Case Study

Community Brand Development & Marketing Implementation

Mt. Oliver Borough – Additional Marketing and MTAP

Mt. Oliver is a unique borough in southwestern Pennsylvania, founded in 1892. Despite being an independently governed borough, it is completely surrounded by the City of Pittsburgh. Due to its proximity to the city and its ongoing transformation of business and residential districts, the Borough is an up-and-coming neighborhood in southwestern Pennsylvania

With the success of the Mt. Oliver rebranding and website development, TrailBlaze was retained to further steward the new brand by managing marketing, communications, and logistics support for community events and activities.

Trailhead: Where We Started

Mt. Oliver Borough has seen an increased amount of community engagement and activity surrounding civic initiatives. The hiring of the new borough manager, along with corporate involvement and tactical support with their Neighborhood Partnership Program has seeded a renaissance within the borough. This rejuvenation has been realized through newly established businesses, active community involvement, and significant corporate investment.

As with any renaissance, Mt. Oliver needed to find its new identity. Mt. Oliver required a brand that matched the “new” Mt. Oliver, which spanned their identity, online presence, and even administrative workflows.

Trek: Steps We’ve Taken

As Mt. Oliver’s website continues to be a hub for community information, the borough’s marketing needs expanded beyond its rebranding and website development, so the relationship between Mt. Oliver and TrailBlaze continues to grow. Through supporting the development and launch of borough newsletters, event marketing, social media, billboards, and specialty activities, Mt. Oliver is able to realize a managed and cohesive brand throughout its efforts.

To continue to support the vibrancy of the community, Mt. Oliver Borough further engaged TrailBlaze to develop, launch, and execute a Marketing Technical Assistance Program (MTAP). The MTAP provides partially subsidized access to marketing support for small businesses. Through the MTAP, TrailBlaze provides strategic and tactical guidance that is customized to support the type of business, most pressing marketing need, and largest return on investment for the business.

Summit: Vision Realized

By investing in this way, Mt. Oliver is strengthening its core to build its brand around a pro-business environment and an active community. Annually, TrailBlaze helps to support more than 30 events for Mt. Oliver in various ways, supporting not only the marketing, but also registration and space activation. The MTAP has supported more than 20 businesses, with several repeating support. The program has also expanded supporting providers and into adjacent neighborhoods.