Comments on: Arizona’s bad PR image

By: JW

JW — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:05:44 +0000

Ummm, I grew up here but was born in Chicago. My family dragged me here in 1972 when I was barely two so I’ve been witness to all the changes that have happened here. The problem with AZ is that nobody cares about anybody but themselves. You see it on the freeways, the employment practices, state and local governments etc, etc. Courtesy is extended only to those with their wallets open.
Don’t expect culture or community here either, they are marketing buzzwords from the AZ office of tourism fed to the empty headed mouthpieces on the local news. It’s a transient population usually on a 3 to 5 year layover while they wait to go somewhere else. The right wing is very strong and very vocal in this state and the local news is more than happy to patch the feed to CNN when they’re up to their shenanigans just so the rest of the country can say,”see! it can be worse Detroit isn’t so bad after all!” If there was any redeeming value to this state outside of the scenery (which you have to get out of Metro Phoenix to enjoy) We wouldn’t have such a bad reputation.

By: Dan Wool

Dan Wool — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:05:13 +0000

As a CA transplant, I agree wholeheartedly with Francine. Perfectly said. People come to AZ because there is beauty and opportunity but unfortunately, there’s no unifying vision for the future or social buy-in to achieve whatever that is. “Populace without community” – brilliant!

By: francine hardaway

francine hardaway — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:45:59 +0000

As a person who lives in both California and Arizona I can honestly say I am embarrassed about Arizona. And I don’t think it’s media, I think it’s a bigger, deeper problem of transplants who don’t share a social contract, people who don’t believe in paying to educate children, and a government that doesn’t believe we should all kick in tax money to support public goods. You can’t put lipstick on a pig, folks, and right now we are a pig. An economy reaping what it sowed. And a populace without community.

By: Linda VandeVrede

Linda VandeVrede — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:15:52 +0000

Arizona’s wild west/gun/real estate image has been promoted for so long that any concerted PR effort to change that would take some good brainstorming. It’s such a hodge-podge state of transplants that it’s difficult to reach consensus on exactly what any new image should or might be. This was, in fact, the state where Timothy McVeigh did a lot of his planning.

By: Angelo Fernando

Angelo Fernando — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:53:16 +0000

Now that we are done with blaming the perpetrators of this vile deed (including ourselves) I like to see someone take up Dave’s suggestion.

In that New Times pices Moriaty says Phoenix has a reputation, not a personality. That’s not always a bad thing. Some branding gurus like to talk of thjem as synonymous. Manhattan and New Orleans once had a unflattering reputations, but those have been fixed.

By: Marketing Sociologist

Marketing Sociologist — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:47:19 +0000

Oops – darn spell check, that was governor, not government.

By: Marketing Sociologist

Marketing Sociologist — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:40:49 +0000

Loved Mike Padgett, Teri Walker and Dave Murrow’s ideas, and a light went on with Len’s comment. Appreciate the ideas on this blog.

Arizona Centennial would embrace brilliant marketing people, community organizers, graphic artists, social media, development people, lawyers, guns and money (a tribute to Warren Zevon and this blog’s reference to guns) to help it pull off the greatest celebration in our nation’s history. Even greater than the presentations at the Salt Lake Olympics in 2002. Anyone want to form a group to help? Contact
ArizonaCentennial@yahoo.com today! Remember, the world is watching.

Len’s comment made me realize we have a senatorial and government election next year. Those following this blog could fill the vacuum that exists in both those seats (sorry to the McCain supporters, but this state needs a change).

Wouldn’t it be a tribute to the people who follow this blog to create the greatest centennial celebration plus be responsible for creating Arizona’s political future?

Richard Kelleher, M.B.A.
Marketing Sociologist
Twitter and Friendfeed: PhoenixRichard
MediaRelationsExpert.com

By: Len Gutman

Len Gutman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:14:21 +0000

I think you reap what you sow. Arizona is not much different than other states, we just happen to have a vocal group of yahoos. Maybe the wild west image emboldens them, or maybe they have realized over the years that the moderates in the state aren’t well organized.

I think a state that continues to have low voter turnout and subsequently elects morons deserves what they get. We get guns in bars and racist sheriffs. But it’s not just Arizona — the idiots are running the asylum all over America. Governor Schwarzenegger? Senator Franken? Michelle Bachmann? Er, Sarah Palin?

Don’t blame the messenger. It’s not the media’s fault. It’s our fault as regular citizens who don’t vote and don’t turn out to protest Sheriff Joe and don’t throw out our preachers who preach hate.

By: rosaria

rosaria — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:21:13 +0000

All this from the state that brought us the “toughest Sheriff in the West” and Evan Mecham? Our politics are as wild as our personna. Or maybe it is who we have become. We want to take the AC out of our light rail. Arizona refuses the hand of progress. It’s no wonder we are stuck in the past. Even a slice PR and marketing campaign can’t solve that issue.

By: Linda Kaplan

Linda Kaplan — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:54:04 +0000

I think these people get way to much exposure and when no one talks back, they think they have more support than they actually do. As a group, we could work to turn this around and set an example for other states. It’s time for the average quiet citizen to be heard very loud. We could do this. After all, it’s what we do.