DANVILLE — The Danville Business Alliance has chosen a logo to market the downtown.

The logo, in purple and green, is “Turn to Danville Downtown.”

Alliance Executive Director and Main Street Manager Jim Wilson told businesses recently that the logo capitalizes on the fact that drivers have to turn to reach the downtown.

The logo should appeal to people identified as young and young at heart who are interested in “something new and different.”

“For some people, Danville’s architectural heritage may be new and different,” he said.

Newton Advertising, of Mifflinburg, was hired as a marketing consultant to do the branding campaign.

Claritas Marketing Analysis, a division of the Nielson Ratings, prepared demographic information for the alliance. The work was free because the alliance is a member of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, Wilson said.

The data Claritas used included ZIP code surveys of shoppers during a three-week period in September 2008. This revealed who lives in the area, how big a trade area there is and information about groups typically patronizing the downtown and more likely to spend money in Danville, he said.

The studies showed the majority of people in Danville are early life, meaning single, newly married and without children, and late lifers, who are retired with children who have moved on.

The early lifers are more likely to spend, are underserved and should be the prime target, he said.

The borough also has middle lifers ages 45 to 55 with older children or children in college and who have time for recreation.

Wilson said the majority groups of early lifers and late lifers pose an opportunity and challenge to businesses. These young and young at heart people are educated, well employed, have free time, are health conscious, are sociable, seek a diversity of foods, products and company and are oriented toward the new, he said.

Two focus groups were surveyed in March. They represented a quarter of the Geisinger Medical Center employees who will be working in the new downtown office building. The information will help businesses market to them, Wilson said.

The business alliance also has launched a new Web site at www.visitdanvillepa.org. Newton Advertising collaborated with Gordon Wenzel for photographs for the Web site.