Naming-rights signage and branding has become commonplace for stadia and other entertainment destination, but Topeka, KS took the concept to a new, possibly surreal level when Mayor Bill Bunten declared the town be named “Google” for the month of March. With the city council’s approval, he made the proclamation in an effort to lure the online-communication giant to make the city a site for its “Fiber for Communities” program, which will provide residents with Internet data transfers faster than 1GB per second. Bunten refuted any plans to make the change permanent should Google select Topeka/Google as a Fiber for Communities site.
It remains to be seen what role signage will play in the rebranding campaign. We’ll keep you posted if any novel campaigns occur.