Chalupas54 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2018
Eh, debatable. I would argue that Detroit, on the other hand, is synonymous with decline and decay. I don't think, at least imo, that's the case with St Louis. Definitely, there are people that think this way, but I still attest that the majority of the country either does not care enough about St Louis to have an opinion or thinks of the Arch. I do believe it would be worth it for the CVC to do a study on national impressions of St Louis. I would bet that they skew more to the positive/no opinion side. I really only say this because St Louis' celebrities I think do a really incredible job promoting the city. Karlie Kloss, Andy Cohen, Sterling K. Brown, Jon Hamm are all A-listers with millions of followers. They shamelessly plug St Louis whenever they can. That
does go a long way.
I'd love to agree with you, but I think you're being a little too generous. It's true that Detroit has long been synonymous with decline and decay, but that's precisely what gives the city its edgy, gives-no-f**ks appeal. Detroit
owns that reputation and has built its brand around it. It has buzz. It's on the map. St. Louis' relative obscurity essentially equals negative, sorry to say it. If the average Joe doesn't think anything about St. Louis, what makes it a compelling place? "No opinion" = bland and boring, doesn't it? Detroit may be sh*tty, but no one would call it bland. There's no cache in being the 2nd sh*ttiest city, which is unfortunately where we rank. Do you ever read the City-Data.com forums? There's a "Detroit vs. St. Louis" thread, and guess which city won the poll (hint: NOT St. Louis). And this is a forum frequented by self-described city freaks.
I think hometown celebrity plugs only go so far. For one thing, a lot of our celebrity shout outs are rather cliche. "Go Cardinals! Oh Ted Drewes! Good BBQ! Provel rules! Our zoo is free!" I find them kind of patronizing, as if they're patting little St. Louis on the head or something. That said, I think Andy Cohen is the real deal and he does St. Louis proud.
And you better believe our negative/no opinion national image has hurt our tourism and convention industry. There are just too many strikes against us-- high crime (whether perceived or real, doesn't matter-- we show up on every list), ass-backwards state legislature, crippling regional fragmentation, ongoing racial tension that has made St. Louis the poster child of poor race relations... the list goes on and on. The Fodor's list, ridiculous as it may be, is the proof in the pudding.
Our moment of reckoning is here. This city needs to shake things up in a big way. I think an edgy, high-budget ad campaign placed in major urban markets from coast to coast would be a good start.
