The effort to create a "brand" for Pittsburgh -- a defining essence of community that could be used to market the region -- got off to a bad start, which was all the more unfortunate because arguably, no region in the country has a more pressing need to decide what sort of image it wants to present to the world.
Instead, the branding effort itself got branded. It's time to change that.
Populist-minded critics were resoundingly negative about the branding effort. It was seen as a waste of the $200,000 in funds paid to the three companies involved. What set people off was the project's now-notorious statement.
It wasn't a slogan, and it wasn't quite a mission statement. It was merely a mess -- an ungrammatical, word-thick, nebulous piece of prose that did a ham-fisted job of suggesting themes. Those behind the effort now say it came out of a workshop and, unsurprisingly, had not been polished by good writers.
But forget the statement, which now belongs to the past and should stay there. As we observed in an editorial more than a month ago, the process of studying and defining may be more important than the final proclamation. Having seen the results so far, we are more convinced of that than ever.
The findings are interesting, even provocative. Three groups were interviewed for their impressions of their region -- tourists, corporate site selectors and desirable, talented workers who moved here and stayed or came and went away. An 87-member group headed by WQED Chairman George Miles sifted and synthesized the findings and ar-ranged them into five main themes each buttressed by subpoints.
This was no easy task. To some extent, the search to grasp Pittsburgh's essence is like trying to use a butterfly net to corral a swarm of bees. People's perceptions are rife with contradictions. For example, Pittsburghers are seen as friendly and welcoming, but at the same time the region is perceived as a racist place of glass ceilings. Pittsburgh has a strong heritage but is seen as locked in the past and not progressive. It is beautiful and green but is also industrial and has lousy weather.
As described by the researchers, this is the nature of the challenge: "Today's Pittsburgh is a relative unknown -- most perceptions of the area are rooted 20-30 years in the past." Moreover, that old image "is not a positive one but in the absence of a strong message to the contrary, it remains."
The five main points about the area ring true and suggest a blueprint for marketing. Pittsburgh has a "world-class urban setting" with a "small-town feel." This is a place which presents "a genuine opportunity to make an impact." It has a strong heritage and is the "current home of innovation and transformation." Pittsburghers take "pride in working, making and doing." This community has "urban beauty surrounded by rivers and outdoor adventure."
As a new phase of public input gets under way, these themes can be sharpened. Perhaps it might be wise to forgo a final defining statement, which only risks further trouble, and simply use the revealed wisdom as the basis of the region's marketing efforts. There is already enough to go on.
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