Get Midwest - We think of Everything?

If you are a regular reader of this blog then you know that we try to stay focused on the positives about our city - since there is already enough negativity out there.  But this time I'm going to stray a bit from that approach because this latest "effort" by the regional powers-that-be simply begs to be questioned (if not bashed mercilessly)...

These are the new logos for the region's new branding campaign which was unveiled by the Dayton Development Coalition recently.  If you're like me, you are now asking yourself - "are they kidding me?"  No, they are not kidding.  In fact, I'll bet that a ton of money went into this branding effort - and in my opinion it fails on several levels.

First, let me tell you that I included "Dayton Region" in the above logos because that is how they are presented on the DDC's website, but I have a feeling that the words "Dayton Region" are not part of the official logo nor are they part of their new web address: www.bemidwest.com.  If that assumption is correct, then how in the world is ANYBODY supposed to see this logo and think of Dayton?  Or even Ohio for that matter?  Why are we marketing the entire Midwest here?  Did Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan contribute money to this campaign?  This is like Seattle changing their slogan to "Be Pacific Coast", or Charleston, S.C. saying "Get East Coast".  It says NOTHING about Dayton or why a business or person should want to be here.  I would almost expect something like "be southwest ohio" since the leaders of this region seem hellbent on advocating sprawl to the south.  But "be midwest" is so vague it's almost funny.

"We think of everything" - what does that mean?  Perhaps it is supposed to mean that our region is full of people that "think" for a living so as to try to attract businesses that are looking for that quality in a workforce.  But how does this differentiate our region from ANY other region in the country ?

Here are some more opinions of "get/be midwest - we think of everything!":
Get Midwest - or not? - Dayton Daily News
“Get Midwest”- A generic campaign that is guaranteed to fail. - Esrati.com

And here is a list of alternatives that are probably just as effective (and not any worse than) "be midwest - we think of everything":

• "Dayton Region - We're WAY Better Than Flint, MI"
• "Dayton Region - It Is Cheap To Live Here"
• "Dayton Region - We Don't Have Too Much Traffic"
• "Dayton Region - We're Like Family Friendly and Stuff"
• "Dayton Region - We're Like High Tech and Stuff"
• "Dayton Region - We Have Nice Parks"  ..... (and Stuff)
• "Dayton Region - Go Ohio State Buckeyes!" (oh wait, that is Columbus)
• "Dayton Region - We're Really Close to Cincinnati"
• "Dayton Region - We Were Famous 100 Years Ago"
• "Miami Valley - Just Like Miami, Florida... But Different"
• "Dayton Region - Including Warren County, the Cultural Epicenter of the World"
• "Dayton Region - We Have the Best Suburbs"
• "I Am Dayton - And So Can You!"  (actually I like that one - thanks Colbert!)

By the way - the City of Dayton is supposedly still working on ITS branding efforts - let's pray that THEY have the sense to include the word "Dayton" in the slogan!

Comments

[David Esrati]

Hi Bill,
Well, I guess even you stop drinking the cool-aid on occasion and see that we are being failed by our "leadership."
This is like GM running ads saying- "Buy cars"- the problem comes from work by committee- and that no one on the committee has a clue what real ads are, or even look like.
I got the full dog and pony show months ago- and looked the person dead in the eye and said- "Back to the drawing board."
Even the old "It's great in Dayton" worked better than this. And the whole "Region" lameness- you can say you're from Union, Clayton, Centerville or Beavercreek all you want- but, it's Dayton on the map. Get used to it. Same reason "Miami Valley" had to go- and "Greater Dayton" suggests there is also a "Lesser Dayton." STOP people. Show some D-town pride, and get over your petty divisions. We're all going to go down on this ship together until we stop pretending the current arrangement is working. I was in Columbus Saturday- new construction everywhere- and it's privately funded... how about that.
Lets solve the first marketing problem, it's DAYTON. Then you may be somewhere.
Get DAYTON. Be DAYTON. We Are DAYTON. Anyone of them- sounds better than "Get midwest"
And note, Mike Turners wife was the recipient of this plum "branding" effort. Hmmmmm.

[Teri Lussier]

Stoopid on so many levels, and you and Esrati covered them all.

Here's my stoopid but just as effective slogan: I can luvz Daytin?

