Richmond off-topic postings

[I miss RVA]

Here's today's reporting in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on the new "Richmond Real" campaign.

https://richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond-spent-450-000-on-richmond-real-branding-campaign/article_a8a6339f-9b05-56d0-9c2e-e0eca5b99d13.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

[I miss RVA]

WRIC posted this SUPER-FUN (and really accurate) article - sort of the modern-day version of Style Weekly's old "You're VERY Richmond if... "

https://www.wric.com/community/positively-richmond/how-can-you-tell-if-someone-is-from-richmond-the-results-are-in/

Even after 21 years living in Chicago, I check the boxes on #1, 2, 4, 8, 9. (Side note: there's a squeeze jar of Duke's Mayo in my fridge as we speak...)  As for calling Richmond RVA - I STILL say that "RVA" should be used as an integral part of the city's marketing campaign(s). It's a GREAT tool that resonates and is EASY to remember. There's no reason "RVA" shouldn't be on billboards, TV/radio/online ads, magazine/newspaper ads, bumper stickers, buttons, mugs, T-shirts - you name it - all over the country. Ditto "River City" - I don't know of any other (at least mid-sized and larger) city/metro that has claimed the moniker of "River City". If Cincinnati (and the Joanna-come-lately Charlotte) can claim the name "Queen City" or NYC "the Big Apple" or Chicago "the Windy City" - then RVA needs to actively market herself with the moniker of "River City". I don't believe any of the big cities along the Mighty Mississippi use that term - St. Louis is "the Gateway City",  Memphis is "the Bluffs City", New Orleans is "the Big Easy" and "Crescent City" - and Minneapolis/St. Paul are "the "Twin Cities".  Even Pittsburgh - where three rivers meet - is "Steel City".

So "River City" would be a FANTASTIC marketing moniker for RVA.

If anyone is familiar with the 1957 musical "The Music Man" - it was set in River City, Iowa. But even when I was a kid, I always thought "River City" was somehow a reference to Richmond - not the fictional town based on Mason City, Iowa.

I would SO love to see "River City" and "RVA" used as part of our marketing efforts.

Here's the Facebook source data from which the WRIC report was compiled:

https://www.facebook.com/8News/posts/pfbid02LbqenikppX9Fhpe1EGg3FWrrMowtRZhXCNa9sH1nokZZdbLcyqvWUqwbj7Apk7ydl

Edited June 15, 2022 by I miss RVA

[flaneur]

Don't get me started on the Richmond Real brand and money spent. Such a waste. Michael Paul Williams wrote a very compelling piece in yesterday's RTD. Whereas RVA happened in such a bottom-up, organic, non-corporate way and it took off. I live in Atlanta and love seeing occasional RVA bumper stickers down here. I know the city said that RVA is the region and the city itself needed a brand, but outsiders see the whole region, not arbitrary jurisdiction lines. Just go all in on RVA. Related, I'd love it they could get a big RVA sign up on one of the high-rises adjacent to 95 (Monroe Tower would be ideal, but it might be demoed) that you could light up different colors for holidays and such. An easy way to build the brand.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, flaneur said:

Don't get me started on the Richmond Real brand and money spent. Such a waste. Michael Paul Williams wrote a very compelling piece in yesterday's RTD. Whereas RVA happened in such a bottom-up, organic, non-corporate way and it took off. I live in Atlanta and love seeing occasional RVA bumper stickers down here. I know the city said that RVA is the region and the city itself needed a brand, but outsiders see the whole region, not arbitrary jurisdiction lines. Just go all in on RVA. Related, I'd love it they could get a big RVA sign up on one of the high-rises adjacent to 95 (Monroe Tower would be ideal, but it might be demoed) that you could light up different colors for holidays and such. An easy way to build the brand.

Fully agreed. We need to go 100% all-in on RVA. Good point - outsiders seeing RVA as the entire metro - which is 100% reasonable. In truth, it can be both.

