Houston: It's Worth It (Really)!
Kuffner called attention to an unorthodox pro-Houston advertising campaign on his blog earlier this week, after David Kaplan featured it in his business column.
And Rick Casey -- yes, that Rick Casey -- actually wrote a pretty good column on it (we still suspect he takes many of his cues on what to write about from Kuffner's blog, but that's okay -- it's a darn good place to look for inspiration):
How is it perfect? Let me count the ways.
Reason one: It's based not on some fuzzy fantasy, but on the city's real image in the world.
That's why Dallas' new "Live large, think big" slogan is silly. It doesn't connect with what we already think about Dallas. (Don't get me started.)
But Las Vegas' "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" connects big time. The town is known as the place to be bad. The slogan builds on it by promising you won't get caught.
Houston has a powerful image. San Antonio's official motto, for example, is: "Thank God we're not Houston."
Any slogan that doesn't deal with what people think they know about Houston comes across as having been scripted by a slick ad agency nervous about pleasing its client.
"Houston. It's worth it," sounds like wit from a beer-abetted brainstorming session by people who enjoy life. In other words, the kind of people you'd like to spend time among.
Reason two: Jordy Tollett doesn't like it.
Tollett's in charge of attracting visitors to Houston. But let's face it. Houston does not attract visitors. What happens in Houston attracts visitors. Sports. Opera. Theater. Blockbuster museum shows.
Doctors.
"Houston. It's worth it," isn't designed to get people to visit Houston. It's designed for something more important: to get talented people who can pick and choose among jobs to move to Houston.
Reason three: It strikes a pose that is just right for Houston.
Self-effacing self-confidence.
I've criticized Casey, a Jeff Cohen transplant from San Antonio, for not writing nearly enough about his new city, but I have to admit that he seems to get it in this column (it being Houston).
Those of us who love this crazy city recognize that its many virtues (dare I call them world-class virtues?) outnumber the drawbacks that everyone knows about. We recognize that the city can be world-class without copying light-rail and other fiascos from lesser cities around the country. We recognize that it's a great place to live, and even a pretty good place to visit (if the visitors have the proper guidance from locals).
This advertising campaign incorporates that spirit, and even solicits ordinary Houstonians to go and add their $.02 about what makes this city great. In other words, it's not Elyse Lanier and some ad agency guys trying to come up with some BS about why Houston is great (with the ad guys trying hard not to laugh at the goofy Lanier), it's real Houstonians responding to a "pull" marketing campaign that sets broad parameters.
Brilliant, if you ask me.
Houston is a great city, flaws and all. It's about time someone said it and meant it. More along those lines in the coming weeks, with something I have percolating in my brain.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/07/04 11:46 | Houston | Technorati
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Comments
I will never forget the several page glossy spread Elsye Lanier's group inserted into the Sunday New York Times.
My first memory is that it had some stupid line about Houston and oil... "oil on CANVAS that is... you see, Houston is home to over 675,923 paintings" or some stupid bullshit like that.
Yeah, we aren't about energy, we are about art.
Secondly, the timing was brilliant. God only knows how many thousands of dollars it cost-- just happened to be scheduled to run the weekend after the attacks of September 11th, 2001.
So the whole New York Times was full of exploding buildings, burning rubble, and page after page of obituaries... and readers are supposed to take time out to rethink their most fundamental beliefs about the essence of Houston.
We couldn't have called up the editor and said "Hey, ya'know what... let's hold on this insert for a couple of weeks. Thanks."?
Posted by HouTexJew @ 13:45 on 08/07/04
Houston may be world class. But is it a pleasant community with a lot to offer?
Posted by Dave H @ 16:20 on 08/07/04
Expecting parents are supposed to try to think of how a potential name could be made fun of by other children before they decide to use that name for their newborn. I wonder if this ad co did that with this slogan; I'm thinking they didn't. (think of where someone could insert *sh*).
Anyway, I visited their site. It's dreadful. That jingle at the beginning is totally embarassing; then the rest of the site appears to be flash, for no good reason I can see either. No special effects, just clicking.
Posted by Sherri @ 03:28 on 08/08/04
Eeek, Textile! I'll remember that for future comments LOL
Posted by Sherri @ 03:30 on 08/08/04
Sherri: Actually, I like the hokey jingle at the beginning and the website.
See, I view Houston as sort of a hokey city, but in an endearing sort of way. When I go to Dallas, I find people much more concerned about spraying their hair into place, showing off their fake boobs, and looking JUST RIGHT. In Houston, we have our quirks, and that's that. You can either deal, or not. Much less pretentious. The website works for me in that regard.
Posted by Kevin @ 10:09 on 08/10/04
My relatives (from North Texas) used to come to Houston to visit and shake their heads at the funky appearance of the city. I explained that the funk factor is what makes Houston attractive to me. They did not get it, and liked to make comparrisons to Dallas, the city that works, not!. Now, Dallas is at the tipping point! Maybe I'm glad not everyone gets Houston.
Posted by mark @ 17:03 on 08/27/04
i remember fire ants,heat,floods,roaches ,filthy restrooms,humidity, rude drivers and horrid roads.my husband says we left houston because no one made mud flaps and gun racks for his ferrari.I would have left him if he was not as anxious to leave houston before our infant got an accent. this was 25yrs ago
Posted by nsc @ 12:36 on 09/11/04
why can't i get on houstonitsworthit.com. it says i don't have the credentials. i try refreshing but it still doesn't work.
Posted by terry @ 08:16 on 10/08/04
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