Letter: How to Strengthen North County

By John Ball, Partner/Creative Director

The collaborative effort among the mayors of several North County communities to boost the area's economic development is admirable, but doesn't go far enough. Surely, efforts should be undertaken to distinguish vibrant North County communities from other areas of San Diego County to attract private and public sector investments, but the mayors should consider a different approach.

On the surface, they can blame lagging growth in North County on a lack of investments, but at the core, it is due to a lack of identity.

North County has tried repeatedly to brand itself, but it keeps making the same mistake. It has put too much stock in identifying itself as one North County region, largely ignoring the unique identities of its communities and failing to differentiate itself from the rest of San Diego.

As a brand professional, I believe that North County would be more successful by taking a backseat to its individual communities.

It's a classic brand dilemma. As we marketers say, should North County be a “branded house” or a “house of brands”?