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Hartford Branding Effort Delayed; Could Fit With State Campaign

By JENNA CARLESSO

May 11, 2012

HARTFORD —— Ten months ago, a consortium of business and civic organizations sought public input on what the city's new branding effort should be, saying they hoped to launch a marketing campaign early this year that could replace the decade-old "Hartford: New England's Rising Star" slogan.

But members of the consortium now say the planning is on hold until the state rolls out its new tourism marketing campaign. The state's effort could be unveiled within the next few weeks, they said.

In July, the consulting firm hired to create a new "brand" for the city revealed three possible logos and campaign lines — one focusing on the city's history, another capitalizing on the memoires made in Hartford and a third centering on city events and activities. After the presentation, the consortium overseeing the project received an outpouring of calls and e-mails from people expressing their views on what worked and what didn't.