Rebranding Columbus

[SusanB]

Urban Sophistication, Midwest Nice.

[JonMyers]

CalebR said:
It does, but then we would be still called a cowtown.

I dont think you need the reason why the slogan says that is true. When you think about the Pure Michigan slogan, you don’t have WHY its Pure and why we should visit. They are all in the commercials.

I dunno. A lot of these slogans just ring as gibberish to me. A concerted marketing campaign can build meaning into these slogans, but that costs a lot of money. I don’t watch TV or commercials so “Pure Michigan” means absolutely nothing to me. I would suspect people don’t naturally refer to Michigan as “pure” in the course of their conversations about the state.

Even if a good slogan were created, the marketing campaign that would build meaning into the slogan and capture mindshare beyond the Midwest would probably suck. The organizations here that would take it on have too many cooks in the kitchen, have to utilize the same old local creative firms, which would be responsible for the marketing assets and execution, and lastly, you would simply end up with the same old generalist, folksy “family friendly” crap you consistently see.

If a message about the city is to emerge, Columbus would probably be better served having it come from the ground up, organically, outside of the usual out of touch organizations that control and project the messaging about the city.

[Caleb]

@joshlapp: I kinda like the “Columbus – Create It” it would be nice.

[polymethylmethacrylate]

If a message about the city is to emerge, Columbus would probably be better served having it come from the ground up, organically, outside of the usual out of touch organizations that control and project the messaging about the city.

Too late.

The same old creative firms already picked your brand. They just didn’t “sloganize” it (or announce it really) to “to keep the concept open to interpretation and development by anyone in Columbus” – which is code for just kinda sneaking it in on you and not announcing it to avoid the inevitable ball-breaking ala “Not in Columbus” and the like.

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/07/22/theme-emerging-from-city-backers.html

[Caleb]

So do we officially have a slogan? or not?

[polymethylmethacrylate]

Not.

No slogan. It’s better than a slogan. It’s a brand!

They’ve left if “open” for you to sloganize! Get it? Even the brand is open… smart.

I’ve come to learn that these campaigns aren’t about people or pride or civic awesomeness. They are about attracting a tax base and economic development. That’s it. This was hush hush not because it is “open source” or even fits with the borrowed “it is what you build it to be” rhetoric.

This brand isn’t for or about you- or even designed to reflect you. It’s about bringing corporations here. That’s all.

[Caleb]

LOL, but it HAS to be about US? Because if it wasnt for US the ColumbUS wouldnt be as awesome as it would be without US!

[Caleb]

When does that hit the air? Seriously though, we could do better. We NEED a brand, ASAP

[polymethylmethacrylate]

That is our brand. That’s it.

This was decided months ago… Last Spring or so.

You don’t get a vote, but you are free to make up as many of your own slogans for that brand as you would like.

[Walker Evans]

polymethylmethacrylate said:
This brand isn’t for or about you- or even designed to reflect you. It’s about bringing corporations here. That’s all.

Is that a bad thing?

[WoWtown]

WoWtown!

[polymethylmethacrylate]

Walker said:
Is that a bad thing?

No, not at all. That is not a bad thing. It is just a point of confusion for some people (the one’s who love the city a bunch, I think- and that isn’t bad either).

I actually think how it was handled was the only way it could be handled well. I also think the brand and execution are both smart.

I’m just saying that all of this ground up, grass roots talk. Save it. Channel that energy into something else. That’s not what this is for. Enough barking up the wrong tree already.

[Caleb]

polymethylmethacrylate said:
No, not at all. That is not a bad thing. It is just a point of confusion for some people (the one’s who love the city a bunch, I think- and that isn’t bad either).

I actually think how it was handled was the only way it could be handled well. I also think the brand and execution are both smart.

I’m just saying that all of this ground up, grass roots talk. Save it. Channel that energy into something else. That’s not what this is for. Enough barking up the wrong tree already.

Okay, seeing as we have a brand? Why don’t we have ads or anything? Or are we waiting for the bicentennial?

[polymethylmethacrylate]

I think we’re waiting to see if the gays take to the “open” part.

[Caleb]

polymethylmethacrylate said:
I think we’re waiting to see if the gays take to the “open” part.

What are YOU talking about?

[Author]

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