[MattS]

Why not roll our own logo? All these Dayton blogs could sport it, I'd make up some tees, etc. I mean, we've got the expertise and the passion for the subject matter, and of course Richard would be psyched to see some homegrown boosterism when he comes to town.

[Teri Lussier]

Matt-
I'm in.
I was thinking that as well. It's truly time to stop listening to bad advice and just roll up our sleeves and get things done.

All blogs don't always agree, but we do have passion for this subject and that's powerful stuff.

[Theresa Gasper]

Wow! I really didn't expect such negative response - but then without the whole story behind it, I guess it doesn't make sense. Quite honestly, my initial response a month or so ago was the same.

I wasn't part of the process, I was at the annual meeting on Friday. But I'll try to relay what I've taken away from this. To those of you who have ever lived elsewhere, this may make more sense.

The concept of "get Midwest" or "Be Midwest" refers to a state of mind, the way we behave here. People from the midwest don't brag, we're not glamorous, BUT we have strong values, a good work ethic and we get the job done. It's a mindset - we're self depreciating almost to a fault, but we're GOOD people and it's a good place to live, to raise a family, to have a business. The cost of living is attractive and it's easy to get around.

This is the first step in getting people to consider moving to or staying in the midwest instead of rushing to the coasts where the cost of living is outrageous and you'll never be able to afford a decent house. If you can, you'll end up spending more of your time in the car driving back & forth to work than in your new house.

Yes "Dayton Region" is part of the logo. As is "We Think of Everything". That is a tribute to our past - the Wright Brothers, Kettering, Fraze, etc - and a reference to our present and our future. It is a recognition of the creativity and innovation this region has always been known for, but it doesn't rest our laurels on just the airplane or the Wright Brothers.

It is the second part of the process - once we get a company or individual to consider the Midwest, then we need to get them to consider the Dayton Region and all it has to offer.

THIS is the logo that was decided on. As I understand it, there was a lot of input from a lot of people in the community. It is what it is and I think we need to get behind it.

Hell, there are only a dozen or so regular posters on this blog and we can't build consensus among us. Give the Coalition and the people behind this the benefit of the doubt - they had to herd cats to come up with consensus.

Once I heard the entire description, I got behind it. I am proud of the midwest values and I love this region...so I will do what I can to support it. I haven't been drinking any cool-aid - I prefer my own TheresaRitas. I just know that a lot of good & talented people poured their heart & soul into this process and we should give them the benefit of the doubt.

As the campaign is rolled out, it will probably make more sense as it all comes into focus.

Give them a chance - you would want the same if you were in their shoes.

[Teri Lussier]

Thanks for that explanation.

My concern is that any marketing that needs that much explaining is doomed.

[Theresa Gasper]

Check these out for a broader scope...

http://www.daytonregion.com/getMidWest_info.aspx
or
http://www.daytonregion.com/beMidWest_info.aspx

[David Esrati]

Sorry Theresa- no amount of "backing this up" is going to turn this turd back into a horse.
It's great if we want to sell "The midwest"- but we want to sell "Dayton"- and not this stupid "Dayton Region"- I'm not from the "Cleveland Region"- I'm from CLEVELAND. And, I have enough self respect not to try to confuse anyone with "Cleveland Heights"- or "East Cleveland" (both 'burbs). There are some "regions" out there- the "Research Triangle" and the "Bay Area" and the "Twin Cities"- but, Dayton ain't a region- and that's a big part of where this fails- JP and crew have to coddle instead of lead- and they coddled us off the mark.
Remember the petty BS in the paper- that the "Dayton Peace Accords" were really the "Fairborn Peace Accords"- yeah, show me Fairborn on a map.
It's embarrassing enough that we always have to say "Dayton Ohio" so as not to get confused with - what? "Dayton KY"- we need some pride of place- a rally cry- and "BE Midwest" is too much like "Be Mediocre" in that it STANDS for nothing.
I've been doing marketing longer than any of the people who bought this load of bull. It's third rate thinking with first rate wrapping paper.
Doesn't change a thing.
I'm not buying a shirt to wear with that logo- and neither is anyone else.
It failed. But, you don't have to feel bad- the new Wendy's campaign that cost way more than this with the red wig- it failed too.
These things happen. Back to the drawing board.

