“Not In Columbus” Campaign from Experience Columbus

Last week I posted about a blogger-only press event that Experience Columbus hosted to unveil their new marketing campaign. I didn’t get to experience the event first hand (Anne went to represent Columbus Underground and provide coverage) but from what I heard, the crowd was tough. I sort of expect them to be. Bloggers aren’t the traditional media. Most of them don’t have any sort of formal relationship with organizations like Experience Columbus, so they seem better poised to cast a critical eye on the topic of interest. It might not have been exactly the warm reception that Experience Columbus probably wanted, but I think it was still valuable feedback for them to use and move forward with.

Personally, I like the concept, but I’m not too fond of some of the examples. The print ads look great. The locally-made T-Shirts are a nice touch. The viral videos look a little unfinished. Uh… wait a second. They’re gone. I just went to YouTube to post a link to them here, and they look like they’ve been removed. Perhaps they were unfinished?

Ultimately though, it doesn’t really matter what I think, or what other local bloggers think of this campaign. What matters is how well it works at catching the eye of the target audience: convention planners and travelers. While some pride-filled locals like myself might get a little salty about a campaign that speaks up about the things our beloved city lacks, it’s something that could very easily catch the eye and get a laugh out of someone else in another city who may have never considered what there actually is to do in Columbus. I can see this campaign being successful if executed properly. I think the key is to always have a strong follow up mentioning the great things we do have in Columbus.

Anyway, here’s a bit of a roundup of the online buzz about this campaign so far. If I missed any, please leave a comment below, and I’ll be sure to add it.

• Experience Columbus hosts Blogging Event Today [ColumbusUnderground]
• cBus Syndrome: When your client has low self-esteem [Advergirl]
• Social Media Marketing? Not in Columbus (or Social Media Isn’t a Free Pass to a Good Campaign) [searchengineguide.com]
• Not in Columbus [Urban In-Fill]
• Inviting Bloggers to the Party [This Woman's Work]
• Are You Experienced? [Sundays with Stretchy Pants]
• Experience Columbus Bloggers and Podcasters VIP Event Recap [Pod Camp Ohio]
• Not in Columbus: A look at Experience Columbus’ risky new campaign [Social Avenue]
• Experience Columbus Going Viral [Green Columbus]
• Experience Columbus VIP Blogger Event [Greatest City of All]
• Not in Columbus Campaign [Mad Cow Town]
• Experience Columbus or Not in Columbus [Elephants on Bicycles]
• Not in Columbus [Done Waiting]
• Columbus Social Media Café and Columbus Marketing Campaign [Tangled up in Blue]

And something finally showed up in the traditional print media too:

• You can’t do that in Columbus [Alive]