The Dayton Development Coalition wants your opinion on a brand identity for Dayton:

 

survey

 

 

 

(and we can talk about the idea of branding a city or metro area.  I'm not sure I fully understand that concept).

I'm really not sold on that logo or tag line. . .

This logo could apply to anywhere from Dayton to Milwaukee to Des Moines or Topeka - doesn't say much to me.  To the majority of the people on the coasts, I think "Be Midwest" means something like owning a John Deere combine, tracking the price of hog futures, and attending church suppers.

That's nearly as bad as "Cleveland+."  Who are these marketing firms that the cities are hiring?  Their "branding" seems a bit, shall we say, infantile?  Be Midwest?  Really?  How can one "Be Midwest"?  Why does that apply to Dayton?  It's as though this marketing firm is on a coast somewhere and thinks that Dayton stretches for 1,500 miles. 

Who are these marketing firms that the cities are hiring?  .... It's as though this marketing firm is on a coast somewhere and thinks that Dayton stretches for 1,500 miles. 

 

You'd think so, but no.

 

The Dayton Bizjournal had a big article on this back in February: source

 

"A lot of the work is being done by expert volunteers, but the coalition has hired a few groups: the University of Dayton is helping with research, Turner Effect is working on marketing, and Real Art Design Group is doing the creative marketing materials.”

 

In this case the Turner in "Turner Effect" is the wife of Congressman Mike Turner ®.  Nice how that works out, huh?   

 

In any case how does one 'brand' a place as generic as Dayton?  Or deliberatly brand a place at all?

 

As for the tagline, "Be Midwest" remends me of one of those cryptic GBV album titles..."Bee Thousand".