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Obama thrusts Chicago onto global stage; 'brand' helps boosters craft fresh image
By Kathy Bergen | Tribune reporter
November 23, 2008
The week he was elected president, Barack Obama's hometown hung banners in his honor in the Loop. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's campaign committee paid for the banners. (Jose M. Osorio / Tribune / November 6, 2008)
Consider the power of the Barack Obama brand. Almost overnight, he has exploded as a global phenomenon, lauded by average people and those in power.
Then look at Chicago. Still haunted by images of factory soot, stockyards and gangsters, the city's international identity is trapped in the past.
That's why the city's boosters are rubbing their hands together. They are excited by the prospect of using brand Obama to sell Chicago as a destination for corporate offices, tourists and the 2016 Olympics.
"We couldn't pay for the marketing we're getting," said Rita Athas, executive director of World Business Chicago, a city-funded agency charged with attracting and retaining businesses. "I hope this finally makes Al Capone dead. … The buzz is now about the history-making president we have here."
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,4439572.story
By Kathy Bergen | Tribune reporter
November 23, 2008
The week he was elected president, Barack Obama's hometown hung banners in his honor in the Loop. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's campaign committee paid for the banners. (Jose M. Osorio / Tribune / November 6, 2008)
Consider the power of the Barack Obama brand. Almost overnight, he has exploded as a global phenomenon, lauded by average people and those in power.
Then look at Chicago. Still haunted by images of factory soot, stockyards and gangsters, the city's international identity is trapped in the past.
That's why the city's boosters are rubbing their hands together. They are excited by the prospect of using brand Obama to sell Chicago as a destination for corporate offices, tourists and the 2016 Olympics.
"We couldn't pay for the marketing we're getting," said Rita Athas, executive director of World Business Chicago, a city-funded agency charged with attracting and retaining businesses. "I hope this finally makes Al Capone dead. … The buzz is now about the history-making president we have here."
....
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,4439572.story
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