In truth, we should have "RVA" signs up all over the metro area - TOUT THE PLACE, for crying out loud! PUT IT OUT THERE! I think you're onto something! I love the idea of it in lights on one of the highrises - and changing colors the way the letters "CNB" used to change colors back in the '60s and '70s atop the CNB Building - would be FANTASTIC!

Perhaps some kind of synergy could be built between "RVA" and the moniker "River City" if we went all-in on both. RVA is both the city AND the region. River City speaks for itself.

I'll have to go back and check out MPW's piece.

[Wahoo 07]

Another sign that Richmond is arriving -- yesterday, I was on a flight and the moving map view of North America had Richmond as one of its listed cities (and the only one between Washington and Atlanta).  That wasn't the case ten years ago.  It's a small thing but every little gain is still a gain.

[CitiWalker]

Everyone has their opinion. Someone not from here once told me this. "Try something new in Richmond and  the most Richmond thing to do is to throw shade on whatever idea it is". Conversely everyone wants to complain about nothing being done. Marketing in and of itself is composed of skill and creativity.  Everyone uses the same form acronym for identification, RVA, NYC, ATL for example. People always talk about Richmond stepping out of the box to create its owns identity....well...here you have it.  I love the idea. I love the boldness. As far as Michael Paul Williams...he will always have something negative to say about the city. That is just how he rolls. To be different you have to take a chance to do something different. You have to open yourself to a level of innovation and trend setting. I am not a marketing professional and I am not sure how many people commenting on the branding of the city are. What I can say is whatever you do to brand is going to cost money. It is a lot of other things you can do with the money true indeed. However, to move this city forward we have got to market this city based on what this city is and can be. Designing and taking control of our own branding and identity is something this city has need for a long time. 

[I miss RVA]

7 hours ago, Wahoo 07 said:

Another sign that Richmond is arriving -- yesterday, I was on a flight and the moving map view of North America had Richmond as one of its listed cities (and the only one between Washington and Atlanta).  That wasn't the case ten years ago.  It's a small thing but every little gain is still a gain.

It's not as small as we might think. It's a biggie. Good to see this happening. I've been noticing the same thing on national maps such as weather radar maps I see on various weather streams on YouTube.  Even when the map is zoomed out (which makes many locations "disappear" from being listed - and only the "major" or "important" cities are listed) Richmond remains listed, along with Washington, Philly, New York, Boston... Norfolk/Virginia Beach drops off.

[mintscraft56]

17 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

It's not as small as we might think. It's a biggie. Good to see this happening. I've been noticing the same thing on national maps such as weather radar maps I see on various weather streams on YouTube.  Even when the map is zoomed out (which makes many locations "disappear" from being listed - and only the "major" or "important" cities are listed) Richmond remains listed, along with Washington, Philly, New York, Boston... Norfolk/Virginia Beach drops off.

Thats funny you mention it. Norfolk and VB, its like a battle of who is on the map. VB every so often and Norfolk is the usual.  Richmond though, I think you guys will be secured on the map for generations to come. 

Or some maps seem to put both cities on with each other, making it a very unusual placing of mid-major cities on a map.  Though, they make it seem all the highways lead to either Norfolk or Richmond in the area. VB just gets a line for whatever reason that is.

Edited June 17, 2022 by mintscraft56

[I miss RVA]

5 hours ago, CitiWalker said:

Everyone has their opinion. Someone not from here once told me this. "Try something new in Richmond and  the most Richmond thing to do is to throw shade on whatever idea it is". Conversely everyone wants to complain about nothing being done. Marketing in and of itself is composed of skill and creativity.  Everyone uses the same form acronym for identification, RVA, NYC, ATL for example. People always talk about Richmond stepping out of the box to create its owns identity....well...here you have it.  I love the idea. I love the boldness. As far as Michael Paul Williams...he will always have something negative to say about the city. That is just how he rolls. To be different you have to take a chance to do something different. You have to open yourself to a level of innovation and trend setting. I am not a marketing professional and I am not sure how many people commenting on the branding of the city are. What I can say is whatever you do to brand is going to cost money. It is a lot of other things you can do with the money true indeed. However, to move this city forward we have got to market this city based on what this city is and can be. Designing and taking control of our own branding and identity is something this city has need for a long time. 

