Locally, “MKE” is increasingly marketed with meaning,”City of Milwaukee” and less frequently in reference to Mitchell International Airport (MKE.) Brands & organizations that look to grow outside the area should be aware of the risks of using a small market airport code in association with their services & products. I see the word, “Milwaukee” and it conjures up a lovely, midsize community with a rich cultural history and hopefully a bright future. Outside social networks, I generally see the word “MKE”, and I think about airport coffee on the go & waiting in line for the TSA.

So let’s look at both Milwaukee & MKE and if they make the most sense for your business.

The present size (and market share)  of our fair city:

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. [spoiler alert] The city itself is generally sort of a mystery spot for people that live outside of our state & the city of Chicago. Find this hard to believe? Where is Columbus – how big is it, what’s their biggest claim to fame and finally what is their airport code?

Three hints, it’s somewhere in Ohio, they have the largest university in the USA & the airport code is the same at shorthand for the Greater Mountain Time Zone.

I’ve stayed a few nights in Columbus, Ohio, but before I had – I really wasn’t 100% positive if it was in Iowa or Ohio, I’m now familiar with the state & the sheer size of these frankly, midsize American cities all bigger than Milwaukee.

More people know where Columbus is than Milwaukee, much less, MKE.

For me, it was quite a realization to know that not 1, but 3 separate metropolitan areas in Ohio are each far bigger than my beloved Milwaukee area and our “international” airport, MKE.

Independently, Milwaukee itself has more people than say, Cleveland, yet when you look at the area with surrounding suburbs. Milwaukee gets leapfrogged by quite a margin (nearly 1/2 million). Imagine Dallas without Forth Worth, or Miami without Ft. Lauderdale, Starsky without Hutch – you can’t really – because they are woven into the same thing.

My point is that if Columbus businesses started calling themselves, GMT XYZ – their message would fizzle immediately. Even if a large city like, Chicago, called itself  or it’s services with ORD – that too would fall flat. (ORD Plumbing, anyone?) Granted, Chicago’s dual airport code is “CHI” – which is fun to play on, but you have to be in the know to get that. I lived there 5 years, so when I post on social networks that “I’m in the CHI” most friends get it – but let’s face it – my friends in MSN, MKL, and CAE don’t know regularly know what I mean when I mention it. See how foreign those airport codes look? I recently asked my well traveled cousin, born and raised in Chicago what he thought MKE meant. He hadn’t a clue. He apparently didn’t get the memo that flying into MKE is the hippest move since the electric slide.

He sure does love visiting Milwaukee however, he’ll drive up to see shows & I know plenty of other friends that have done the same. An old friend & his young wife now living in Northern Illinois accompanied me to both My Morning Jacket & another time to TV on the Radio. I already know 1/3 of these Chicagoans aren’t aware of what MKE means, I suppose it’s likely 50% of the other 2 wouldn’t know either.

So overall, when it comes to branding – I think we should go back to embracing “Mil-wau-kee” for all it’s worth. We don’t live in MKE, we live in “MILWAUKEE!”

Now that we know the relative size of our community, let’s look into the history of MKE branding.

Historically, it hasn’t been that hot. Locally though, that is set to change. I predict MKE’s future in local branding much more prevalent. I feel it’s a safe bet, yet take note that the term will continue to become more homogenized & crowded as time goes on. It will very unlikely break out of local zip codes in terms of recognition for quite some time, if ever. It’s very nature is to be located here, grounded – so thumbs up if you’re staying put. Thumbs down if you even want to market as far as MDW. It just doesn’t have the brand power.

MKE’s branding origins are from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s and now defunct local weekly, MKE, which was aimed at 20/30 somethings. Currently MKE is most prominently being used on the 88.9, Radio Milwaukee weekday morning show radio show (Miss you Jordan!)  called, A.MKE (am/mke – get it?!) and of course their are the hip dot commers, RUN-MKE, YoMKE, etc. A variety of brands are using it in their twitter feeds, domain names, and consumer labeling.

Why the explosive branding of”MKE” in our local market?

