Steve Brauntuch: In need of more than just a slogan

Sometimes, it takes more than a catchy slogan or two to transform the image of a city. Such is the case with Philadelphia, which is about to undergo some sort of image makeover courtesy of a new initiative aimed at developing this city's "knowledge industry" -- some might even call it "higher education."

With the help of 80-plus schools in the area and some local business leaders, University President Judith Rodin is chairing the Knowledge Industry Partnership. It's a three-tiered program ("Attract, Explore, Achieve" -- has that Epcot Center-ring to it) with the intention of attracting more college students and preventing them from skipping town once they graduate. The long-term goal is to make higher education -- and the start-up companies that grow out of it -- a major revenue source for the city of Philadelphia.

While it is a bit of a stretch to compare the "knowledge industry" to the entertainment industry in Los Angeles -- a connection that is proudly made in the handy portfolio -- there is some marketing potential here. With a fairly modest price tag of $8 million spread over three years and some reasonable goals, KIP seems like a solid idea in portfolio form. The Philadelphia area certainly has plenty of colleges to go around, enough to attract students of all types.

Most importantly, with cleaner streets, a plummeting crime rate and a growing skyline, Philadelphia is more marketable than it was when Rodin first took office.

But images aren't changed inside portfolios -- they're changed inside the minds of college-aged kids across the country. When these potential consumers think East Coast, they think Boston, New York and Washington. And therein lies the problem: Philadelphia isn't any of those three cities.

Let's be fair: this city has two subway lines, a trolley and a bus system that even townies have a tough time figuring out. When people visit South Street, it doesn't compare to the size and depth of Georgetown or Greenwich Village. Even Rittenhouse Square and Independence Mall aren't as readily appealing as Boston Common and Quincy Market. The suburbs feel bigger, but the city feels smaller, and that's part of what separates Philadelphia from the others.

It's one thing to give prospective students a brochure and a discount at a hotel when they visit. It's much more difficult to show them that if they come to school in Philadelphia, they can trek out to Bryn Mawr just as easily as they can get a cheesesteak at Pat's. Yet, that's the kind of convenience that students in other cities have, and that's what Philadelphia colleges still struggle with.

The fact of the matter is that this city isn't one big college campus. Big 5 basketball is a huge plus, but the connections between schools don't run much deeper than athletics. KIP officials are going to have their hands full trying to convince a prospective student that when it comes to location, going to Swarthmore isn't all that different from going to Temple.

Then, there are the "Explore" and "Achieve" aspects of the program. There are a lot of students at many area schools who don't take advantage of what this city has to offer once they come here. However, planning a "regional student leadership conference" and buying ad time on local TV is not going to get people to spend an evening at Penn's Landing.

It's not that tough to appeal to college students: free concerts, discounts on food and clothes, easy access to transportation. All of these are issues that the Campus Philly team is planning to address eventually. But the longer it waits, the more it's losing out on the business of thousands of eager consumers across the city who would probably flock to the post office if they thought there would be free food.

Perhaps the most difficult goal will be creating viable business opportunities for graduates and internships for undergraduates. Students flee during the summer because there just aren't as many appealing jobs here. New York offers media. Washington offers politics. Philadelphia offers... disappointing sports franchises? As for graduates, KIP plans to focus on developing new jobs in the infotech and life science sectors, two areas that are significantly lacking marquee status.

Basically, KIP is starting from scratch. They're trying to create a three-tiered reputation that took a lot longer for these other cities to develop. And just like you can't force Harvard Square onto West Philadelphia, you can't force a new image onto a location (just ask Maryland how that ridiculous ad campaign with the lighthouse is working out).

Rodin has little to work with, though it's a good sign that she and her business partners are taking steps to alter this city's image for the better. But in order to be effective, it has to be a natural change, one that occurs outside a portfolio. And it's gonna take more than three years and a middle-school level slogan.

Steve Brauntuch is a junior Communications major from Tenafly, N.J. and editorial page editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian.

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