Very well said all the way around. It really is (or at least, for several generations) "very Richmond" (quoting Style Weekly from back in the day) to throw shade on ANYTHING new. It's changing, thank God - but very slowly. 

To your point: we HAVE to market RVA aggressively to move the city, the metro and the region forward. You said it perfectly - "to be different, you have to take a chance to do something different." RVA is slowly embracing this - I wish she would embrace this more quickly and more robustly in the manner some of our chief competitors have done. (They shall remain nameless lest we get into the same tired "comparison" argument.) But you're spot on - RVA needs to open herself up to a greater level of innovation and trend setting. I think as a greater portion of the population is made up of inflow migration from other parts of the country, we'll see that change come more readily. Like anything, it will take time (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective. And you all KNOW on which side of this fence I land...)

Oh - and the abbreviated monikers - you nailed it. ATL, NYC, STL - all are three-letter monikers that are INSTANTLY recognizable. We KNOW what cities/metros are being referenced. RVA fits perfectly in that category and should push that to the hilt and run with it. Make RVA a "household moniker" in the minds of people across America - just as recognizable as NYC, ATL, STL, HOU, even PHX. This is SIMPLE marketing that can go a LONG LONG LONG way to building brand recognition - making Richmond a brand-name city like her aforementioned counterparts.

And maybe that's the key - Richmond MUST BECOME A "BRAND-NAME CITY" - so that there is ready, if not instant, recognition of who/what/where. "RVA" is the perfect vehicle to make that happen. We have a three-letter moniker that is an advantage over most other cities. It's a very short list of cities with such a perfectly-fitting three-letter moniker that can be used so effectively for marketing. It's a HUGE advantage that Richmond needs to jump on and really push. I'm SO glad to see that the marketing folks behind the Lego move recognized that and already made a winning marketing piece! So far, it's hands-down, my favorite. Bravo to the folks at Lego!

[Downtowner]

I’m probably kicking a hornets nest but does anyone see Richmond going through another night like we did in the not so far past. I’m very nervous that some of the projects that have been worked on along broad may be a pile of ashes tonight. 

[Icetera]

22 minutes ago, Downtowner said:

I’m probably kicking a hornets nest but does anyone see Richmond going through another night like we did in the not so far past. I’m very nervous that some of the projects that have been worked on along broad may be a pile of ashes tonight. 

As someone who witnessed most of what you reference first-hand, I do not expect to see that with the current circumstances.  The energy is very different.

[Brent114]

Maybe 5 mansions in the DC area will be reduced to ash tonight (fingers crossed!) but I think Richmond will be fine. 

[I miss RVA]

Agreed - I think RVA will be a-okay. This is a different dynamic altogether. I'd imagine the immediate vicinity of the Capitol Building will be pretty lively - I don't see this being a Broad Street kind of thing.

[Shakman]

There are idiots who will use whatever excuse to cause problems.  

[Brent114]

2 minutes ago, Shakman said:

There are idiots who will use whatever excuse to cause problems.  

The rulings over the last two days are a pretty good excuse, IMO.

[wrldcoupe4]

23 minutes ago, Shakman said:

There are idiots who will use whatever excuse to cause problems.  

I trust you feel the same about January 6th 2021? I don’t condone violence. 

Edited June 24, 2022 by wrldcoupe4

[Shakman]

35 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

I trust you feel the same about January 6th 2021? 

Yes.  I also feel the same way with the spring /summer 2020 rioters and the person who attempted to assassinate a Supreme Court Justice.

Edited June 25, 2022 by Shakman

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

I trust you feel the same about January 6th 2021? I don’t condone violence. 

