Cleveland Heights this week unveiled a new slogan crafted for the city by Align2Market, one of the many companies that now help cities create rebranding efforts, and, welp, here it is:
Cleveland Heights: We Choose This.
We choose what?
This?
Huh?
In the landscape of safe, vanilla and otherwise forgettable suburban slogans — including design and other visual branding, services for which Northeast Ohio cities are forking over from $10,000 to $100,000 recently and that include such insightful chestnuts as “Come Together and Thrive” (South Euclid) and “A Community of Neighbors” (Lyndhurst) — it’s hard to pull off a clunker to the degree that it seemingly upsets almost everyone in the city, but Cleveland Heights appears to have scored a perfect 10.0 on this challenging maneuver.
The reaction, expressed vociferously online, beyond general confusion as to what the slogan even means if you try to mine it for subtle notes of positivity, is that there’s a distinct and almost explicit negative connotation: Hey, Cleveland Heights isn’t great, but we choose to be here and we’re dealing with it. Love it or leave it!
In our look at the purposes and unclear effects of suburban branding last month, Cleveland Heights Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow told Scene she was confident that their branding efforts will eventually yield results. She said believes the city branding efforts will enable the city’s messaging to, “reflect what matters to the community to make sure we are clearly and accurately representing Cleveland Heights.” Yasinow also said that she believes that the outcome of the branding effort will be a “better understanding of what Cleveland Heights is and why people should call Cleveland Heights home.”
And… that’s not what happened.
If you look at the full presentation from Align2Market, including field notes, survey results and input from community members, there’s a very clear picture of what Cleveland Heights means to those who live and work in Cleveland Heights. Overwhelmingly, the most important values expressed were the city’s diversity, creativity, arts and culture and its progressive soul. On the other side, concerns included taxes, crime and public education.
The reconciliation of those comments came in two sentences in the PDF, and it’s unclear whether they were written by the company itself or pulled from direct quotes from residents, though it’s a safe bet that it’s the former.
Anyway, here they are:
“The ‘sense of home’ is so strong that deficiencies are overlooked or ignored.”
And…
“It’s not for everyone, but for some it’s the only one.”
You can see more clearly where this went off the rails as Align2Market crafted the official branding message:
Cleveland Heights has always been the place where dreams dwell. Dreams of a welcoming garden suburb, a community that could open its heart to people of all incomes and ethnic backgrounds. Dreams of the kind of progress that carries us forward while remembering the best of the past.Somewhere in the background is Cleveland, with all of the energy a city has to offer. But Cleveland Heights is the oasis where we live. Cleveland Heights is where we dream.
We can dream of a better world, where diversity is the value we treasure most. Where unique businesses reflect the personality of their owners. And our children can dream of being anything they want, in neighborhoods that seem to be powered by imagination.
Our dreams have become a reality because of the choices we make. We choose to be different. We choose to be open. We choose to be accepting. And together we’ve chosen to create this special oasis that is Cleveland Heights.
We choose this.
Which, again, works generically as a whole, but grabbing the walk-off line/conclusion without the rest simply doesn’t work.
Anyway, residents can now vote on which of three proposed logos will accompany the slogan. Get to voting.
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This article appears in Mar 21-24, 2019.
Typical.
When that freeway opens to university circle, its over. A few mansions surrounded by ghetto.
Interesting topic. Infantile article title.
These scene writers better start learning to code. We know the pd ain’t hiring
I choose this: GAG, RETCH, BARF, UPCHUCK, RALPH [sounds of nausea, vomiting, and gastric distress]
As long as there are fools who foolishly wave money around, there will be charlatans who steal it.
@Hang: people have been saying that about Cleveland Heights since the 1960s — happy to report, we’re still here, enjoying our beautiful neighborhoods and our wonderful neighbors.
…And outrageous property taxes!!!
We’re still here, going to the Cedar Lee, attending the Heights High Annual Pancake Breakfast, walking to Cain Park, hanging out at Tommy’s, catching some jazz at Nighttown, learning to fix our houses at Home Repair Resource Center, touring our mansions during HCC’s Heights Home Heritage Tour, walking or running in the Happy 5K … We’re. Still. Here.
Cleveland Heights: We’re Also Not Detroit
A border shared with East Cleveland: we chose this.
High taxes and terrible schools: we chose this.
Trash flying about on garbage day: we chose this.
These are probably the same people that are killing the top of the hill prospects and dooming Cleveland Heights last viable neighborhood.
I think Cleveland Heights has some really great things going on but this marketing is not only unnecessary, but also detached and as the article implies dumb. The wording strangely portrays the area as not good, but this is what the locals want, so its fine.
More to the point, how much city time, effort, and money were sunk into this project? Why was it done with a marketing firm? Ask the people how they want to represent their city. This could have all be done locally at, I assume, lower cost.
Lastly, whats the point? Even if the slogan were good, would it matter even a tiny bit? What matters are schools, tax rates, local businesses, crime rates, and attractions. Some words on often ignored “welcome to” signs are just that often ignored.
I willingly pay high taxes to live in Cleveland Heights. You know why? There are few Republicans. They are the scum of the Earth and I’ll gladly pay to stay away from them.
I grew up in Cleveland Heights. I still think it’s a fantastic place.
I’ve worked in branding/advertising/marketing for over 30 years-
won some awards, worked with some of the best in the business.
It’s really too bad that Cities think that slogans are needed- concentrate on cleaning streets, making sure your citizens are safe, you have great schools, parks, recreation opportunities.
And stop doing “economic development” and “Marketing”- that all happens automatically when you run your city right.
And- btw- Dayton was “City of Neighbors” about 30 years ago- Lyndhurst got a recycled tagline…
As to the marks- they all suck. If it doesn’t work in 1 color- don’t do it. The classic CH with the tree- could have been tweaked a bit- but it still works better than all the rest.
Next time- hire someone local.