About Cleveland+
So I couldn't help but be curious about this mysterious Cleveland+ thing....
There's a tendency, I think, in this country, to assume that everyone who's not us is going to do their job badly. Like, a marketing agency charged with improving the region's image, for example. So, of course, I was suspicious about it, prepared not to like it, prepared to formulate a tirade about it.
[Full disclosure: I don't know anything about marketing, really, except what my lifelong friend who works in marketing tells me, and basing my opinion on that, all I can say is that marketing sounds vaguely scummy.]
Personally, I was put off by the whole brand thing. If I were casting around for a place to live, I would write off any that tried to "brand" themselves. The thing is, though, that I'm not exactly the target market for the Cleveland+ campaign. Thus, I really have no grounds on which to say yes, this will work, or no, this won't. So one could question whether or not my opinion really counts. I'll give it anyway, and let you be the judge.
The name
Although I support the regionalist tone therein, I think the actual name, Cleveland+, is vaguely insulting toward the "+." (I mean, it's one thing for some jerk in New York to go on about The Other Ohio, but to take the superior attitude in a marketing campaign....)
Why didn't they go with something incorporating the acronym NEO (NorthEast Ohio), which is widely used in the local technosphere? Wouldn't that theoretically make is sound sort of progressive? I mean, I like NEO and I don't like anything.
Could've been worse, anyway, I mean, how about the CVB's icky "Just Add You" slogan, or Seattle's just-plain-weird Metronatural? Or what about something like Cleveland: The Knuckles on the Fist. You know, like that open-hand, fingers-together, thumb-out thing Michiganders do to show you where they live (look here if you don't know what I'm talking about). Try it: make a fist with your right hand. It sort of looks like Ohio. (Now pretend you're hitting me for coming up with something so stupid.)
The video
Again, my lack of marketing knowledge - should the video have actually said something? Or was it all about the images? If so, I thought the video was all right. I mean, this is coming from someone who hasn't actually seen NEO for, God, what, almost a year? So, you know, I forget about things. I thought the video made the region look really good. Attractive. I would look at it and think, God, that place isn't such an ugly dump. That says a lot, really it does.
So, for the most part, I'm going to reserve judgement until I see the Cleveland+ logo on the billboard outside my office window.
There's a tendency, I think, in this country, to assume that everyone who's not us is going to do their job badly. Like, a marketing agency charged with improving the region's image, for example. So, of course, I was suspicious about it, prepared not to like it, prepared to formulate a tirade about it.
[Full disclosure: I don't know anything about marketing, really, except what my lifelong friend who works in marketing tells me, and basing my opinion on that, all I can say is that marketing sounds vaguely scummy.]
Personally, I was put off by the whole brand thing. If I were casting around for a place to live, I would write off any that tried to "brand" themselves. The thing is, though, that I'm not exactly the target market for the Cleveland+ campaign. Thus, I really have no grounds on which to say yes, this will work, or no, this won't. So one could question whether or not my opinion really counts. I'll give it anyway, and let you be the judge.
The name
Although I support the regionalist tone therein, I think the actual name, Cleveland+, is vaguely insulting toward the "+." (I mean, it's one thing for some jerk in New York to go on about The Other Ohio, but to take the superior attitude in a marketing campaign....)
Why didn't they go with something incorporating the acronym NEO (NorthEast Ohio), which is widely used in the local technosphere? Wouldn't that theoretically make is sound sort of progressive? I mean, I like NEO and I don't like anything.
Could've been worse, anyway, I mean, how about the CVB's icky "Just Add You" slogan, or Seattle's just-plain-weird Metronatural? Or what about something like Cleveland: The Knuckles on the Fist. You know, like that open-hand, fingers-together, thumb-out thing Michiganders do to show you where they live (look here if you don't know what I'm talking about). Try it: make a fist with your right hand. It sort of looks like Ohio. (Now pretend you're hitting me for coming up with something so stupid.)
The video
Again, my lack of marketing knowledge - should the video have actually said something? Or was it all about the images? If so, I thought the video was all right. I mean, this is coming from someone who hasn't actually seen NEO for, God, what, almost a year? So, you know, I forget about things. I thought the video made the region look really good. Attractive. I would look at it and think, God, that place isn't such an ugly dump. That says a lot, really it does.
So, for the most part, I'm going to reserve judgement until I see the Cleveland+ logo on the billboard outside my office window.
Labels: Cleveland
posted by Christine Borne at 12:57 PM
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