Last Oct. 15 I wrote a column in Direct about an informal survey I'd done, polling direct marketers on their favorite — and least favorite — conference locations.
San Francisco ranked most popular, Orlando, FL the least, and several other locales, like Chicago, New Orleans, Las Vegas and New York, got votes on both sides. But Atlanta — the site of this month's DMA05 conference — didn't get even one vote, negative or positive.
Granted, it's been many a moon since DMA's annual shindig put its tent stakes down in Georgia. Still, it seemed odd that the city didn't rank at all. Why was it such a nonentity as a destination?
This made me very intrigued when I heard the DMA's Atlanta chapter was hosting a session called “The ‘WOW’ of Atlanta: The Campaign Rebranding This Amazing City,” at DMA05 on Monday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. I called the presenter, Steven Howard, vice president and director of analysis and operations at Grey Direct, to find out the details.
Grey is the agency of record for the effort, which will strive to show Atlanta as a place of the “three O's” — optimism, opportunity and openness, says Howard. The campaign quietly debuted back in February, but officially will roll out this month, with details about components such as direct mailings and a loyalty program offering incentive packages for repeat visitors and local residents, enticing them to sample what the city has to offer.
Through the campaign, Howard says Atlanta hopes to better position its hospitality and tourism industries as well as its entertainment.
“We do have to rebrand. We have to communicate what the city is all about,” he says. “If you haven't visited, you think of Tara and “Gone With the Wind” and the burning city in the movie. We're clearly very different from that. We want to make ourselves a preferred destination.”
The driving force behind the campaign is Mayor Shirley Franklin, Howard notes. Numerous local business leaders and stakeholder groups also are involved, including the Atlanta Committee for Progress; the Atlanta Business League; the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau; the American Israeli Chamber of Commerce; the Atlanta Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Chamber of Commerce; and the Atlanta Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “If the organization exists, we're working with [it],” he says.
The campaign — funded by the city, with corporate donations and seed money from the Convention and Visitors Bureau — also is working with the state of Georgia, which has its own, separate rebranding effort under way.
A large component of the campaign will be “brand ambassadors,” locals who will talk up the high points of the Southern capital. Howard himself falls into that category, noting that there are many citizens who, like himself, visited the city for one reason or another and decided to put down roots. He attended Emory University in the early 1970s and knew he'd come back for good some day.
“People truly are proud of Atlanta,” he says. “We're a very optimistic city. We've got a ‘can-do’ attitude and we feel empowered and inspired.”
The goals of the rebranding effort are lofty. The city expects at least $3 billion of economic impact from it, Howard says. About 60,000 new jobs are expected as a result, with 22,000 jobs related to the $6 billion airport expansion alone. Property values in Atlanta are expected to grow by $24 billion, and the city hopes to create 13,000 new, affordable housing units, reduce crime and raise the high school completion rate. And lots of investment is going on in the city itself, Howard adds: $26 billion in new construction and leases will occur by 2009, and at least 2,000 acres of significant green space is hoped to be added as well.
“We have to build on our foundation, which is really tremendous. Atlanta is a diverse city,” says Howard, pointing out that Atlanta is the number-one immigration and visitor destination for African Americans, number three for Asian Americans and number four for Hispanics.
Thirty-five percent of residents over age 25 have a higher education degree, compared with the national average of 24%, he says. “When folks come to study and learn here, many of us stay. I'm a good example of that.”
For those coming to Atlanta for DMA05, Howard recommends getting out and walking to visit one of the local neighborhoods or eateries, or to explore one of the city's many open parks. And should anyone decide to return for a visit at a later date, they'll be able to see the new Georgia Aquarium, slated to open in late November, or the new World of Coca-Cola attraction (those hoping for a soda buzz can stop by the existing Coke museum this time around).
“I see the campaign as having legs that eventually will expand globally. We're going to start by creating the brand ambassadors, so we'll be heavily local at first,” he says. “Then we'll branch out regionally and then nationally, and perhaps globally, because there are a number of international travelers and businesspeople who come to Atlanta frequently.”