Agreed, Coupe. I also don't condone violence and don't want it happening. Definitely not in RVA - and if at all possible, not anywhere.

Mind you - to @Brent114's point - I absolutely 100% hear where you're coming from, brother.  These last couple of days of rulings are causing justified angst among a LOT of folks of various political & ideological stripes. I'm going to refrain from any further comment about that part of it. My views are immaterial in the grander scheme of things.  But I will say, as much as I don't want any violence, I 100% support the 1A right of peaceful assembly to petition for the redress of grievances. Hell, as a tail-end baby boomer, I grew up with literally non-stop protests in the streets in the late '60s-early '70s - between civil rights protests - Vietnam War protests - women's rights protests. The younger generations haven't seen protests yet. Not like it was then. And omg did they get violent. Awful violence and a lot of harm was done. Not just "rioting" and "looting" (think of burning cities - Detroit, Newark, Baltimore, just to name a few...) - but the shooting at Kent State being a prime example. I was WAYYYY too young back then to take part in the protests and marches - but I most certainly would have taken part had I been older. (And yes, I watched it/followed it on TV and in the newspapers).

I totally get that emotions right now are justifably high in response to these decisions. There will be protests. There will be marches. And there should be! Protests & marches are as American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Lexus - wait - I mean Chevrolet!   But I'm praying things don't get out of hand. There's no need for that to happen - nothing good can come from it.

[Icetera]

21 hours ago, Shakman said:

There are idiots who will use whatever excuse to cause problems.  

This is certainly true, no matter the cause.  Unfortunately, Spring / Summer 2020 showed me that many of those idiots also wear badges.  I really hope to not see similar response this time around and the escalation that follows.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Icetera said:

This is certainly true, no matter the cause.  Unfortunately, Spring / Summer 2020 showed me that many of those idiots also wear badges.  I really hope to not see similar response this time around and the escalation that follows.

Yep - and what's more, we don't have to look very far at all to see complete and total idiots in badges all over the country causing extreme harm to individual people (including death) in singular, every-day life violent encounters, without need of any kind of a specific watershed political/ideological "event" to serve as a catalyst to detonate violent reactions. There's more than enough bodycam footage (when it's not being withheld from the public) as well as iPhone/Android recordings from citizens who become impromptu witnesses to document these terrible events that seem to unfold almost daily. Sadly, the old adage of "the more things change, the more they stay the same" rings very true. The only 'change' really appears to be in technology making it possible for all of us to actually be a witness to these events, something that wasn't possible 30, 50, 70, 100, 150, 200 years ago.

I pray that no violence takes place during the protests. It's unnecessary, unproductive and only harm can come from it, regardless of "what side" someone might be on. As you said, Ice, no matter the cause.

Edited June 25, 2022 by I miss RVA

[Merrittk92]

Happy Independence Day to one and all!

 

Edited July 4, 2022 by Merrittk92

[I miss RVA]

12 hours ago, Merrittk92 said:

Happy Independence Day to one and all!

 

Right back at'cha, my friend!

Somewhere in the background, I can hear Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" playing...  CRANK UP THE BAND! (And pass me another hot dog & a burger while you're at it, please!  )

 

[Merrittk92]

Ever vigilant! If you hear/see something suspicious..SAY SOMETHING!  Thank You HERO citizen!! Whoever you are! 
 

Richmond July 4th attack averted!

[Hike]

9 hours ago, Merrittk92 said:

Ever vigilant! If you hear/see something suspicious..SAY SOMETHING!  Thank You HERO citizen!! Whoever you are! 

Richmond July 4th attack averted!

Totally agree and like my wife said, it was nice to hear some good news  coming from the RPD.

[Downtowner]

1 hour ago, Hike said:

Totally agree and like my wife said, it was nice to hear some good news  coming from the RPD.

Especially from the police chief I know he has his fair share of critics. I miss Rodney Monroe that dude cleared out the crime so fast and then left for Charlotte nc.