NA Confidential: Is "weird" bothersome?

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Is "weird" bothersome?

On the off chance that you're not outside working or recreating on what is shaping up to be a great day, consider this posting at the Louisville Restaurants Forum:

Keep Louisville Weird campaign.

13 comments:

JoshuaDenzil said...: To quote Hunter S. Thompson, "It never got weird enough for me..."
This statement could easily be applied to our little river city. A town HST personally loathed. Maybe if there were a 'Hunters Louisville' banner located somewhere in his hometown we could claim this movement as our own. I mean really, who was weirder than HST?

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."; 6:23 PM
lawguy said...: I always thought it was an interesting and amusing marketing campaign. But then again, I lived in the Highlands along Bardstown Road for over a decade before moving to Floyd County, and I "got it" as far as the motto was intended.; 7:57 PM
Randy said...: Robin's understandably busy this weekend, so I can't comment on Hotbytes. But...you know I never thought the NA version could or should be "weird."

Keep Austin Weird made sense. Copying it to Louisville smacked of laziness. I "get" it, but it doesn't ring true. In Austin, the dichotomy is so severe that it was necessary to define the downtown bookstore as "weird." In Louisville, even the progressives are conservative. In New Albany, even the anarchists don't qualify as weird.

I never liked it for Louisville as a moniker, and I certainly don't think it defines the outlying cities like New Albany. There is a reason people choose an urban, but not metropolitan vibe. For what it's worth, Louisville isn't metropolitan. Compared to Louisville and the rest of Kentucky, sure. But compared to the world...even compared to Nashville, Cincinnati, or Indianapolis, Louisville is a small town in its thinking.

Ironically, Louisville is comparable to Austin. Austin, a state capital, is overshadowed by Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. Maybe even El Paso. With SWSX, Austin IS weird.

Louisville, with its traditionalist mindset, ain't. Witness the exhibit that River Fields, a supposed environmental group, supports a massive Spaghetti Junction and new downtown bridge. That's not progressive or enviro.

When your progressive groups are so conservative, you can't aspire to weird.

Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with an appellation that sings. Keep Louisville Authentic? Let New Albany Advance? I dunno.; 9:28 PM
Iamhoosier said...: In many ways, Halt New Albany, may be the correct "first" slogan.; 8:18 AM
B.W. Smith said...: There is a reason people choose an urban, but not metropolitan vibe [...] Louisville is a small town in its thinking.

An astute observation. In fact, locals brag that they enjoy Louisville because it is a big city with a small-town feel.

I don't know the history of "Keep Louisvile Weird," but I am guessing it was hatched along the B-town road corridor? If so, it makes sense in that context. As a city-wide or regional marketing campaign, not so much.

If you look at the cultural and alternative choices in Louisville, they don't make sense given the political and social backdrop Randy accurately describes. In that way Louisville has a lot of "weirdness" that makes it unusually attractive to a broader range of people.; 9:03 AM
lawguy said...: The only place I ever really saw the campaign mentioned was along Bardstown Road - where there was a billboard, as well as fliers in many of the merchant's windows (and periodic reference in the Leo). I never knew it was intended to be anything other than directed at the Highlands/Bardstown area. I would agree with others that for a city wide moniker, it wouldnt be a great choice, but for touting the area in which it originated, I thought it was very clever.; 11:46 AM
Iamhoosier said...: It would probably be better known if they had advertised in the Tribune.; 12:30 PM
dan chandler said...: One campaign that has always made me cringe is the one that has large banners on the sides of buildings with a photograph and caption of “Louisville’s Sawyer,” “Louisville’s Ali,” etc. The first round of the banned exclusively featured people who became famous only after leaving Louisville and who never returned. I always thought the campaign did more harm than good because the implicit message was that if you want to be successful, you need to leave and stay far, far away.

Newer banners feature local “celebrities” like Drs. Kleinert and Kutz. I really wonder who the target audience is for the Kleinert and Kutz banners. While I think these banners do less damage, I don’t know if the doctors are sufficiently well known to sway non-Louisvillians just passing through on I-65 or are even minimally hip enough to influence too many young Louisvillians.

It seems like Louisville city promotions people have the idea that to market Louisville, they must make people think that Louisville is another New York or Los Angeles. While attempts along this line might sway some, they usually have the reverse effect of making Louisville seem like a poser, further reinforcing the internal and external perception of provincialness. Perhaps the worst suggestion along these lines was the prior Mayor’s suggestion for a “Hollywood Sign” type L-O-U-I-S-V-I-L-L-E greeting along Waterfront Park that fortunately receive such a negative reception that it was nixed in a matter of days.

Louisville offers things NYC and LA can’t touch such as livability, world class parks, low crime, low cost of housing, quality public schools. While we I believe we should look at and learn from world cities like NYC and LA, when we market our area to locals or non-locals, emphasizing and improving quality of life makes a better pitch than trying to be something we’re not.; 12:48 PM
B.W. Smith said...: I sort of like the "Possibility City" slogan. It's positive and inviting.

For a lot of folks, a place like New York or Chicago is not a possibility (for whatever reason), but they'd still like to live in a city and have opportunity for bigger and better things. Lou-metro can be that, and New Albany can play a role.; 1:10 PM
Iamhoosier said...: Dan,
I believe that you have "over thought" the banners in Louisville. I understand what you are saying but I believe most people look at the banners, get a positive feeling(if any) and move on.; 1:27 PM
bayernfan said...: If I may throw in a personal story...when Mrs. Bayern and I were looking for a place to live when we grew weary of NYC, we specifically settled on the Louisville area simply because of the "feel" of it. Louisville is simply my favorite larger city that I've lived near. We chose to buy a home in New Albany due to the potential we saw in the town, proximity to Louisville and cost. But Louisville is why we're here in the first place!; 1:52 PM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: Louisville: Almost, over and over again.

New Albany: Even more possible.

It's a shame they use the "Possibility City" platform to tell corny jokes instead of real stories.

With a slightly more social democratic attitude, Louisville could be the Copenhagen of the U.S. Instead, we keep choosing the Irish model (of 25 years ago). Comfort afflicts and inflects here like few other places.; 2:32 PM
G Coyle said...: HST/Louisville, does bring back memories of the Highlands in the 70's. The Highlands in the 60's and 70's was just like NA today. Roger may in fact be the HST of NA? Could our NA slogan be "Fear and Loathing in New Albany"?

ps, I agree with Dan that the big billboards do advertise the FACT that in generations past, you did and still do have to leave Louisville to really compete.

From my own marketing perspective I'd do a 180 degrees on the usual mindset and proclaim to the world that Louisville is a mean nasty back-water but it's provincialism is charming, even beautiful. The prettiest - meanest place in America!; 1:29 PM