Is Des Moines becoming a media darling?

You expect it around caucus time, but we're way past that and yet, Des Moines seems to be a media darling of late.

We've gotten high praise in many national publications like Family Circle/Parents.com, Forbes, Kiplinger and New York Times.  Those well-placed stories are aimed at the world outside of Iowa, who still looks at us as hicks with cows in our backyards.

But there are also efforts to market Des Moines to Des Moines.  One of the big pushes right now is downtown living.  Here's a video aimed at us...to get us to consider living downtown. (It will also be sent to prospective residents)

What do you think?  Did the video change your perception about living downtown?  Peak your interest?  Answer any of your questions?  Would you/did you visit the website as a result of the video?

If you were going to market downtown Des Moines, how would you go about it?

(A hat tip to Des Moines is Not Boring for leading me to the video and to BlueGate Media for producing the piece for the Downtown Community Alliance.)

~ Drew McLellan

Comments

[melissa]

The video was well done. Hat tip to all involved. I respect the vision for drawing folks downtown. It can't hurt Des Moines, and if it works then fantastic. The real trick is to remember, we are still Iowans. We'll not be anything different than who we are. So, as long as we aren't trying to be anyone else - then go for it. Authentic is key. If it's not, people will smell it a mile away. A lot like a cow in the backyard.

[Pete]

Thanks Mitch. The video is part of the Downtown Community Alliance's effort to lead their marketing towards social media and viral marketing. I think there are a few common misconceptions with living downtown that need to be addressed by the developers. YPC is going to be working with the DCA and a few developers to gather information to assist this effort. Hopefully, we can work to debunk the common misconceptions. For the record, I first saw the video on www.livingdowntowndesmoines.com

[Drew McLellan]

Melissa --

Amen to that! Authenticity has to be at the root of any marketing campaign.

Audiences have gotten too smart and too cynical to even try to fool them!

Drew

[Drew McLellan]

Hey Pete,

I think the change in perception needs to happen at all age and economic levels. Not only do you need to convince people that living downtown would be cool, convenient, etc. But we also have to demonstrate that there are living situations for all income levels.

Right now, the perception is that every living space in downtown is $250K+.

YPC will be a great partner for these efforts.

Drew