Are you tired of all the knobs, levers and gizmos in your car? Also, you would do open-heart surgery on yourself, so why are you driving yourself? Trains are the most efficient, economical and best investment. It’s obvious.
Those are a couple quotes from this video that cleverly covers the issue of transportation and how high-speed rail boast clear advantages over other means of transportation, and it does it all through the Mad Men scope. Enjoy.
As the new $120 million Cincinnati Riverfront Park (CRP) is being built, the Cincinnati Park Board has been producing regular video updates highlighting the progress and taking us inside the development of the park. Each update when viewed together really tells the story, from start to finish, of one of the region’s most significant developments currently underway.
In this Spring 2011 update, project manager Dave Prather walks us through the ongoing construction site that will soon become the front door to the city. The video provides updates on the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Stage & Event Lawn, scheduled for a May 2011 opening, as well as the Walnut Street Steps & Fountain and the which are both slated to open in fall 2011. Prather also takes some time to address ongoing budget concerns for the new park.
“The capital budget is still not affected on the contracts underway and the phases of the project under construction,” Prather stated. He also says that the park board expects many of the Phase I features to still be open during the 2011 or 2012 seasons pending operational budgets.
On Thursday, May 26 the Women’s Committee for Cincinnati Riverfront Park will hold their fifth annual “Hats Off” luncheon at the new event lawn. This will be the organization’s first event held at the new park for which they have raised thousands of dollars to make reality.
The City of Cincinnati has put together a new video that welcomes people and businesses to Cincinnati. The video comes during a time at which city leaders are trying to figure out how to brand the city and region.
Within the video, Mayor Mark Mallory talks about Cincinnati’s vibrant and walkable downtown, The Banks development, recent progress in Over-the-Rhine, the arts, the future Horseshoe Casino and Cincinnati Streetcar.
So, the question begs to be asked. How do you think this message brands Cincinnati, and does it do so successfully? The next question is, whether or not this is even the image and brand the city should be promoting?
While many of Cincinnati’s beer connoisseurs are aware of Samuel Adams‘ Cincinnati roots, most around the world believe that the beer is uniquely Boston. History and current events tell us that quite simply is not true. WCPO reports on the full story about America’s largest beer company’s roots in the Queen City and its current presence in the West End.
Cincinnati beer lovers and historians have seen a resurgance of Cincinnati beer brands like Little Kings, Christian Moerlein, Hudephol and Bürger. These beers have joined a growing collection of craft beer brewers like Listermann, Mt. Carmel, Rivertown and more. On top of all that, the Moerlein Lager House will add another impressive brewhouse to Cincinnati’s collection along with the Bavarian-style brewhouse Hofbräuhaus in Newport and Rock Bottom on Fountain Square, and Christian Moerlein has recently opened a new brewery in historic Over-the-Rhine.
Also, be sure not to forget about the world’s second largest Oktoberfest celebration, the nation’s largest Bockfest celebration and the slew of beer tasting festivals held all throughout the region. There have also been some rumors that Samuel Adams may open a brewhouse in Cincinnati as well. Stay thirsty, and enjoy Cincinnati’s rich beer history and its bright future.
Last year it was Google’s Parisian Love commercial that took home the prize for best Super Bowl commercial with its clever way to highlight the benefits of using Google search through an identifiable love story. This year’s winner is much different.
Imported From Detroit by Chrysler embodied an overall theme this year of brand identity. The theme started with the obvious efforts of the National Football League to brand football as America’s sport with its pregame festivities. In the two-minute commercial spot, Chrysler was able to do several things. They highlighted Detroit’s powerful past, its mighty fall from grace and its present existance as an American powerhouse city (11th largest MSA in the United States with nearly 4.5 million people).
All at once, the commercial was able to sell the audience on a new perception of Detroit, the strength of an industry and the quality of car. The selection of Eminem also seemed particularly apt given Eminem’s identity and music being so closely tied to the city he calls home.
What was particularly interesting to me was the fighting nature of the commercial. For decades Midwestern cities have been beaten up by the media as their stagnating growth and economic woes have made them look inept in the face of explosive growth in the Sun Belt. While Midwestern cities have envied the growth seen in the Sun Belt, those southern cities have often been envious of the culture and history found in the Midwest and Northeast. This commercial highlighted just that and said, we’ve got a lot of fight left in us and you’ve already thrown your best shot.
Immediately the commercial was seen as the runaway winner in this year’s Ad Bowl, but what do you think?