Edition 72

Believe us. We’re as surprised as you are that the calendar is down to just one page, and meanwhile the world of placemaking is popping off! Whether your position puts you in the crosshairs of marketing and communications, placemaking, or economic development — we’ve got a little something for everyone this week. Take a gander below to learn how the YOLO economy can be attributed with over $10 billion in economic impacts (and how a tune-humming cohort may just save your city’s central business district for the low, low price of only $22,500), how the region renowned for Stephen King, lobster rolls and outdoor adventures gets the word out, how one pop-up program is inspiring major metros across the US to think smaller, why short isn’t always a bad thing, and how one East Coast City is already laying the foundational elements of placemaking with an eye towards inundation. Yes, fr fr.

Keep your ho-ho-hos to the ones you know, and keep making badass things happen,

– Your Bright Brothers Team

David Romako / Josh Yeager /  Brandi Walsh

Is the YOLO Economy part of your path forward? As many economists and pundits have proffered, in our crazy post-COVID world, experiences are taking precedence over purchasing “things,” and this shift from material to ethereal can mean many things. The fact remains that music can play an outsized role in your town’s revitalization strategy. Case in point, as illustrated by this piece in Governing, that demonstrates the economic impacts of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, the golden-throated chanteuse brought roughly $10 billion into the bank balances of cities where her stadium-packing performances lined local coffers. With half of that being $5 billion in direct spending by her fans alone – this only accounts for the first leg of her world tour! If music sings in your city’s DNA, then you may want to consider investing in becoming a Music Census cohort this coming year. This intriguing pay-to-play study offers cities looking to capitalize on their musical assets the opportunity to assess local equity and benchmark your scene to develop an action plan. Plus you’ll join the likes of other famous places known for their lyrical attitude and musical aptitude, like Nashville,  Austin, and NOLA, among others. Cohort participation costs $22,500 and includes a controlled study that “collects key data points to better understand music people and their economic activity within a specific geography. It provides a baseline for policymakers and the larger community to understand and take action,” – so it’s not cheap, but with potential billions on the line in local economic impact, and a marked shift in consumer behaviors since the pandemic, the investment could be negligible compared to the upside in terms of dollars, cents and headcount (or footfall, as it were). And that can mean the difference between a revitalized vibe in your city, or years more of doldrums and disinvestment to come. What’s your move?

Photo by Stephen Mease on Unsplash

Ya gotta love places with character, and when it comes to personality, Bangor, Maine is chock full! From historic building stock dotted with Greek Revival and Victorian lumber baron mansions to an adorable downtown bustling with shops, restaurants, and an enchanting public square, to mom & pops and indie businesses, to adaptive reuse accommodations – Bangor presents the quintessential “Hometown USA” feel, laden with modern amenities, and scads of reasons to visit. This is “VACATIONLAND” after all, and whether you’re sipping a handcrafted cocktail at a swanky downtown speakeasy, watching the “Kendeauskeg Stream” meander by via a smartly appointed canal, complete with Parisian-style quai, taking a selfie in front of a creative-catalyst-inspired mural featuring of America’s Tall Tale legends, or grabbing an artisanal coffee and just “sitting a spell” on a custom chainsaw-crafted bench – the story of the Bangor region is a fascinating one. But be wary! Like many places, locals may raise a supercilious eyebrow if you come in hard, sounding like you’re “from away”.  So to help acclimate you to local culture, or avoid a potentially embarrassing social faux pas, the fine folks from the Queen City made this hilarious video, and it’s an absolute knee-slapper! Full transparency; we’re working on an ambitious project with a joint commission comprised of over a dozen stakeholders from local, regional, state, and federal orgs on an incredibly crafty rebrand and tourism campaign due to launch next summer. After spending several days in Bangor last month, we’ve come back enamored of the region’s breathtaking dichotomies – an illustrious urban experience, ensconced in some of North America’s most awe-inspiring natural wilderness. With four-season outdoor appeal, an expansive 680-acre “City Forest”, a freakin’ Bog Boardwalk, a revered local Canoe Race, and a local lending library for gear (outdoor activities can be fairly expensive investments, especially for the non-committed outdoorsperson) in the works – and more moose, lighthouses, and lobsters than you can shake a stick at – the Maine Highlands and Down East regions are an absolute must for next year’s travel bucket list. Did we mention the international airport and easy access off I-95?  How about the fact that horror fans flock by the thousands to snap pix of famed author Stephen King’s Queen Anne masterpiece that serves as both a home to his archives and the literal all-American town that has inspired King as the literary backdrop of “Derry, Maine”; host to many of his darkly-unnerving epics. So while you’re hunkered down this winter, dreaming up your next escape – we highly recommend you add Bangor, Maine to your travel itinerary for 2025.

