Advertising The CT River Byway

While I was up in New Hampshire, I picked up a brochure titled, "Discover the Connecticut River Byway of Vermont and New Hampshire." This brochure sells the CT River to me, and makes me think it is the best place to spend my vacation time. It uses catchy phrases like, "The history of new England's longest and most powerful river reaches back into time," and "This mighty river flows through northern forests, fertile flood plains and historic towns and villages--connecting people and communities on its way to the sea." This language makes the river seem powerful and useful. It makes it seem something to be appreciated and celebrated.

As I flip through the brochure, I notice the upper valley (towns along the CT River north of Massachusetts) being sold with beautiful pictures appealing to a variety of interests. There is a page advertising the CT River Byway as "The Perfect New England Summer Drive." That is followed by a page for fall, complete with pumpkins and golden leaves. The next page, winter, shows children sledding, a horse drawn sleigh ride, and a steaming cup of hot chocolate. That is followed by a page celebrating agriculture--apples, barns, maple syrup, cows. Last, there is a page advertising the art, history and heritage of the region.

The brochure makes me want to go back to Vermont and New Hampshire. Something about the four seasons makes a place seem more appealing. It reminds me of a brochure I had (one of the few English brochures) for the region where I lived in Japan. The region was called Tohoku, and the advertising campaign focused on the fact that the region was at 40 degrees north latitude and, therefore, had four seasons. I consulted that brochure on a regular basis to remind myself of all the fun places I still needed to visit right in my own backyard.

The reason I am reflecting about this and posting it on my blog is that I am wondering how we can advertise Springfield in a similar way. Actually, perhaps a better question would be, do we already advertise Springfield in a similar way? Ms. Kang, Mr. Robinson, and I stopped at the information center down by the waterfront area. Although we picked up a lot of brochures, I didn't see one that grabbed my attention quite like this. So, that makes me wonder, what do we need to do to make Springfield seem as appealing as any of these other towns along the CT River?

I know you don't have a copy of the brochure, but the CT River Byway also has a website. You can check it out to see similar advertising for yourself. Springfield also has a website as part of the Pioneer Valley. It would be interesting to spend some time comparing the way that different towns along the CT River advertise their towns, and to look at the audience they are advertising to.