[David E Bowman]

One thing jumps out at me about this, and sadly it is not the logo or tag line. It is consensus. When the goal is consensus, the result is safe...Be Midwest. Could there be anything more safe (boring) than that? "We think of everything." This is the essence of safe, but just not very sexy. I mean this in the most constructive way. I can envision the meetings where people worked hard to come up with this stuff - I see them all the time. As my hero, Seth Godin, so wisely states that in a world that rewards the exceptional, "Safe is Risky." It is not that the slogan or tag line is bad or offensive, but rather that it is safe and invisible.

[Bill Pote]

David - if keeping this site going in order to promote the positives of our city is drinking kool-aid, then pass the sugar... to your point about getting away from this "Miami Valley/Greater Dayton/Dayton Region" business and simply saying "Dayton" - I agree somewhat. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago yet I say I'm from Chicago - not Chicagoland or the Chicago Region. Yet despite the fact that Chicagoland citizens have as much pride in their city as in any city I've ever been to, there is still the term Chicagoland because most of the region's people live outside of the city. Where you claim to be from is a matter of context. I don't expect somebody from Beavercreek to say they live in "Dayton" if talking to somebody from within the region, but I'd hope that they say they're from Dayton if talking to somebody from another part of the state or country.

And Theresa - thank you for the in-depth explanation. I do understand how utterly difficult it is to reach consensus - especially when the consensus is trying to appease TWELVE COUNTIES? (I can't even name twelve counties in this region - I thought at most we were 9). This is a much broader scope than I originally had understood it to be (which is 3 or 4 counties tops). I still don't agree with the slogan "Get Midwest" or "Be Midwest" - that term is simply way too broad - but if the phrase "Dayton Region" is ALWAYS included with that logo then I can at least have more of an open mind toward it.

My negative feelings toward this branding effort are personal. Any branding effort for this region that doesn't explicitly include the urban core of Dayton is simply reinforcing the idea that most people in this region have no connection with the urban core. I firmly believe that if this region wants to attract businesses (especially those that deal with high tech and high paying jobs) and the bright young people that would work at those businesses, it first has to invest heavily in the urban core. As Richard Florida's research suggests, people choose city first and then job, and businesses are following the people - not the other way around. What is going to attract more people is not some new shopping mall/faux downtown off of an Interstate or more roads and highways that further perpetuate sprawl (things that seem to be more important to the leaders of this region). What will attract more people is a vibrant and successful "real" downtown and urban core. No where in those links you posted does it mention the words "urban", "downtown" or even "city". A city/region must be successful at attracting people that have the means to live anywhere, and generic marketing phrases like "low cost of living" and "low commute times" are not going to get it done.

That all said, your comments have caused me to reserve further judgment of this marketing campaign until it is fully unveiled.

[David E Bowman]

Just as a quick follow up to the comment above, I strongly support the work of the DDC. My criticism of the campaign should not be mistaken as being critical of the hard working people at the coalition. I know many of them on a personal basis, and have a deep respect for the work they do to attract businesses to Dayton, or the Dayton Region, depending on your preference. I am just not wild about this campaign specifically. Perhaps I will be proven wrong as throngs of business choose to Get Midwest. Time will tell.

[Bill Pote]

David Bowman - very good point and very well stated.

[Allison]

If you have to "explain" the slogan for it to make sense, it simply will not work.

[Theresa Gasper]

I have two thoughts about the slogan (which is just a small piece of the campaign).

One is "if you have to ask what it means" then maybe they did miss the boat. But the other is that advertising is supposed to tease people and entice them to ask more. If nothing else, it sure has everyone talking!!

Is it 'sexy' - nope! But then neither is the midwest. If they devoted all resources to the urban core, it would have been too EXclusive. This approach is rather INclusive.

Anyway, my goal isn't to change anyone's mind about the campaign. Advertising is very subjective. I had a marketing prof that once said "if you see an ad and you don't get it - then YOU aren't the target market."

My goal is to get people to think a bit more about tolerance...to be a little more accepting of ideas that aren't their own. We're so quick to criticize and tear people down. How are we going to get ahead doing that?

The first goal is to attract people to the REGION, from there they decide which part of it they want. You started out in Wash Township and decided it wasn't for you, so you moved downtown to an urban scene. I started out in Dayton and moved to Beavercreek and would like to move back to Dayton.