“MKE” has always been around as a fairly generic branding term in the City of Milwaukee. (salons/contractors/small business) However, it wasn’t until the explosion of Twitter in 2008/2009 that “MKE” really became prevalent. This is because Twitter only allows 15 characters and if you want a good, localize twitter handle – MKE fits the bill. (Similar for a shortened .com)

For Twitter, I think “MKE” works. I use it – but let’s not get carried away. Milwaukee is where I am from, not MKE – heck no, MKE has a recombobulation area and once considered giant blue jean/shirt, thankfully that massive municipal branding mistake was avoided as then County Executive, Scott Walker (shocker!) killed the art project.

If it did go through however – imagine what “MKE” would mean to travelers if that project went through, and imagine what they might say when they returned to their communities. “Ahhhh yes, M-K-E – home of the Canadian Tuxedo! (snickering)” Ouch.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like Mitchell International, I’ve been there easily 100 times. however it’s not DEN and it’s not exactly the emerald gem on the fresh coast. It’s the MKE airport – it does the job. – “Milwaukee” if we brand it correctly, is the emerald gem on the fresh coast – and with that – why not as businesses work towards rebranding the city with something creative? “Big Apple” New York City, “The Sweetest Place on Earth” (Hershey, Pennsylvania) and leave it to Nevada to come up with a home run such as they did with Reno, “The biggest little city in the world” Wow – you literally can’t afford publicity that slogan has brought the city. Modern Branding, if effective -  has to be organic. Case in point, Snapple’s slogan is “Made from the best stuff on earth.” Grand Slam. It works in scale because it’s instantly recognized by the consumer.

So while MKE seems modern & original for branding – it’s neither.

Granted, I won’t stop using it, nor suggest you do either. I’ll continue to use it with my local pals, on Twitter account handles, or even a domain name. But “Milwaukee” has more swagger – Milwaukee is where I live,

“Milwaukee” is what made this city famous.

Businesses & government should embrace our city’s name and avoid trendy marketing ploys or we’ll be known as the city of Mike.“

Enunciate!

There is something much larger and bolder by saying the full word anyhow, Chicago vs. CHI. So why are Milwaukeeans diverting from this built-in marketing tool? Do we really want to be 1 TSA screw up at MKE airport to soil our brand or service?

How about a mishap at the MKE Greyhound bus stop? Could happen anywhere they use “MKE.”

The point is, if you embrace “MKE” it’s still not really yours to use. It’s the IATA code for General Mitchell – which is both unoriginal & bland. Great band name, not good if your selling soap outside the 7 county area.

As a business owner, you usually want to plan for scaled growth. Will a MKE tattoo hurt or help that long term growth?  “Why the heck isn’t our product/services hitting forecasted sales projections?” In terms of branding, the answer might be a easy as M-K-E.

So in short, if you’re planning on staying local or have a long name – MKE works great. Additionally, for brands that want to expand outside the 414/262 it works well in the digital space, such as social networks, but severely limits growth as an official brand name – it’s a growth liability and limits comprehension to the consumer outside the local market. I suspect high end specialized products live outside this rule, but generally – this is rule of thumb logic.

Using “MKE” in your branding outside the 414/262 area codes is a high risk move & likely a mistake. Why? Wasted messaging.

Car companies live & breathe in this space. Trust their research, they’ve sold a few cars and have yet to release the “DTW”

Using local jargon in branding to educate a perplexed buyer before they consider your product/service is part failure. Don’t worry about the fluff education – focus on your product & value.  Good products usually sell via word of mouth anyhow. Commandeering MKE is an uphill battle both online & offline regardless if you’re local – then lap it up; MKE is a good option in this case, so is 414. Frankly, if you don’t live near Milwaukee or travel a bunch, “MKE – looks as foreign as Product/service as MSN does to a reader in MKE. A product for the average person should promote “Milwaukee” just as it’s citizens do. God bless Milwaukee “Brew City” and thanks for reading.

Feel free to comment or vote for which branding term you prefer below.

