So Pittsburgh is not the only city obsessed with its image.
Baltimore recently unveiled a new slogan aimed at attracting conventions and tourists:
"Baltimore: Get In On It"
First point: On first read, I thought it said "Baltimore: Get It On." I think that's better.
Second point: Now that you have read the slogan, are you any more likely to go to Baltimore?
Third point: I am no marketing guy, but "it" is a dangerous word. "Get in" on what? It's kind of boring. Or gross if your mind tends towards the gutter. And if it does, well, see my first point.
One of the cardinal rules of Writing 101 is be specific. "Show, don't tell" and all that. Why? Here's why. Baltimore was recently known as the worst place in America for sexually transmitted diseases. It's getting better, apparently. But if you are trying to overcome an old image, you might want to be more specific than "it." Because not many people want "in" on gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis.
Get it on!
okay, i'll have to start all over with my antirust/conversation 12 step program but i couldn't resist....
sam, here are some new slogans for your favorite town to bash:
Pittsburgh: Subsidize This!
Pittsburgh: Get In On The High Rise Giveaway!
Pittsburgh: You'll Be In Charm's Way!
Pittsburgh: Help Us Return Point State Park to The Seemy Urban Slum of the 1940s When It Was Littered with Ramshackle Homes and Rundown Businesses — An Area that Most Local Bloggers Would Be Glad to Settle Down In Because It Would Be Just a Few Convenient Blocks From Seedy Shops That They'd Love to Stroll Past With Their Families When They Tire of the Oh So Charming Hip BoHo Java Joints That Haunt Every Third Storefront In the East End.
(okay, i know that last one's not short and snappy. but it really does get to your point that the park is such as waste compared to what occupied the area for decades before. sam, the park isn't a waste. but the rules that prevent any sort of activity outside of frisbee/hackysack foolishness is ridiculous.)
okay, guys, i really have to call my counselor. but i did notice that when i'm not here to express an opinion or two, a couple of local blogs are awfully quiet...but maybe that was the intention from the get go!
oh, no. there goes the town's newest neighborhood...i heard that crate and barrel is close to signing a deal for a downtown store!
Posted by: sean mcdaniel | May 31, 2006 at 07:41 PM
Sean,
The quiet was not intentional at all. Verizon troubles. Lots of them. Angry calls. New modems. Par for the course. OK. I have to post this quick before I lose the connection. Seriously.
Balls!
More soon...
Posted by: Sam M | June 01, 2006 at 10:28 AM
oh hell, don't worry. i've been banned from another site and "outted" as university professor and a teenage boy by thin skinned blogger who proclaims his belief in free speech.
go cable on that internet thing...it works like a charm.
Posted by: sean mcdaniel | June 01, 2006 at 01:07 PM