UPDATE 1/17/2011:
It’s been two months since I first saw the “Shop Chicago” sign from our local Parks and Rec Department. Last Wednesday 1/12/2011, it was still in rotation.
Why? I assume the holiday trips are over. No matter, it’s still a bad message to be sending as you enter downtown. Even worse if it’s out of date.
Lesson: Be very careful of the message you are sending – intentional AND unintentional. Your prospects only see an outdoor message for a second or two. You can’t expect that they will see the next message in the rotation.
ORIGINAL POST:
Imagine my amazement today when I saw that the City of Fort Wayne is telling commuters to “Shop Chicago”.
Guess we have enough sales tax revenue that we can send money to Chicago.
They are promoting bus trips to take city citizens (customers) out of state.
Maybe the City should get out from behind the desk to see what message they are sending.
– Don Kincaid
A Desk is a Dangerous Place 
Maybe the Mayor’s office saw this sign when they were shopping for vendors…
While I understand what they are promoting – a trip to Chicago is a great trip. But, as usual with our current administration – the timing, the appearance, etc. All are done very poorly.
Precisely the point. The goal of this blog is to remind us to move away from the desk to gain real world feedback and improve implementation.
Looking at the message “Shop Chicago” during the planning should have set off alarms to anyone with a basic understanding of the role of the city government.
Thanks for the comment Eric!
While I’m not a Ft Wayne resident, I am a board member for two different chambers & I cannot imagine turning my back on my local businesses like the city has here.
Is the Parks Department in Chicago running a Shop Fort Wayne? I have to admit there are things in Chitown that cannot be gotten in FW, but this feels wrong.
Here is a shop local suggestion! Buy a family membership at Science Central and get in to a bunch of Museum for free in Chicago.
Don’t we have enough “business” (of the rather dubious and/or illicit kind) coming INTO Fort Wayne FROM Chicago already?
Heck, we don’t EVEN have REAL shopping to speak of on the SE side of the Fort.
‘Ya got Menards, Wal Mart or K-Mart…and that’s pretty much IT, unless you’re shopping for liquor…or fast food (which has a REAL short shelf life in a Christmas stocking)…LOL.
Yet, the city (and it’s really bad timing) “claims” that this very SAME part of town has the SECOND HIGHEST buying power of the 4 quadrants…
!?!
Go figure.
Glenbrook here we come (again).
I liked it much better when we were the DOG instead of the HYDRANT.
😉