It’s Time to Re-brand “Brand Atlanta”

With the Mayor’s proposal Monday to spend $14 million of additional taxpayer money to fund Brand Atlanta the next two years, the time finally has come to say publicly what everyone has said and thought privately: while Brand Atlanta has worthy goals, the creative execution has been a flop.

I do not assert this lightly or in a vacuum; I have asked the opinions of hundreds of people in the business world and larger community over six months, and the overwhelming verdict is that the campaign is bland, not uniquely identifying, nor meaningful. Certainly not one believes it has been worth the time and money spent, or that what we have out there now will materially enhance the city’s reputation and prospects.

Like the old fable of the Emperor sold on invisible clothes, townspeople were first stunned, then laughed quietly, then they just resigned themselves to watching the silliness unfold. But also like the fable, the situation has grown ever more serious while town elders have not spoken up, and someone now must tell the Emperor that (s)he’s not wearing any clothes! With a whopping $12 million spent so far, about a third of which came directly from taxpayers, and now the proposal for $14 million more, it is time to continue Atlanta’s legacy of speaking truth to power.

What was the original goal? In Brand Atlanta’s own words, to “distinguish the city as a preferred destination for visitors, residents and businesses alike.” Everyone rightly points to the Las Vegas campaign as the new promotional gold standard, to the point that I don’t have to repeat their tagline. They have a distinctive theme, use memorable imagery, and create humorous storylines.

So what specifically is wrong here? The slogan “Every Day Is An Opening Day” doesn't have a natural tie with Atlanta no matter how hard they spin it, no one really gets it (who’s opening what when?), and it’s just not true. The radio and TV commercials with Holly Hunter’s and Samuel Jackson’s distinctive voices sound polished, but ring of fake boosterism, like corporate-talk at a trade show. And why are we saturated with them here – isn’t this intended for people elsewhere?

The hip-hop “anthem” has a limited audience, and people who like the genre tell me it’s not a good hip-hop song anyway, a big reason it gets no airplay. No one cares about the alternate versions recently created. The logo looks like someone put Coke red, the Hawks wings, and a boring 70’s font style in a blender.

Let’s not forget (if anyone ever learned them to start) about “The Three O’s”, a set of mission-speak generalities that no one listens to – “Our city’s boundless optimism and spirit of universal openness create a place of opportunity for everyone.” Huh? What city are we talking about again?

Clearly, creativity just doesn’t work by committee, especially one run by huge companies.
Despite this poor start, however, there is still hope for a solution.

Burdened by the challenge of trying to please too many constituencies, Brand Atlanta spurned a simpler and better path. They rejected the one label everyone in Atlanta and almost everyone in the country already knows – "Hotlanta". Many times I have been in another city, told someone I was from Atlanta, and watched their face light up as they said “Oh, Hot-lanta! Great place, lots going on there.” How many other cities have such a positive and ubiquitous nickname?

Yet a November New York Times article reported that the committee actually regarded “Hotlanta” as a negative, one member asking, “Why remind people who are considering coming to Atlanta in July and August that it's hot here?” I had to read this twice at the time before laughing out loud at how badly they missed the meaning of the term. Come on, everyone knows it can get hot in the South! Texas is worse, and our climate is great the other ten months. More importantly, everyone I’ve talked to rolls their eyes when hearing that quote, knowing that the "hot" refers to the energy and dynamism of this city, the excitement and growth here, not the thermometer!

No, instead of running away from the one label everyone knows, it seems clearly smarter to embrace it. So I would like to put forth a different six-word slogan, one that every person of the hundreds I have polled believe works much better:
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Hotlanta – The Cool Place To Be

This is at once easily identifiable, easy to interpret, and it speaks truthfully to everyone across cultural boundaries. The neat play on words between hot and cool works as a counterpoint: we’ve got both big-city sizzle and gracious Southern style. Hotlanta is so hot on several fronts that it's become the cool place to be. It purposefully doesn’t say “To Visit”, but a place to be, to stay – this message speaks to relocating companies as easily as it does to tourists and conventions.

Moreover, easily-imagined ad campaigns could support this theme for decades, putting front and center the special mix of assets, environment, and people Atlanta boasts: unique attractions (Georgia Aquarium, World of Coke, new High Museum, CNN, etc.); exciting and varied nightlife; a dynamic, hospitable business environment for large and small companies alike; the vibrant, trend-setting music industry scene; many top universities; great neighborhoods and diversity; and certainly our top sports venues and franchises – Michael Vick is one all by himself.

If we need a theme song, why try to create one from scratch? It would be easier and effective to reuse the most popular songs from our biggest hometown acts. Why not ask OutKast if we can take their major hit “Hey Ya” with its infectious beat, create new lyrics and change the title to “Hotlanta”? That would be an energetic, upbeat anthem out of the box, known and liked by all. For the logo, why not have a Peachtree Road Race-style design competition, choose 3 to 5 finalists and put it to a vote? Let’s make this a real community effort, one in which people feel they have a stake.

Good leaders in business and politics constantly solicit feedback, measure effectiveness, and take corrective action. Recently New Jersey spent $260,000 on a slogan before killing it, while New York aborted launching its own poorly received campaign. In Atlanta, we too can give ourselves a mulligan and quickly get back on track. The $4.5 million in tax money already spent is sunk, but we should at least learn the lessons it bought us before committing more.