Firstly, today I spoke with Journal Sentinel veteran and current co-worker, Tom Strini, at Milwaukee’s Intercontinental to request sponsorship to nearly every art & culture group in Milwaukee. It lasted over an hour and went very, very well. It was for ThirdCoast Digest, a company I was promised equity in and a place I very much want to succeed.

Also… I would like to address my non-involvement in Twestival 2.0. it’s a pity that it isn’t going to happen, but it’s a volunteer effort and given that I’m busy and we just had one on February – I think it’s ok to sidestep this event. I officially asked the governing body to skip our town this time ’round considering no one else that I saw stepped up.

As I organized and MC’d the first Twestival, I didn’t have the energy, or surprisingly, the “Twitter power” to garner enough interest. Yes, it seems as if Twitter’s first “coming out” party of global involvement has waned amidst the countless “tweetups” and newbies that think Twitter tweets are a full fledged answer to a genuine message – or as it’s commonly known as good pr and solid advertising.

This despite the fact that  less than .1% of ANY community is using Twitter equaling in most cases, little market reach. I digress…

I also want to point out a few other items in new media of interest.

1. This site, Milwaukee Web Media, which came from a site I bought, MilwauekeeWebMedia.com is going for nearly $3,000.00 on the domain boards. When I bought it, it was a first time buy – check domain tools to verify that and future domains you are curious about. So, when I first thought of it, I couldn’t capitalize on it with such a general name, but then again - is there a market for common names- or is this just smoke and mirrors? I simply say write better. It’s what I tell bikers with the nicest bikes and sleeker spandex as I pass them on the road. “Pedal Harder” it’s what work is all about. (fyi I don’t wear spandex, just making a point dear god)

Winding down

And so as Obama made his pitch for health care reform and Steve Jobs returned today to the stage to announce new products on the Beatles deemed 9.9.09, there is always “One more thing…”

And I am no different.

Final Thoughts…

I recently took the covers off MKE Today. A little site I run myself and without advertising and broadcast with social media using sites like Twitter. I received 50hits on it’s second day. Not bad. And for kicks, I thought – well… I just sent out  a mass tweet or two to over 3,000 people as “MKE Today.” I wonder what that stained service MKE Online is up to.

As far as the domain, it is  dormant. But most interesting…

On Twitter it’s back, as of tonight. Yup, someone is tweeting from MKEonline.com as of tonight in the name of JS Online. Fake? Likely. Coincidence? No way. Personally, I think it would be a mistake for Journal Communications to show how inept they at new media only to accelerate their downward decent hard into the ground.

Seriously LOOK. (5 tweets within 5 minutes seemingly out of nowhere)

But it is interesting to think that someone would actually try to bring back a dirty, tarnished brand. Perhaps it’s the same fella that is leasing the original domain for this site, milwaukee web media? Perhaps it’s the guy who suggested Coke III to the coca-cola board. I dunno.

At any rate, I hope to see you at MKE Today soon. Thanks for your time and ear on such a historic, trans-formative night.

Milwaukee, WI

Bigger than ever – Twestival Local 2009 comes to Milwaukee

Global Twitter-Based Charity Event Returns with Local Twist

Following the success of the first global Twestival on February 12th 2009, in which 202 cities participated, Twestival returns in September with a local twist on “Twestival” – the volunteer-run, charity fundraising events for people who know each other through the micro-blogging service twitter.com. The event will take place on <Date> September at <Venue> raising funds for <City> based <Charity> who <Chosen charity’s cause>.

The first 24 hour “‘tweet-up’ with a social conscience” inspired thousands and raised $250,000 for clean water charity, charity: water, and the next event Twestival Local, looks to be even bigger. Twestival Local again gives every city in the world the chance to hold their own Twestival, but this time they can run their events anytime between the 10-13th September 2009, and choose their own local charity. Twitter users in <City> chose <Charity> /will be nominating and selecting charities based on an online vote, details of which you can see at www.city.twestival.com.