One of the things many of us in Dayton tend to be oblivious about is the size of the region. Within a two hour drive of Dayton (which can be a typical commute from one side of a large metropolitan city to the other) we are the size of Atlanta. Within two hours you can drive to Cincy, Columbus, Toledo, Indianapolis, Lexington & Louisille - and enjoy all those cities have to offer.

We tend to think small. We think if it's not in Dayton, it's too far to go. People that may relocate from Boston or San Antonio as part of BRAC will see that as typical drive times. So if we just promote Dayton's urban core, we're limiting the potential of the region. If we promote the overall region - we can talk about professional sports in Cinci or Columbus, or the combination of art museums, concert venues, etc.

For me, the conversation about the campaign is just a symptom of a larger problem. Maybe an accurate slogan should be "Dayton: We Criticize Everything" or "Dayton: Everyone is an Idiot...Except me".

Sorry, I'm just an eternal optimist - and I really believe that whether we like the campaign or not as individuals, we owe it to the larger community or region to support it and make it successful because we'll all benefit from it. I'm not sure how anyone benefits if all we do is tear it to shreds.

[David E Bowman]

I am wrong a lot. I would be delighted to be wrong on this too - though I don't think I am. Still, the idea should not be that to disagree is to call someone an idiot, but that we start a conversation. I agree with many of the points you make above, and respect your opinion on the others. Who am I to say that it is great or not great... then again who am I not to? Hence, the beauty of the web. I love your optimism and passion.

[Gary]

How about
"I bought a house in Dayton, Ohio and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."

No really. If they like the slogan it should read something like "Be Midwest - Where great minds reside" or "Get Midwest - Great things are happening here" but no-one ever asks for my input!

[Bill Pote]

Theresa - I never said that it should be ALL about the urban core; I simply said that the urban core should play a significant role in any regional branding. At the very least it should be mentioned in the literature. I fully understand that not everybody wants to live in downtown or a historic district, and I'm all for promoting what the region has to offer as an alternative. But it is the urban core that contains the highest concentration of the types of things that differentiate this region from others across the country. To not even mention it in a regional marketing campaign would be unfortunate.

I don't think criticism of this is such a bad thing. It gets people talking and that is a good thing. Anybody who regularly reads this blog knows that I am also an eternal optimist and positive about my adopted city to a fault, but that does not mean that I can't take a critical view on something like this. I think the people that live in this city are sick of watching the suburbs grow at the detriment to the city core, and any regional marketing campaign that seemingly ignores what so many of us urban advocates believe in is going to draw criticism from us.

I just did a search for other regional marketing campaigns/slogans. While I found many CITY slogans (http://www.taglineguru.com/citymottosmonikers.html), I could find none that were regional as opposed to city-specific. If any of you can give us some examples then please do share. Perhaps regional slogans aren't as memorable or effective as city slogans. And perhaps the fact that we have to have a "regional" slogan or we have to say "Dayton Region" as opposed to just "Dayton" points to how disconnected most of our region is from the city.

[Theresa Gasper]

Hey Bill - I'm not opposed to criticism when the intention is to stimulate meaningful conversation. I've been reading several blogs about this topic and not everyone is as gracious as the majority of the ones on this site. Much of it elsewhere just seems to fall in the infamous category of "squelchers".

I love the discussion. If I understand it correctly, the overall campaign is directed OUTSIDE the region. Like I said "if you see an ad and don't get it, you're not the target market". Perhaps those of us intelligent beings who have already made this region our home aren't the target.

Yes, you are my fellow eternal optimist - and God love you for it. It gets lonely sometimes! Like I said, I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, I'm just presenting a different perspective as well.

It's just too often we're so quick to pass judgment without knowing all the facts. And with the upcoming Creative Class Initiative, I'm a bit nervous that we'll be on the receiving end of more of the same. That's why we hope to get as much involvement in that process by as many people as possible. The more buy in we have at the beginning the better.

So...if you haven't done so already, please visit www.soche.org to apply to become a catalyst.

And David Bowman, we've never met, but I like the way you think and the way you communicate. I hope you'll post often here.

So, let us continue to agree to disagree, this has been stimulating.

[Teri Lussier]

>Give the Coalition and the people behind this the benefit of the doubt - they had to herd cats to come up with consensus.

And there in lies the problem- the logo shows an inordinate amount of cat herding.

>the conversation about the campaign is just a symptom of a larger problem. Maybe an accurate slogan should be "Dayton: We Criticize Everything" or "Dayton: Everyone is an Idiot...Except me".