Mayor Franklin has been incredible so far at taming large, long-standing problems facing our city. This represents a new challenge, one where she and Coke executive Jackson Kelly, Brand Atlanta’s new leader, can quickly turn a set of missteps into a victory.

So this time let’s give all Atlanta a voice – let’s have the AJC and other media run polls on whether people prefer the current slogan or this new one. If 70% or more agree that we can do better with Hotlanta, let’s do what Atlanta has done many times before and go with what works.

And if we do that, fear not: unlike the big-ticket ad firms, I won’t charge millions. The city can use the slogan free of charge. The best reward would be a cool key to The Cool Place To Be, Hotlanta.


Mr. Fleischmann is President & CEO of Atlanta-based MostChoice.com, a leading online insurance and mortgage quote request service providing leads for agents and brokers nationwide. He also has experience revamping his company's business model to achieve a spot in the upcoming Inc500.

President Fox, about the border

Washington is honored and delighted to welcome Mexican President Vicente Fox for a visit this week. This is a perfect opportunity to show off our state, say thank you for all the apples Mexico buys, brag about our airplanes, and ask a few questions.

U.S. Census figures tell us Washington is home to more than 500,000 Latinos, and roughly 80 percent are of Mexican heritage. Two U.S. states separate our borders, but with economic and familial ties, we are practically neighbors. A question missing from the emotional immigration debate over tighter security at this country's southern border is what Mexico will do to cinch things up on its side of the international divide?

We know how President Fox feels about the fence proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives last December; he called it shameful and stupid. He has decried plans to "militarize" the border with National Guard deployments.

Not surprisingly, he is supportive of a guest-worker plan and a rational path to citizenship.

Entirely missing is a sense of what Mexico will do to impede, confront and interdict the movement of illegal, undocumented workers into the U.S. A significant responsibility falls on Mexico to be a reliable partner in regaining control of the border and maintaining a lawful environment.

One pointed inquiry is about the percentage mix of Mexicans who are attracted to opportunities in the U.S. versus those who flee a nation with continuing human-rights issues.

Mexico's economic strains are real enough. News reports say Mexico's economy must grow at a brisk annual rate of 6 percent just to provide a million jobs a year to keep pace with population growth. Uncle Sam cannot continue as the default employer.

President Fox will be out of office in a few months. Elections are in July.

He should share with friends in Washington what his leading National Action Party has in mind for managing Mexico's side of the border.

We got disconnected

We got disconnected

Have you ever misdialed your phone and gotten someone other than who you expected? Have you ever received a misdialed call? Have you ever called an old friend's old phone number and discovered it had been assigned to someone else?

If any of these things have happened to you, how can you possibly claim you have never called nor been called by someone on the NSA's anti-terrorism watch list?

Since George W. Bush has asserted he has the right to arrest anyone and hold him indefinitely without filing charges, and since Congress has refused to challenge this assertion, you could wind up in Guantánamo — or Egypt? — for a wrong number!

If you aren't worried yet, it's because you haven't been paying attention!

I want my democracy back!

— Grover Partee, Seattle

More Fitting Punishment

Regarding "Moussaoui Gets Life" (front page, May 4):

So, once again, "justice is served." Right. We all know that to be a lie.

How can Americans give Moussaoui a life sentence? The man talked about how much he hates Americans and how he would love to see Americans killed by Muslims, and they give him life? I think the majority of Americans who can even still remember 9/11 would love to see him put in a building and then watch someone fly an airplane into it. Lethal injection would be too good for him.

I hope these people who gave him a life sentence realize that, given the chance, he would prefer to kill them and their loved ones. Maybe one day the American people will wake up and realize these people despise us and would love to rid the Earth of all of us.

KERRI BOWMAN OUSLEY

Ohio's Race for Governor 2006

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

In just over six months, voters will decide who will lead Ohio into the next decade. The person selected will either preside over the state's continued economic decline, or will find a way to staunch a devastating out-migration of jobs and talent.

The former is not an option.

Ohioans will choose between Secretary of State Ken Blackwell or Rep. Ted Strickland, the two winners in Tuesday's primary election.


These two now prepare for a general election campaign that must be one of ideas - thoughtful ideas premised on workable solutions. Voters must reject any emerging campaign banter that is unrelated to vital issues like job creation, job retention, education, tax policy and Medicaid expenditures.

Both Democrat Strickland and Republican Blackwell have talked to some extent about how they would attempt to reverse Ohio's decline. They have stressed the importance of shoring up Ohio's manufacturing base, while attracting new and emerging technologies. Both have addressed the failure of Ohio's public schools and the need for universities to form and sustain a talented work force.

But over the next six months, each man must spell out clearly how his administration would remove the corrupting stench of scandal from the Statehouse while propelling Ohio toward prosperity. Any reflex toward divisive social issues or gutter politics should be repressed, as Ohio voters have grown weary of candidates whose consuming focus on side issues keeps the real issues from their rightful place at the top of the agenda of public debate.

While it's fair to expect that Blackwell and Strickland will sometimes get rough as they engage in philosophical and intellectual warfare, this state no longer has the luxury of tolerating discussions that fail to advance prosperity and the overall public good.

In many ways, this race is the most important gubernatorial election in Ohio history. This is not a time for pandering. It is a time for candidates who advance thoughtful and sensible ideas.

Blackwell and Strickland owe that much to the 11 million people they want to lead.