Save the Sunsphere!
The most excellent Fred Brown had a great article on the Sunsphere in the Aug 21, 2005 issue of the Knoxville News Sentinel. I doubt it'll work for long, but here's the link (copy and paste it):
DEAD LINK HERE
UPDATE: this link is dead, because old school companies like Scripps don't quite get the value of new media (like blogs, the internet, etc.). Sorry folks. I have a PDF version if anyone is interested.
Anyway, I agree with his contention that the Sunsphere is a unique identifier to Knoxville, and should be spared the threat of the wrecking ball. It's a pity and a shame only ONE developer who submitted proposals to the city included saving the 'sphere... That shows you the limited imagination of the bidders IMHO, but I'll save that soapbox for another day.
Doesn't it make sense to bring the Sunsphere back? The foot traffic down there has dramatically increased. The convention center, while not a whizzing success, makes a perfect compliment to the old revolving restaurant in the upper deck... And while I'm not the biggest Haslam fan, I say kudos to him for not selling or scrapping the great phallic symbol of our scruffy town.
But here's the big point: it's our brand. Know what brand identity is? It's probably the most important thing in marketing and advertising these days. When trying to get people to remember your company/service/whatever, you try to simply build a BRAND awareness. Apple has been doing a great job with the iPod. Just a few years ago they might have disappeared forever. And now they are doing double-digit growth, quarter-to-quarter, all because their brand is hot.
So how is the Sunsphere our brand? Well, like it or not, it's unique. As original as the Nike Swoosh or the Apple uh, apple. It's our frickin' logo, and we would be damn stupid to get rid of it.
For a better understanding of brand awareness and management, check out Seth Godin's blog.
DEAD LINK HERE
UPDATE: this link is dead, because old school companies like Scripps don't quite get the value of new media (like blogs, the internet, etc.). Sorry folks. I have a PDF version if anyone is interested.
Anyway, I agree with his contention that the Sunsphere is a unique identifier to Knoxville, and should be spared the threat of the wrecking ball. It's a pity and a shame only ONE developer who submitted proposals to the city included saving the 'sphere... That shows you the limited imagination of the bidders IMHO, but I'll save that soapbox for another day.
Doesn't it make sense to bring the Sunsphere back? The foot traffic down there has dramatically increased. The convention center, while not a whizzing success, makes a perfect compliment to the old revolving restaurant in the upper deck... And while I'm not the biggest Haslam fan, I say kudos to him for not selling or scrapping the great phallic symbol of our scruffy town.
But here's the big point: it's our brand. Know what brand identity is? It's probably the most important thing in marketing and advertising these days. When trying to get people to remember your company/service/whatever, you try to simply build a BRAND awareness. Apple has been doing a great job with the iPod. Just a few years ago they might have disappeared forever. And now they are doing double-digit growth, quarter-to-quarter, all because their brand is hot.
So how is the Sunsphere our brand? Well, like it or not, it's unique. As original as the Nike Swoosh or the Apple uh, apple. It's our frickin' logo, and we would be damn stupid to get rid of it.
For a better understanding of brand awareness and management, check out Seth Godin's blog.
posted by Victor Agreda, Jr. at
11:28 PM
2 Comments:
tried to cut-n-paste the link, but got a News-Sentinel questionairre to fill out. Later for that
Yeah, see the update. When will these old farts learn? It was a good article. Pity the KNS doesn't get that by linking out to them they could drive traffic, ad revenue, etc. But if I had a nickel for every dumb move Scripps made I'd be working there...
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