How to promote (and how not to promote) Ogden

By Dan Schroeder

Recently I happened to be at the Union Station visitor's information center and saw that they're giving out a free new booklet that promotes the city's outdoor recreation opportunities as well as selected restaurants, hotels, and other services. The 100-page booklet was created for the Ogden/Weber Convention and Visitors Bureau by a small local company, Out of Bounds Creative. It has terrific photography and terrific text. For instance, the introduction reads:

Don't come to Ogden expecting a typical mountain town.

This is the place that Al Capone said was too wild for his taste in the 1920s. And while we've replaced bootlegging, prostitution and gambling with skiing, climbing, kayaking and mountain biking, Ogden's soul will always be a bit rowdy.

If you want homogenized, we're probably not for you...

Anyhow, don't take my word for it--go down to Union Station and pick up a copy of this booklet. It's really good. Employers should give a copy to every employee they're trying to recruit to come here. WSU should send copies to out-of-state prospective students. Realtors should give the booklet to anyone who's looking at houses in Ogden. I certainly hope the mayor has sent a copy to every company he's trying to talk into relocating here.

Of course, being the negative guy that I am, I can't resist the temptation to make a comparison.

In many ways this booklet tries to tell the same story as the video that Producer Rupert Hitzig made in early 2006. Both tout Ogden's outdoor recreation opportunities, with notable mention of Ogden's historic downtown. The video is aimed more narrowly at companies that might consider relocating to Ogden, whereas the booklet is aimed at individual visitors and newcomers as well. But the basic message is intended to be the same.

The message that actually comes across, however, is quite different. For one thing, Hitzig's video has movie stars: the mayor, Curt Geiger, and Chris Peterson, with shorter appearances by Bob Geiger, Bill Wright, and a couple of downtown business owners. You get the impression that the real purpose of the video was to feed these guys' egos--and that they're giving you a lecture. The booklet, on the other hand, is written almost anonymously and reads as if it's coming as friendly advice from ordinary people like you. The result is that it's infinitely more inviting.

Hitzig's video is a sales pitch, full of obvious exaggerations that put you instantly on-guard. And much of what it says is deceptive, such as the claim that I-80 goes through Ogden and that Chris Peterson "will" build a gondola. The booklet is absolutely honest (though it contains a few inconsequential errors) and makes no promises about the future other than mentioning (very briefly) the FrontRunner's planned arrival in 2008, and the Salomon Center which was about to open when the booklet was published.

The video makes it clear that Ogden's "leaders" actually aren't all that happy with their city and are planning major changes--leaving viewers to wonder whether the city is really so great to begin with. The booklet is much more positive about Ogden, and shows readers that we love this place already.

Although most people won't notice this, I also find it significant that the video was produced by a southern California company, while the booklet was produced by a small local outfit.

Of course the booklet makes absolutely no mention of any gondola. But attentive readers will notice that it includes a couple of photos of beautiful spots that Peterson would ruin.