Recently, some Herald contributors who opine about our downtown have crossed the line from opining to whining. Trolling their thesauruses for trite taglines, they generate eye rolls from even the most avowed word nerds. Worse, they brandish blistering denunciations and buzzy banalities as if they’re delivering the pitch for a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign.
Effective marketing is supposed to build positive awareness, preference, and revenue. Few of these naysayers demonstrate the experience or expertise necessary to devise practical marketing solutions, let alone bring their ill-conceived ideas to fruition. They spitball so much dictionary dandruff, it doesn’t even qualify as marketing lite.
In stark contrast are the region’s true leaders and thoughtful Herald contributors who possess the creativity, strategic focus and positive thinking to envision a future beyond the challenges. These are individuals who are intellectually curious and who possess an enormous amount of empathy in enlisting allies and advocates for their quest.
When I was still a young professional wading through the murky maelstrom of Manhattan advertising agencies — all of them filled with garrulous grand-standers — I wouldn’t dream of bringing a problem to a boss or client without having several well-grounded recommendations for solving it.
A few years ago, I had complaints of my own about our downtown, until I stepped away from the buzzword box, and did the following things instead. If the naysayers genuinely care about our downtown, perhaps they’ll do the same. Along the way, maybe they’ll even make some new friends.
— Become informed about the initiatives that dedicated leaders are working on to boost Vermont’s economic development statewide. The Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Rural Development Council are just two of them. Their websites and others are filled with actionable ideas that Rutland’s leaders also consult.
— Review websites and social media pages of organizations like CEDRR, Rutland Young Professionals and the Rutland Forward Aldermen (Doenges, Franco, Savage, Talbott). Engage these leaders, serve on committees, sign up for their Zooms. If you’ve already done that, then brainstorm respectful new ways to contribute.
— Cultivate reciprocal relationships around community causes. If COVID isolation taught us anything positive, it’s that lots of people will go to extraordinary lengths to engage in causes that are important to them. People who are honestly interested in other people, are the ones others turn to in good times and in bad.
— Engage in downtown revitalization by volunteering. Volunteering creates what economists refer to as social capital. It helps to build more connections, within and among different populations, fostering the trust and goodwill essential to thriving communities.
— Expand your circle of influence beyond your own tight-knit group. If you only search for evidence that aligns with your own region, socioeconomic group, political views, or religion, then you’re limiting your options for constructive new ideas.
— Make friends outside your own age group. Millennials, Gen-Xers, and Rutland repair professionals of all ages routinely share valuable perspectives with me — and vice versa.
— Research how other small cities revitalized their downtowns. You’d be amazed at the ingenuity you’ll find by Googling “small-town revitalization” or “community development success stories.” Not all will be relevant to Rutland, but you’ll be inspired anyway. (I have a large file of these stories.)
— Diversify your media consumption. We are fortunate in Vermont to have a vibrant news ecosystem that encourages diverse commentary. But also consider:The Atlantic, The New Republic, National Review, Fast Company, Inc., Entrepreneur, Wired, and Popular Science — all of them write about innovation. Listen to podcasts from positive thinkers who care deeply about small-town values, to learn about economic development that preserves the heart and soul of rural communities.
— To further expand your positive thinking about our downtown, research professional groups studying climate migration. They include architects, climatologists, graduate business schools, venture capitalists and others in the business of creating and promoting innovative ideas.
— If you’re active on social media, then promote positive news about Rutland and Vermont. People considering a move to Rutland are likely to read negative posts more than positive ones, so boost the positives.
Experienced marketers would have gone out of business a long time ago if all they did was drone on about challenges. Yet that’s exactly what those who denigrate our downtown are doing.
Meanwhile, there are dedicated people working hard to make this region — and especially our downtown — more vibrant. They not only deserve our respect, but also our enthusiasm. The more buoyant thinking we can bring to the table, the stronger Rutland will be — no thesaurus or dictionary or buzzword box necessary.
Liz DiMarco Weinmann lives in Rutland
