The city has launched a new image campaign funded by the city and business community. Nice to see city assets promoted. Check it out.
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City’s New Marketing Video, What Do Ya Think?
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This nicely done and inviting video will be of no value until the city and its residents get off their asses and clean up the trash and debris that seem to line every block I drive on. Also need to pave streets which are in a sorry state of disrepair. Lest I be seen as Mr. Negativity, I happen to love my city and the images portrayed are many which add to its beauty and enjoyment.
OIB,
Perhaps no comments yet because “error, try later” message recurring. Did see and comment earlier on the 61-second tape, a visioning of multiple City venues as fun and entertaining places to be … produced by Turbine (Advertising or Marketing) of Southport or Westport, CT?
No Robert Mitchumesque “gritty City” here! No hospitals, schools, housing stock (except some Res AA homes in Black Rock) or social service programs.
So for those who currently patronize these events, like OIB contributors, there should be no surprise, right? So who is the target market for this “surprise?” And while this has been mentioned as a shared-cost project, what City funds were used?
We are coming into 2011 campaign time. The presence of the Vibes annually in the City should be less important at this moment than the question asked of the Ethics Commission about City Council appearance of conflict of interest because of the availability of $840 value to Council and companion? And how about contemplating the negotiation of a better deal for a City that cannot yet claim a balanced budget with 10 months of the year left?
Certainly nice to look at “pretty,” but you have to keep focused on that which is “gritty!”
Maybe Bridgeport needs to look at the ‘burbs for a new vision in multiple areas?
I like this video. Good job.
I’m an outsider who moved to Bpt in 2005. A former Read’s Artspace tenant who ignored the warnings of locals. I have seen reactions of concern and shock when I told people where I lived. I never had a problem living downtown, even walking at night from the train. Now I own a home in the city and a business in the Arcade (children’s boutique called Gumdrop Swap that offers a spin on consignment). It takes a whole lot of optimism (maybe even naivete?) to open a business here with the negativity and stigmata surrounding the city. But I believe the hardworking residents deserve and can support businesses. I hope I’m right because I put a lot of hard work into my business and I do my best to encourage outsiders to give Bridgeport another look.
“da plane, boss, da plane!”
Yep, there are planes in the air but they ain’t a landin’ here. We can’t expand the runways.
“If you build it, they will come!”
Yep, we built it and the city still has to subsidize the stadium.
“A River Runs through It”
Yep, we got one of those cutting through the city, but there ain’t no fly fishin’ on it!
“Surprise! It’s Bridgeport!”
Why don’t we just call this burg the city of slogans!
I say let’s have a contest, who can name all the old slogans of the city? After all. it’s the biggest product we ever produced!
What would Happy Gilmore do, produce a negative video? Let’s have a contest for all the times Happy Gilmore is negative!
This is driving me crazy!
First we have John Gilmore masquerading as cynical, street-smart reporter Hildy Johnson (see The Front Page), now BEACON2 weighing in on a promotional commercial.
Do we have to portray “gritty” in a commercial … Don’t most outsiders already know that of Bridgeport?
This commercial is not aimed at the people who post on OIB; they already know of Bridgeport’s gems … It’s designed to get people to try some of the good things in Bpt they may not have known. Play up the positive, give Bpt a shot, you’ll be surprised.
The one thing I loved about Mayor Fabrizi was how he was the City’s biggest cheerleader to outsiders. His enthusiasm and love for the City came through and was very powerful in getting people to come in and try a restaurant, see a ballgame etc. That has been lacking for some time. This video does the same and to a much bigger audience.
Yes things are tough here but that does not mean we must all continually wallow in gloom and doom and this incessant “Inside Baseball” politicking.
I know many of the posters and absolutely believe they want what’s best. But sometimes we need to let outsiders see some of the good things in Bridgeport and urge them to come in and give us a shot.
Once again I must agree with my esteemed colleague. Bridgeport has excellent things to offer yet most here at OIB seem to believe it’s all trash, doom and gloom.
As for me, I had a wonderful summer. From having chicken drumsticks up on North Main, Cajun pizza down at Two Boots, sitting on the patio sipping wine at the place across the street; had some great meals at Café Roma and Joseph’s Steak House (on a Saturday night with no wait like you find in the ‘burbs); I took in a few shows at the playhouse; listened to a few bands at Captain’s Cove and hit a few bars on Fairfield Ave; watch some baseball and walked St. Mary’s on the hot days.
I did miss Shakespeare at Beasley and never did go swimming at Seaside Park. Maybe next year.
I like Bridgeport.
Give Bridgeport a shot? Do you want a .32- or .38-caliber slug with that 40 sir?
Before you B.S. anyone else you got to make sure you are not B.S.ing yourself.
To: Hildy Johnson II (cynical, cigar-smoking, hard-drinking, skirt-chasing newspaperman) AKA Jim Callahan
From: Bridgeport resident tired of defending where I live
Lots of problems in every freaking urban environment everywhere. Same with Bridgeport. Lots of good things too that never seem to get the same attention. Why not let outsiders see some of the things we love and maybe they’ll come in and give it a chance.
I get a kick out of a newspaperman who can only look backward, has not lived in Bridgeport for years, can only sarcastically comment on how dopes like me see a lot of great things in town that I wish outsiders knew about.
Go back to Central Casting!
That a boy FBD, no guff from Callahan!
