Where We Live: Rebranding The "Rising Star"

Listener email from Mary

Thanks for hosting this program - your guest gets what Oz/Metro Hartford Alliance and all the corporate big-wigs are missing, that great cities are a complex confluence of exchange !
Hartford is the amazing confluence a wide range of history, municipal parks, the tributaries of the park watershed, significant regional landscapes, corporate culture, transporation, immigrants, transportation routes - and the confluence of a lot of other personal experiences

WE DO WANT TO LOVE our communities, it would be nice if the power-brokers would let us participate. This is why the $200,000 was sent to Toronto - my understanding the firm has a personal connection with a politician.

Seriously, I am have been on the Parks Commission for ~5 years, and have been working as an advocate of a greener city, which includes revitalizes of the cities waterways - and all I get from the corporate/political/media leaders is a closed doors and no dialogue.

There is a reason why some cities have succeeded, and others fail - and it is all about dialogue and communication between "the people" and the people who hold the "power"

Hartford is still an amazing place, yet in the end, very lonely - and not living up to its potential.

Listener email from Susan

I am a proud and engaged, long time citizen of my beloved city of Hartford.

The mayor of the “frontier city” in PA was featured in the November 2009 issue of Atlantic magazine, a story about Brave Thinkers Shaping the Future: “Brave Thinkers ‘have the courage to ask fundamental questions about why things are the way they are, and how they might be instead. Brave Thinking can be unsettling. But it drives society forward.’"

The residents greater Hartford region must have the courage to think and act regionally – not just the residents of Hartford. The barriers to non residents engaging with and committing to the health of the region, especially the city in which many of them are employed, whether they are real or perceived, run deep.

Listener email from Steve

I have an idea for a slogan for Hartford - I had heard that there was interest in peoples ideas - but, who do I get in touch with about it - I tried to figure it out on-line a couple of weeks ago and couldn't - I ended up contacting an email address for the Mayor and asked who to get in touch with and didn't receive a response -

Listener email from Ellen

Young people have come to realize the value of city life. They flock to sites of former urban decay such as Greenpoint and Williamsburg because they love the charm of the old architecture, the convenience of shopping, restaurants, and parks. We have all that. It seems that the major task worth undertaking to make Hartford more desirable involves job creation at every level. If the Metro Alliance, the Governor and corporations can work at anything, I think our children might find this are worth re-populating. Let us not forget the major errors of the past: loss of downtown retail, the 91-84 exchange and the failure of the region to find a way to be children together form early ages for education and socialization. No slogan save, "Hang on Hartford" seems appropriate to the task. Twenty-somethings would return to this area if they found a hospitable environment.

Listener email from Susan

I believe Hartford really missed the mark by bringing in a Canadian group - Oz argue that all he wants, there is no reason not to use a CT group, if not a local group.

That said - the ad today in the Courant is fab!! That's the slogan: Hartford Has It - wonderful, it is great - it is clear and says it all in a very succinct manner - it is catchy and it has the potential to grab you and covers everything from arts and culture to sports, eats, bars, all of it.

Listener email from Julie

I am so glad WNPR has opened this discussion to the community as it is the people who live here that best know the defining attributes of our state's capitol, which include our ownership of such famous and brilliant creators as Mark Twain, Wallace Stevens, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Norman Rockwell. We have the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Hartford Stage, The Bushnell, and a brand new fabulous Science Center; we have jazz and art and poetry festivals in and around the city.

If there is one unique quality that draws people into the city to engage and celebrate, I would have to say it is this sense of intelligent creativity and independent expression.

Why not a slogan: hARTford: Your Creation Destination.

Thank you for a terrific program as always.

Listener email from Erik

I like that Hartford is looking to improve upon its image. But, I’m going to be a bit of a naysayer in regards to these logos. I feel that Hartford’s too diverse to have a logo; especially logos like these that say nothing more than “we spent money on an advertising campaign”—it’s too corporate and vague. The University of Hartford made a similar mistake with their “uh” logo a few years ago. After numerous complaints, they reverted back to the spelled out “University of Hartford” along with the university’s seal. This gave the image roots and the perception that what is taught at the University of Hartford is equivalent to what is taught at an Ivy League school.

I think taglines are good. I remember the “Feel the beat of Hartford” commercials when I was a kid. It would be interesting if a revival of that slogan would have any effect. But, taglines can be poor like “New England’s Rising Star.” As you mentioned, it is easily manipulated into something negative. It also suggests something is wrong or was wrong with Hartford and that there are better places in New England to visit. The “Make your own history” is growing on me. It touches on the fact that Hartford has a rich past while at the same time, suggests contemporary adventure. The “make your own” sets me off a little though. I think it’s because our society wants everything given to them and that suggests putting in some effort—but I’m reading too much into that I think. Personally, I like the simplicity of just “HARTFORD” with photos—real photos—of people enjoying themselves at various places in Hartford. This creates a link with the city to what’s happening in the image.

So, here’s a thought. Have a series of videos interviewing arts organization leaders, restaurant/business owners, etc. taking about their places and events during an event with people in the background enjoying themselves—not even talking about Hartford. Then at the end, over the video, have “Hartford” fade in on screen with maybe an intuitive website where people can go to find out what’s happening. Then have a series of light post banners with still from those videos (as well as ads in papers, etc.) so, that people make the association with what they saw in the videos.

Granted this is just some thoughts and not an end solution but I feel that it points in a keen direction where the logos do not.

Listener email from Adam

I moved back to the greater Hartford area seven years ago believing that the capital city was indeed "on the rise." Instead, I've watched it slide further into irrelevance. It is a dying city. Respectfully, Hartford doesn't need catchy slogans or logos -- it needs a strong, experienced leader with daring, charisma, and integrity. Someone with vision. Until then, the city's logo will be that of an empty store front.