Branding Milwaukee: Working with what you have

Richard Thieme in Sunday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on why efforts to market the Milwaukee area have been and look likely to continue to be disappointing.

If we look only at how we might resemble other cities, we're missing the point. To be one more city with financial services, restaurants and coffee shops does not let us compete.

All cities have that.

When we moved here from Hawaii 20 years ago, we told friends where we were going.

"Milwaukee!" cried a biker. "Harley!"

"Milwaukee!" cried a porky pal. "Cheese and sauerbraten!"

"Milwaukee!" cried a drinking buddy. "Beer!"

In short, since there's no escaping LaVerne and Shirley, we need to embrace it. Having missed the chance to have Kenneth Schermerhorn and Carol Neblett in a nationally televised celebrity pro-am bowling tournament, we need to search out today's equivalent.