summers (44)
 Small town feel, medium sized city, big city amenities/culture
(40)
 Warm, friendly, educated, smart, creative people (38)
 Lots to do (34)
N = 329

25. + What do you like best about Rochester? What is the
best part about living here? (open-ended response)
 Great place to raise a family (27)
 Great schools (27)
 Affordable housing (26)
 High quality of life (26)
 Pleasant, hassle-free living environment (25)
 Four-season outdoor recreational opportunities (21)
 Music, jazz, RPO (18)
 Scenic countryside/natural beauty (15)
N = 329

26. + What do you like best about Rochester? What is the
best part about living here? (open-ended response)
 Good food/restaurants (15)
 Close to other places of interest (NYC, Toronto, Canada,
Boston, Cleveland, Adirondacks, Thousand Islands, etc.) (15)
 My family is here (15)
 Finger Lakes (12)
 Festivals (12)
 Cultural diversity (11)
 Close to friends (11)
N = 329

27. + What do you like best about Rochester? What is the
best part about living here? (open-ended response)
 Parks (10)
 Quality/high tech jobs (10)
 Interesting, walkable city neighborhoods (Park Avenue, South
Wedge) (10)
 Nice, safe, quiet suburbs (10)
 Wegmans (9)
 Lake Ontario, lakes (9)
 Access to water (7)
N = 329

28. + What do you like best about Rochester? What is the
best part about living here? (open-ended response)
 Opportunities for intellectual growth (7)
 Rural/farm country close by (6)
 Shopping (6)
 Public Market (5)
 Safe weather (5)
 Quality healthcare (5)
 Rich history (4)
 Woods, trails (4)
N = 329

29. + What do you like best about Rochester? What is the
best part about living here? (open-ended response)
 Cycling opportunities (3)
 Sports, sporting events (3)
 Affordable golfing opportunities (3)
 Stable/resilient economic environment (3)
 George Eastman House (3)
 Local food scene (2)
 Beautiful homes (2)
 Erie Canal (2)
 Clean (2)
N = 329

30. N = 424

31. 53.3% VS. 37.2%
N = 424

32. 60.7% VS. 71.2%
40.6% VS. 50.8%
7.9% VS. 19.4%
7.9% VS. 17.8%
N = 424

33. N = 404 1 = not important, 2 = somewhat unimportant, 3 = somewhat important, 4 = important, 5 = very important

34. 2.78 VS. 3.01
2.45 VS. 2.68
N = 404 1 = not important, 2 = somewhat unimportant, 3 = somewhat important, 4 = important, 5 = very important

35. N = 404

36. 1 = not at all, 2 = very slightly, 3 = moderately, 4 = greatly, 5 = very greatly
N = 391

37. 4.05 vs. 3.83
3.75 vs. 3.46
3.51 vs. 3.23
1 = not at all, 2 = very slightly, 3 = moderately, 4 = greatly, 5 = very greatly
N = 391

38. 3.37 VS. 3.66
1 = not at all, 2 = very slightly, 3 = moderately, 4 = greatly, 5 = very greatly
N = 391

39. N = 391

40. +
Amenity Importance vs. Delivery
Good job opportunities
Many spectator sports
5 Good medical care
Ample nightlife Affordable housing
Beautiful architecture
4 Low crime
Ample shopping opportunities Good school systems
3
Diverse population Low cost of living
2
Temperate climate Attractive neighborhoods Importance
1
Delivery
Vibrant downtown Friendly people
Numerous colleges and universities Well educated population
Importance: 1 = not important, 2
Low taxes Short commutes = somewhat unimportant, 3 =
somewhat important, 4 =
Outdoor recreational opportunities Scenic beauty
important, 5 = very important
Many places to go and things to do on
Abundant cultural amenities
the weekends
Good restaurants Clean highways and public spaces Delivery: 1 = not at all, 2 = very
slightly, 3 = moderately, 4 =
N = 404, 391 greatly, 5 = very greatly