I suppose I can only speak for myself, but please don't confuse criticism for a logo with lack of optimism for the goal. The amount of passion with which this logo-by-committee has stirred here proves that most of us feel very strongly, and positively, about this area. We think Dayton deserves better. If we didn't care, we'd shrug our shoulders and say, "yeah, sure, whatever". This is good!

[Jeffrey]

I commented over at Esrati making fun of this.

But seriously, speaking as a non-native, the Dayton area is the most Midwestern part of Ohio (and we are talking about a fairly large region, not just the city) so I think an accurate brand describing the characterstics of place.

In fact a cultural geography of the Midwest,: "Making the Corn Belt: A Geographical History of Middle-Western Agriculture" (which is about culture as much as farming) even makes the case that the Midwest was born in the Miami Valley...that this was the culture hearth of the enitre concept.

I do lament a the abandonment of the Miami Valley as a regional label, as this always reminded me of how the Germans define regions, by natural or historical characteristics. Examples are the Ruhr and the Bergstrasse , which have their own regional identity campaigns on the ‘net.

Germany also has an example of a regional brand with a mix of city and region name; Frankfurt Rhine-Main (because everyone’s heard of Frankfurt and no one has heard of “Das Rhein-Main Gebeiet”)

So here we have it: Be Midwestern. I can appreciate the concept and what they are trying to do with it.

There is also a cetain audacity in appropriating a generic regional label for subset of that region. That in itself will draw attention, so a good thing.

[Nathan]

Should the focus be on attracting businesses and individuals to the "Midwest"? Or should it be on keeping people in the "Midwest" who are already here? The major group that comes to mind is young adults, specifically those that are ending their college careers.

What does this campaign do for them? They are already "Midwest". What's keeping them in Dayton or even Ohio for that matter, when Chicago is only a short drive away. Many young people I know love Chicago because it is a large vibrant city, but still exhibits "Midwestern" values, and many took jobs there right out of college. They didn't want to be "stuck in Ohio their whole lives".

How does this campaign keep people from thinking of Chicago when they think "Midwest"? Or even Indy, which has a great downtown scene, for that matter?

Maybe this campaign needs to focus on the thousands of young people who attend the multitude of colleges and universities in Ohio. I know they all don't leave after graduation, but what percentage of them are looking for something bigger and better to move up to, which can be done while staying in the "Midwest"? Why not show them they have it pretty good already? Would thousands of college graduates staying in Ohio every year not attract businesses?

This is all pretty much what Florida has already talked about, but it doesn't seem to have taken hold. Why try to attract individuals and businesses from the coasts when there are plenty of great things already happening in Ohio (Midwest), not just Chicago (Midwest)?

[Bruce Kettelle]

What impression does the slogan evoke from a European or an Asian? Isn't that where our near-term growth will be coming from?

[Jeffrey]

"Should the focus be on attracting businesses and individuals to the "Midwest"? Or should it be on keeping people in the "Midwest" who are already here?"

The Dayton Development Coalition, who is behind this campaign, has an economic development plan "Wright Patt 2020" to attract more Defense R&D work to the region

http://www.entrepreneur.com/localnews/1578973.html

Perhaps the Get Midwestern brand and Wright Patt 2020 plan could complement each other somehow.

[David E Bowman]

Out of curiosity, I put up a poll about this on my site. If you are interested in casting a thumbs up or down on "Get Midwest" please stop by and cast your vote. http://www.davidebowman.com/get-midwestdo-you-get-it.htm
We'll leave the light on for ya.

[Matt]

This conversation has helped me appreciate the general optimism of this site more and more. Theresa's right-on about this campaign, because JP and the DDC are trying to compete in a national and international marketplace. He's not trying to get the Greene to move into the City. There are a myriad of roles that must be played by proponents of Dayton and its surrounding region if we want to see restoration and growth here. The City of Dayton and guys like Bill Pote may be competing on a more local level, the people with MVRPC are working on a regional level, and DDC is doing their job to bring attention to Dayton on an even broader playing field. The Midwest has been ignored nationally, let alone internationally, and somebody has to start trying to repair that image. If you're not a fan of the new DDC campaign, then just keep doing your local thing and let JP and his people play their role too. We've all got a part in this, so let's try not to kill each other.