… that thinking small may be a better route to vibrant streets and offices, than the now outmoded model for leasing that’s put many a CBD in dire straits these past few years. We’re encouraged by the success stories coming out of San Francisco, Austin, Philly, Denver, Miami, Pittsburgh, Portland, and others that are tapping into the SF New Deal’s “Vacant to Vibrant” model that helps incubate micro-businesses into lease-holding, long-term tenants. The program’s success hinges upon matchmaking of vacant retail space with up-and-coming, successful businesses sourced from the likes of farmers markets and pop-ups. With program support, grants, technical assistance, and tenant incentives, some places are seeing success to the tune of nearly 80% retention, thus creating an inviting environment for small businesses that complement a city’s existing tenant mix. Desirable business models and industries include arts & entertainment, F&B, and ofc, retail. What can your district learn from these initiatives, and is your org doing enough to support localized initiatives like this? We’d love to hear from you.

Despite the commonly perceived shortcomings of the word “short”, it’s not always a bad thing. Getting shortchanged, or being on the receiving side of the “short end of a stick” are surely negatives, but when it comes to mastering digital video, it’s all about short-form. So as marketers, we need to tap into the Tok and take our narrative storytelling (the very short distance) from long-form to quick-hitting. There’s an art and a science to creating short-form video that has near-universal appeal for today’s MarCom pros that goes far beyond TikTok. Short-form video plays an ever-expansive role in our comms, and supporting your city, downtown, or region can be accomplished in mere seconds with Reels, Stories, 15-second YouTube, Spotify or Pandora ads, website landing pages, email teasers, and more. So if you wanna learn the 3-part recipe for victorious short-form video — look no further than TikTok itself, and their masterful 101 that breaks down the winning formula, with this brief-yet-potent primer for creating world-class video with outstanding engagement. In today’s ultra fast-paced society, the only short we may not want is what Gillette told us all she didn’t want, back in the 90s. Keep it short kids!

Climate change is inevitable, and this week we’d like to draw your attention to one place on the planet that is poised to be inundated by rising ocean levels in the near future – while putting in place now, a series of eco-friendly, carbon-consuming placemaking installations that will become an underwater attraction in the years to come. We’re talking about Miami, and with seven miles of seabed being transformed into a massive haven, the shoreline near where Art Basel takes place today will eventually feature a sculpture park, snorkel trail, and carbon-chomping concrete art installations that will also house marine wildlife. The project, entitled The ReefLine, reminds us of NYC’s catalytic HighLine project in both name and function, in that its repurposed use will be vastly different from its original intention. The ReefLine will feature multiple nodes made from bio-engineered materials like eco-friendly concrete and materials that will pull carbon out of the atmosphere, capturing it as a carbon sink. The multiphased project comprising dozens of individual installations, will take years to become fully realized, but the endgame is in tying placemaking with place branding, and a desire to make Miami, as a leader in climate tech, synonymous with the ReefLine – the way NYC is known for the Empire State Building (or the High Line), or how Big Ben is associated with London. Project curator Ximena Caminos said, “Art has the power to tap into someone’s emotions, and I hope that The ReefLine will inspire … It has the power to inspire people to act – the oceans are our heritage, and they are dying in silence because they don’t have a voice. They need someone to stand up for them. The world is at a very complex moment, and messages of hope are needed,” and no one can argue with that. 

“More retailers are asking, ‘Is there a space available for me?’ We’re not the one to always pick up the phone. They’re calling us too.” — Christine Yuen, BXP’s head of leasing for Embarcadero Center