Cincinnati could use a big image boost right now. Credit the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau for recognizing that our $2 billion worth of new museums, stadiums and events merit a vigorous effort to build up what local ad expert Dale Brown calls a "base of residual goodwill" for our area.
"The time is right to call for a national branding campaign for Cincinnati," bureau president Lisa Haller told the Enquirer.
But $145,000 for a campaign to dub our fair city "New Cincinnati," mostly in convention trade publications and nearby cities?
C'mon, folks, this isn't brain surgery. And it doesn't need to be a multimillion-dollar Madison Avenue effort.
On today's Forum cover (PDF file, 436k) is one example of an attention-grabbing way to build up our image - call it a new deal for a "New Cincinnati." The bureau, city government or any other group is welcome to appropriate it. Print up some decks. Send them to convention/tourism groups, political leaders, media outlets, businesses seeking to move or expand - whoever could use a tangible representation of what Cincinnati's all about. Get some national publicity.
Our deck of 52 Cincinnati-attraction "cards" is arbitrary, of course. We didn't have room to include other attractions, institutions and events that make our area a great place to visit, live and work - from Jungle Jim's to our beer-making tradition to Newport on the Levee to Children's Hospital to Procter & Gamble.
Speaking of P&G, local marketing pros echo Heller in saying that Cincinnati needs to establish a brand identity, as P&G has been so successful in doing with its products for decades. Maybe P&G should loan a brand manager to the city.
Whatever we do, we have to be more aggressive in promoting the many positives our area offers visitors and residents. We have to turn up the volume and drown out the naysayers who seem to have a vested interest in perpetuating conflicts instead of solving them.
Yes, Cincinnati has problems, but thousands of people of goodwill are working to fix them. A renewed passion and excitement about the place we live in will help overcome those problems.
It's in the cards.
