The sideways ‘D-smile’ - which resembles a smiley face - is part of a proposed tourism and marketing strategy that council has prepared to essentially sell the city to prospective residents, tourists and new businesses.

Responses - via a specially set up a website and through community feedback sessions - differ from “young, fresh, bright and modern” to “too simple”, or “looks like a beard, not a smile”.

Other responses were “good concept, lazy design”, and “bold and friendly”, the report for tonight’s council meeting said.

However, it indicated the D-smile will be “softened” before being publicly used.

The report said while the overall strategy received no negative feedback, response to the ‘D-smile’ brand was mixed.

“The brand has evoked strong emotion,” the report said.

“Fortunately there were not too many indifferent feelings about the brand - that is the last thing you want from any brand.”

The D-smile brand is part of an overall marketing strategy, which includes a ‘Time to’ component.

The strategy could see posters bearing the phrase ‘time to see the kids’ or ‘time to smile’, beside the D-smile logo.

The logo stood out from other council logos, the report said, which also recommended green-lighting the overall marketing strategy.

“Overall people like the idea of promoting happiness and using one’s time to do the things that make them happy,” the report said. “People remember the brand, connect with the ‘time to’ concept and the majority of people like the bright style and choice of vibrant colours.”

There could yet be a change to the D-smile - council’s City Image branch and the advertising agency that created the smile logo will “soften the smile element of the brand” and widen the colours.

However, the ‘Time to’ concept, use of a smile, and the “pop-art” feel will not change.

The report said that Taronga Western Plains Zoo asked council to reconsider its budget allocation of $114,000 per year for promotional activities.

The report did not indicate whether the zoo felt the amount was too low or high.

The zoo also requested the scope of the marketing strategy be extended to include leisure tourism, the report said.

lynton.grace@ruralpress.c om