I would love to see a video aimed at/for the persons most important to Bridgeport’s future, ITS CURRENT RESIDENTS. If we can get our current residents to like living here, that in turn will make others want to come here. Instead of using taxpayer funds for this stuff, eliminate that stuff altogether and give the taxpayers that money back (rebate). Every time a movie or commercial is made here all (most) of our officials meet the stars. Same thing with the concerts etc. Why haven’t any of them asked “hows it feel to be in Bridgeport” on film. Than they could run small snippets with everyone’s favorite “STAR” telling people what they liked about their stay here. Wouldn’t cost much and wouldn’t need a director. Instead of having a company from “outside,” we could have the students of Housatonic/U.B. etc. edit it.
Jim that rag you used to work for has done more harm to Bridgeport than anything else. This rag was responsible for the demise of Lafayette Mall and it also did a lot to hurt Bridgeport by reporting every little thing that went on here.
Yet when it came to the ‘burbs especially Trumbull the rag you used to work for reported squat. Remember when they had rapes happening at the Trumbull Mall you guys meaning the paper hardly reported anything on it. Bodies were found on more than one occasion in the parking lot and hardly a blurb in the paper. If it would have been Bpt it would have been on the front page.
One car gets stolen at Lafayette Mall and the paper made it sound like it was a common happening. Cars were getting stolen on a regular basis in Trumbull Mall and not a word.
TC:
I shopped at the old mall because it had Gimbals and Sears. People didn’t like the mall because they had to pay for the garage and the garage was spooky to suburbanites. Bridgeport wasn’t the only place to have that pickle.
Trumbull tried to hide their petty crime stuff for a time but wasn’t very successful in the long run. I’ll give you points that the P-T may have reported some stuff at the Lafayette Mall over Trumbull Shopping Park.
However, the real fact of the matter was the Trumbull Shopping Park was more convenient to more people, and had more and better stores overall. If the mall attracted only Bridgeporters it might have been successful. Instead, they went to the ‘burbs to shop like everyone else. (Bridgeporters don’t automatically shop out of town. There are still grocery shops in town to this day. This used to befuddle urban planners who couldn’t figure out why Bridgeport was so successful and Hartford and New Haven sucked.)
Going back to the ad, it is very well done. If its purpose were to make Bridgeporters feel better about their community, it works.
Bit the purpose of the ad is to bring out-of-towners in. It is disjointed. It creates an untruthful image of the “aura” of the town. People see that faster than a cut face in a shaving mirror.
It’s a good political ad targeted to voters in a specific place. As an economic development tool it deserves derision unless the point is Mayor Finch is responsible for the economic renaissance of Bridgeport.
No, Frustrated, we don’t have to portray the “gritty” in a commercial. We just need to be honest about things. This city keeps blowing off about historic buildings but does little to nothing to restore them and re-position them for use in a new era.
Two cases in point, the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in the Bronx is currently being restored and will re-open as a museum honoring the writer. A restoration of the Thomas Wolfe home in Ashville has already been completed, disproving the writer’s famous remark that you can’t go home again.
In Bridgeport, we tear down the home of hometown baseball star Jim O’Rourke because there was no money to save it. In Black Rock the tall ship (replica) HMS Rose gets sold off to a movie company. The historic Majestic and Poli Theaters downtown collapse a bit more each day and a declining city education system stands in the way of businesses relocating jobs here.
I agree people should feel good about themselves and where they live. But this city needs to roll up it sleeves and get some things done to move forward. This week marks the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The news is filled with stories of how New Orleans has come back. What has Bridgeport done by comparison in the past five years?
I’ve had extensive experience with municipal marketing in recent years. What works in one town won’t work in another. But the common denominator is a realistic plan and a commitment to that plan. That’s what is needed in Bridgeport, a commitment to a realistic plan, and not a political plan. Developers really don’t care who the mayor or governor is. They want to know if the plan will work. We need a little less banging of cymbals and a tad bit more banging hammers.
Jim,
Selling advertising for many years, I am pretty convinced the message of advertising is to inform potential consumers of the benefits & features of a product or service. The idea is to get them to try something new. This video touts a number of Bridgeport positives many will not know of unless there is some type of outreach.
Like many living in Bridgeport, I do not need an ad campaign to feel good about where I live. My hunch is you are conflating this with a Finch political campaign. (I do not see it that way but would agree Bill Finch flycasting was not needed.)
Gov. Rell must agree with you and Gilmore. In today’s economic “staycation” world, there was no Connecticut tourism advertising promoting Connecticut Tourism. Obvious she also believes it’s better to go invisible until things are perfect.
What’s wrong with informing the world of some neat doings in Bridgeport? And so what if they see some mess along the way. Maybe it will change their minds about the City and warrant another visit and spend more money.
Amazing video. It’s like overselling a blind date.
But I hear Bridgeport has a “Great Personality!”
Arcade footage was a little over the top. Nice to see once again we do a Passover for a Bridgeport business to shoot the piece. But then again why is this night different from any other?
It’s a nice video. But where are those places? Nobody makes the ask to come to Bridgeport. Finch while fishing says in a soft voice while shifting his eyes, “It’s a place called Bridgeport.” Not sure it was a very good sell, it sounded more like he was reading a fairy tale. To repeat someone else, who is the target audience? Are you making residents happy about where they live or making an ask to suburbs to come to visit. Nice production value, not a very good or clear message.
The video? Surprise it’s Bridgeport? I give them something for the effort. Not a bad try. But all the high production product shots and feature film narration voice don’t reflect at all what Bridgeport is about.