The Next American City by Mick Cornett & Jayson White

Author:Mick Cornett & Jayson White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2018-09-24T16:00:00+00:00

Oklahoma City: World-Renowned and Proud of It

Every city and town across the United States has an image. What do people who live inside the city think of themselves? What visuals come to mind when people across your state think of your city? Do people across the nation even know your city exists? Is it in the news? Have events or pop culture created an image of your city that is flattering or unflattering?

Oklahoma City’s former mayor Ron Norick tells a story of getting on an airplane in 1990 and having someone sit next to him and ask where he was from. “I’m from Oklahoma City,” Ron said matter-of-factly. The reaction was just a blank stare. “It was like they didn’t know what to say next,” he said later. “They just had no perception of Oklahoma City.”

And that story was not unique. No wonder we had trouble getting corporate America and fast-growing companies interested in creating jobs.

Things are different now. A woman came up to me recently to tell me that initially she hadn’t understood why I’d worked so hard to get an NBA team. “Mayor, I want you to know that I get it now,” she said. “When you were telling us to pass the sales tax, I supported you but I didn’t think it was a big deal. But I was just in Turkey on a trip and the person picking up my bags at the hotel asked where I was from. When I said Oklahoma City, he said, ‘Thunder!’ ” When a stranger in Turkey knew this woman’s city, she knew what I had said was true. Her city was culturally relevant.

Perception matters. If you want capitalists from outside your city to invest in your future, it helps immensely if they enter the conversation with a positive impression. From the inside, if you want entrepreneurs and talented young people to remain in your city and help build that future, they need to feel good about your image and future, too.

The millennial generation is full of young people who want to live in a city that is culturally relevant. If that draws up an image of a nice art museum, fine. That’s important. But keep in mind that what may be more important is having a connection to the outside world through MTV or ESPN.

How often is your city mentioned on national television shows? What cultural, political, or sporting events draw statewide or national attention?

Your city’s current leadership is probably not responsible for how your city got its current image, but they must take ownership and recognize how important it is to attract the talent necessary to compete in the twenty-first century.

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