41. N = 371 Note: “Compelling” is the most important attribute followed by “Unique”

42. +
Attracting Residents (word cloud)
N = 241

43. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract and keep the greatest number of residents?
(open-ended response)
 Outstanding arts & culture (54)
 Great place to raise a family (41)
 Affordable, low cost of living (33)
 Great schools (22)
 Less negativity, focus on the positive, be proud (21)
 Colleges and universities, good higher education (21)
 Short, easy commutes (20)
 Innovative, entrepreneurial spirit (17)
N = 241

44. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract and keep the greatest number of residents?
(open-ended response)
 Big city assets, small town feel (16)
 High quality of life (15)
 Smart, educated population (15)
 Affordable housing (15)
 Scenic, natural beauty (14)
 Science, technology (13)
 Need more job opportunities (12)
 Friendly people (11)
N = 241

45. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract and keep the greatest number of residents?
(open-ended response)
 Comfortable, easy place to live (11)
 Outdoor recreational opportunities (11)
 Music (9)
 Finger Lakes (9)
 Reduce taxes (9)
 Lots to do (8)
 Good restaurants/food (7)
 Moderate weather, four seasons, nice summers, no severe
weather (7)
N = 241

46. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract and keep the greatest number of residents?
(open-ended response)
 Progressive city (7)
 Rich history (of pioneers) (7)
 Safe, low crime (6)
 Make Rochester more attractive to young people (6)
 Cultural diversity (6)
 Creative people (6)
 Easy access to other cities (Toronto, NYC) (5)
 Good healthcare (5)
N = 241

47. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract and keep the greatest number of residents?
(open-ended response)
 Vibrant, high energy (4)
 Intellectually stimulating (4)
 Quality/educated workforce (4)
 Water (4)
 Wegmans (3)
 Clean (3)
 Stable economy, reinvents itself (3)
N = 241

48. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract and keep the greatest number of residents?
(open-ended response)
 On the rise (3)
 Stimulating, inspiring (2)
 Sophisticated (2)
 Bike-friendly (2)
 Parks (2)
 Festivals (2)
 Clean up litter (2)
N = 241

49. +
Attracting Tourists (word cloud)
N = 240

50. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract the greatest number of tourists? (open-ended
response)
 Gateway to the Finger Lakes (60)
 Arts & culture (59)
 (Music) festivals & events (52)
 Wineries/wine tours (43)
 Water, Lake Ontario, lakes, river, beaches (39)
 Music, jazz (38)
 Scenery, outdoor spaces/activities (36)
 History, historical sites (27)
N = 240

51. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract the greatest number of tourists? (open-ended
response)
 Food, restaurants (17)
 Museums (12)
 George Eastman House (12)
 (State) parks (11)
 Erie Canal (10)
 Proximity to other places (Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-
the-Lake, Toronto) (9)
 Strong Museum (8)
N = 240

52. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract the greatest number of tourists? (open-ended
response)
 Friendly people (8)
 Sports (7)
 RMSC (7)
 Wegmans (6)
 Colleges (6)
 Affordable (5)
 Nightlife (4)
 Theater, shows (4)
N = 240

53. + How do you think Rochester should talk about itself to
attract the greatest number of tourists? (open-ended
response)
 Golf (3)
 Fix Main Street, clean up beach (2)
 Architecture (2)
 Shopping (2)
 Performing arts (2)
N = 240

54. +
Rochester’s Quality Clusters
Big city Progressive, div
erse, sophisticat
culture, music, ar ed, stimulating
ts Affordable, hass
le free, easy
Friendly
Excellent
schools/universities,
smart/highly
Innovative, creat educated
ive, entrepreneu
people, science and
rial
technology Scenic
beauty, water, Fi
Food, wine nger
, wineries
Lakes, outdoor
recreation

55. +
Thank you!
Questions?