What’s in a name?

“Luverne — Love the Life!” These words, along with their signature heart-shaped logo, are on street banners, park signs, city vehicles, the water tower and other places around town.
But what do they mean to people who live and work in Luverne, have businesses in Luverne or who spend time visiting Luverne?
A meeting Monday night brought the community up to speed about the branding process and what it means for the town’s image and character. 
Luverne Economic Development Authority Director Holly Sammons said a concerted effort to brand a community is about promoting its assets and repeating a theme.
“It’s that feeling you have from a business whose owner knows you by name. … It’s the intangible things people take away with them when they leave our community,” Sammons said.
“A brand makes a promise, and you have to think about what your brand is promising.”
Through a process of polling community members and hiring the marketing firm, HenkinSchultz, Sioux Falls, Luverne’s signature logo is the heart shape over the letter V in the word Luverne. 
Along with it are the words, in a playful font, “Love the Life!”
Sammons said this logo, along with all the reasons people “love Luverne,” will hopefully be as recognizable in the region as the Nike swoosh is worldwide.
Joe Henkin, of HenkinSchultz, said it wasn’t hard to arrive at the right logo for Luverne. 
“There is a tremendous amount of pride here,” he said. “We keep hearing from people, ‘We just love the life here.’ You cannot ignore it.”
About 50 people gathered in the Palace Theatre for the presentation, which included the unveiling of a new Luverne billboard. It will be on the east side of Luverne along the westbound lane of I-90 near McDonald’s.
The brand will be carried out on Highway 75 this fall when the new light poles and banners go up and when the new “Welcome to Luverne” signs (one of them a digital sign) are finished on both the north and south ends of town.
Monday’s meeting included the showing of a 14-minute video created by Luverne High School students of people sharing their thoughts about why they love life in Luverne.
Henkin said the Luverne’s branding process is among the more ambitious and successful he’s seen.
“We just smile to see how it’s been incorporated all over the city,” Henkin said, and he encouraged community members to keep the enthusiasm going.
“Live the brand. Live what you know and love about this community,” he said.