Brownwood Feels Like Home: 8oz of liquid in a 16oz cup ? Is it half full or half empty ?

Wednesday April 6, 2005
Op Ed: Columnist
Community must strive to always keep the larger goal in mind -- Bill Crist
"Brownwood is as much what it isn't as what it is."
There are probably many ways to interpret that statement, the fact of which in itself reinforces its message. The comment was made by Brian Jordan, a Brownwood native and copywriter for advertising agency GSD&M, and delivered to the roughly 50 delegates at last week's Texas Downtown Association mid-year conference. The conference, which was held in Brownwood, focused on marketing the many faces of downtown. That is something Brownwood and many other cities, large and small, struggle with daily.
What does it mean to not be something, as opposed to being something, and how can that possibly be good for a community? It would seem that having a tangible identity, like "The Big Apple" or "Gateway to the West" would help a city market itself. Being able to build a promotional campaign around a slogan or logo and using it consistently is important for building name recognition. Sometimes the logos revolve around a landmark or the geography of an area. At times a slogan may reflect the majority of the population. Our neighbors 60 miles to the east adopted the slogan "The City of Champions" based largely on the accomplishments of the town's high school athletic teams and rodeo champions.
But what does a city that identifies more with what it's not than what it is rally around? Some might joke an inferiority complex. Others might suggest a black hole. The proverbial "half-empty cup" comes to mind. When a group of Brownwood citizens was faced with that very question five years ago, though, they brainstormed for ideas, got outside experts involved and decided on a positive approach rather than negative. From that exercise, Brownwood found an identity that it could rally behind and market; "Feels Like Home."
There are many reasons why the slogan fits our community and is a good one for us. Its broad scope touches just about everyone, invokes generally positive feelings and doesn't pigeonhole us to just one facet of Brownwood or Brown County. Without a doubt the area is a draw for outdoor recreation, but hunting and fishing appeal to a portion of the population, not all of it. Brown County has a rich and storied history, but again, the study of that history doesn't necessarily appeal to a broad audience. That doesn't make promoting those features a bad idea, but just suggests that a broader picture is necessary. As Jordan told the delegates at last week's conference, everyone has a home. And to look at Brownwood's population, and the number of second and third generation families that still call the area home, Brownwood does feel like home to a good many people.
With slogan and logo in hand, the group went to work and a new community Web site was created and the Brownwood Reunion Celebration was planned to help with the public launch of the site. This September will mark the site and event's fifth year in existence, and a large celebration is planned for the third weekend in September.
It would be na•ve to think that every civic group embraces the "Feels Like Home" slogan and that all segments of the population feel that way about Brownwood. However, as long as we are a community that can more closely identify with what we are not than what we are, there are going to be disagreements in what exactly our community is and should be. That is not uncommon, though, and civic leaders, both elected and volunteer, cannot let that become an obstacle to progress. Though frustrating at times, it is important to keep the larger purpose in view, or to borrow another slogan, to "keep the main thing the main thing."
Bill Crist is associate publisher of the Brownwood Bulletin. His column appears on Wednesdays. He may be reached by e-mail at bill.crist@brownwoodbulletin.com.
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