According to USA TODAY, the city of Fresno, Calif. is investing in its image.
For decades, Fresno has been a punch line, a city maligned on the national stage for everything from its smog and crime, to its hot weather and reputation as a bastion of the un-hip.
The city is fighting back, starting with a $1.2 million marketing campaign with the slogan: “Be World-Class. Be Fresno.”
I’m all for putting one’s best foot forward, but it sounds like Fresno needs to be real while it’s “being Fresno.” If that $1.2 million went to improving the product–in this case the city itself–word might get out, and we all know word-of-mouth is the best advertising any product or service can have.