Wilkes-Barre’s new logo and video exclusively for business

WILKES-BARRE — A new video and logo promoting the city should be ready for prime time soon, Mayor George Brown said Friday.

Earlier this week, people attending a trade seminar at Wilkes University where Brown was speaking were able to get a peek. The minute-long video still needs to be tweaked before release.

“We’re going to be releasing both a new video and a new logo very, very soon,” Brown said.

But don’t worry, the promotions are meant to generate buzz for business and the city will keep its familiar beehive logo.

“The video was made to promote people investing in the city,” Brown said.

The one-minute spot was produced by Coal Creative and took six to nine months to include the seasonal segments, Brown said. Plans are to use it as an ad on cable TV, social media and YouTube.

Brown said the cost does not exceed the $20,000 limit and he would need to go to the City Council for approval of the expense. “I shared with them,” he said.

The video offers an invitation to come to a city where opportunities can be found in its schools, offices and community.

“Nearly 50,000 people call the city of Wilkes-Barre home. That’s 50,000 seats at the table, 50,000 unique voices participating in the conversation. And there is room for growth, room for culture, room for business, room for education, room for families, room for adventure, room for you,” says the narrator.

The city’s official population is 40,569, but Brown said it’s much higher, based on the amount of trash and recyclables collected each week by the Department of Public Works.

“There are a lot of people who have not signed up for the (2020) census,” Brown said.