Volunteer teams in <City> and cities across the world are now coming together to survey their communities, nominate causes, plan events, gather sponsors and raise funds. <City> Twestival organiser <Representative name> said “We’re so excited about the next Twestiva in . <City> and working with our great team of volunteers and sponsors to raise funds for <Charity>. We’re hoping to see lots of <City> Twitter users coming along to have an amazing time with us and generate lots of cash and awareness! ”.

Optional: Insert charity or key sponsor quote.

Global partners across all countries for Twestival are Amiando, Citrix Online, Blurb and Causecast. For the for the full and changing list of cities, or to get involved yourself, go to www.twestival.com.

ENDS

Links & contacts:

• http://twestival.com/media/
• @twestival
• Email: pr@twestival.com
• Videos of Twestival money being used to drill wells in Africa .

August 3, 2009—(Milwaukee, WI) The publishers of ThirdCoast Digest are pleased to announce that former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel performing arts writer Tom Strini is now contributing a new column exclusively for TCD.

Tom Strini

“We’re excited to welcome the extraordinarily talented and highly-respected Tom Strini to ThirdCoast Digest,” said TCD co-publisher Jon Anne Willow. “Strini’s vast knowledge and experience will help establish ThirdCoast Digest as the leading destination for news and criticism about arts and culture in the Milwaukee region.”

“Strini’s Culture Desk” will take on a broader swath of Milwaukee’s cultural scene than his most recent beat at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which was primarily music and dance. Tom will offer his take on the traditional performing arts – classical music, concert dance, theater, visual art and architecture – while also writing about broader topics including cooking, design, and the unexpected aesthetic moments of everyday life.

“My commitment to covering the Milwaukee arts scene has never been greater,” said Strini. “I am grateful to ThirdCoast Digest for the opportunity to continue doing what I love, and I’m looking forward to helping build this online magazine into Milwaukee’s most important source for news, commentary, reviews and feature stories related to the performing arts, the visual arts, architecture, and to the art of living.”

Tom Strini served The Milwaukee Journal and then the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as dance critic, critic at large and music and dance critic for almost 27 years. He was one of several Journal Sentinel writers who took a buyout and left the paper on July 31, 2009, as the paper downsized.

Strini holds a bachelor’s degree in music theory and composition from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and a master’s in classical guitar performance from SIU-Carbondale. Strini also put in two years toward a doctorate in theory and composition at UC-San Diego, where he studied with Pauline Oliveros, Roger Reynolds and Bernard Rands.  He is married to Lee Ann Garrison, an associate professor of art at UW-Milwaukee; they have three sons.

ThirdCoast Digest is Milwaukee’s online magazine for engaging and relevant coverage of art, news and life as it happens in our city. Serving the community since 2002 with the original print VITAL Source Magazine (which went online exclusively in March 2009), TCD is also the exclusive online home of the Outpost’s Exchange Magazine. ThirdCoast Digest is working to help define a new media model, offering a curated blend of authored stories plus articles and blogs of interest from community journalists and other media outlets with whom it partners.

# # #

What I have seen so far is a corporate approach for better or worse that has included press releases, data collection, personal invites, some of which include the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Fox News 6 affilliate here in Milwaukee.

Is this a good thing for Twitter? I’m not sure. iDo know that it is a social tool. iDo know that we recieved our company analytics today and Twitter was even higher than our anchor site for traffic distribution to our satirical content and little local news stories.

In the last month I’ve been asked 5 times to speak on social media, yet only had the opportunity to do so once. I wonder if iWill be saying any words about Twitter tonight as I did hep with some of the PR by “retweeting” and setting up a group for Milwaukee, called the Milwaukee Meetup.com Tweet Up Group.

Some questions i’d like to answer by attending this event are: Will the local Twitter elite be there? How will thy respond? How much of this is a PR machine for the sponsors and really what else is there? I’m not sure. I hope that some of this is headed for a good cause or that it isn’t a big commercial for a few media outlets to commandendere part of our antartic ice shelf. We are the 48th biggest Twitter community in the world btw.

Go to website! http://www.sohobiztube.com/