Wisconsin Needs an Image Makeover Kurt R. Bauer, WMC President/CEO
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erception is reality. In fact, perception is such a powerful sense that it can create reality. Therein lies the problem and opportunity for Wisconsin.
Wisconsinites are known as “Cheeseheads.” There is a barn, silo and the phrase “America’s Dairyland” on our license plates. We put a cow, corncob and a wheel of cheese on our state quarter. We also put on that quarter our state motto; forward. But is our agricultural-dominated state image moving us in that direction? The question came to mind when a nationwide perception survey about Wisconsin showed that most people from around the U.S. believe our state has limited and low-paying job opportunities. Based on how we market ourselves, they also unsurprisingly think the jobs we do have largely revolve around agriculture.
On the bright side, Wisconsin received very high marks for quality of life, including access to outdoor recreation, public safety and affordability, which somewhat mitigates the lower pay perception. The bottom line is that Wisconsin needs to craft an image that accurately reflects and promotes our high quality of life and economic diversity.
Changing people’s long-held and reinforced perceptions isn’t easy, but it is possible. In 2000, Marsha Lindsay of the awardwinning Madison advertising firm of Lindsay, Stone & Briggs, Inc. wrote a white paper called The Brand Called Wisconsin. “Nations, states and regions all over the world are now effectively engaging in proactive brand marketing to win coveted high-tech jobs and the brain power and venture capital that fuel them,” Lindsay wrote in the paper’s executive summary. “Not only must Wisconsin catch up to this competition, but it must find a relevant differentiating niche or position in which it can lead.”
She cited the United Kingdom’s “Cool Britannia” (a takeoff of Rule Britannia) and the Pure Michigan campaigns as just two examples (you have to wonder what the Flint water crisis is doing to that latter brand).
In Wisconsin, we are clearly proud of our agricultural past, present and future and we should be. It is part of our culture and a major economic driver. Agriculture “Wisconsin needs also helps create a pastoral image of our state, to craft an image that which benefits another important economic driver, tourism. accurately reflects and
As if Lindsay had just read the recent WMC survey, she also wrote 16 years ago that “Wisconsin must lessen the impact of existing negative brand stereotypes as But Wisconsin has a far more diverse promotes our high quality well as preempt the competition from economy with good paying jobs available in positioning us to their advantage, which of life and economic many sectors. We also have beautiful, safe and puts us in an even more difficult position to diversity.” control our economic destiny.” strong communities with good schools and great sports, entertainment and recreation options. Lindsey also warned a brand isn’t just a slogan. Still, I
Unfortunately, the word isn’t getting out and that is a problem for a state with a workforce shortage that is only projected to get worse unless we can attract talent from around the county and the rest of the world. (See p. 6)
can’t help but think a good place for Wisconsin to start is by updating our license plate design with a more contemporary tagline that highlights Wisconsin’s broader quality of life and economic opportunities.
The survey also revealed that many people from outside the state see Wisconsin as intolerant. That’s not good, period. But it is particularly bad if you are trying to retain and recruit minorities and members of the large millennial generation who see themselves as very open-minded. Millennials also tend to prefer urban to rural settings and our agrarian image may give them pause.
As Lindsay’s 2000 white paper and the 2015 WMC perception survey shows, Wisconsin has had an image problem for a long time. Fixing it takes money, research and time. But first we need agreement that something needs to be done and a plan of action if we are going to retain and attract investment and talent in the future. BV
How big is Wisconsin’s perception problem? Well, the survey, which was commissioned by the WMC Foundation, showed the most important attributes in selecting a state to live in are job opportunity, crime/public safety and wage/salary expectations. Wisconsin doesn’t score well in two out of the three.
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I would also like to see Wisconsin adopt a far more distinctive state flag that doesn’t follow 29 other states by using a variation of their state coat of arms (In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association ranked Wisconsin’s flag 65th worst out of 72 U.S. and Canadian states, provinces and territories).
Follow Kurt on Twitter @Kurt_R_Bauer