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Someone once told me that "a city is only as good as the story it tells." I believe this and as one of the three owners of OnMilwaukee.com and president of Young Professionals Milwaukee (YPM), I see a world of opportunity within the results of the new Spirit of Milwaukee survey. Whether you live, work or play (or all three) in Milwaukee, you are called to be an ambassador and cheerleader for your hometown. Sure we have our challenges, as any city does, but our reluctance to pat our selves on the back needs to stop. Milwaukee is a city rich in culture, the arts, sports, people and places. We have all the right ingredients, it is our new call to mix the right recipe and get our bosses, friends and family off the sidelines and into the game. By this, I mean it's time to do the little things and tell the good,big stories. Talk about Milwaukee with pride. Smile and be assertive when someone asks you where you are from and educate folks who need to know that Milwaukee isn't what they might think. We have an incredible opportunity today to continue to evolve as a community. We live this challenge everyday at OnMilwaukee.com and today, if I may, I issue the challenge to stand up and project the spirit that we all know our city has. |
A tipping point-type theory echoed loud and clear from Monday's Spirit of Milwaukee Annual meeting at Miller Park. The non-profit group dedicated to enhancing the city's image through educating the public about Milwaukee's assets released results of its new survey "Milwaukee: Perceptions of People who count, view of Business, Education/Culture and Tourism Leaders," to a packed room of business and civic leaders.
The Tipping Point, a theory made popular by columnist Malcolm Gladwell, posits that word-of-mouth messages and ideas many times behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. He says social epidemics work the same way, and if used correctly little changes can add up to huge, positive or negative change.
Judging from the survey results, the perception of Milwaukee needs to improved both locally and nationally and it needs to begin first from inside the city walls. It seems like locals don't appreciate Milwaukee enough or are just less willing to trumpet our town when compared to other cities the surveyors have worked in.
"Make the people who count, catch the spirit of Milwaukee" was the final call to arms at the meeting that summarized the results of interviews with 900 individuals in the Milwaukee area and 2,100 people nationally. Both with internal (metro Milwaukee) and external (outside city walls) audiences, Milwaukee was viewed as family-friendly, offering a very strong quality of life, good work ethic and a fairly vibrant downtown. Somewhat surprisingly, the external survey respondents viewed Milwaukee as being open-minded, while local participants viewed the community as more closed-minded.
When asked whether negative responses were just "easier" and less risky to respond with, Ted Levine, chairman of Development Counselors International, the firm that conducted the study, said no but the room full of people seemed to agree that negative talk is contagious as well as positive talk. Many in attendance cited local media and talk show hosts as a "source" of some of the negative energy that some days invades the community as a whole. People like Pam Kassner of the Milwaukee Art Museum and Beth Nicols of Milwaukee Downtown spoke passionately about Milwaukee's need to better talk itself up.
{INSERT_RELATED}The survey also found that Milwaukeeans see the education/culture and tourism climates in town as improving, while perceiving the business climate as staying the same. Said Levine, "While many factors impact a decision on where a person works, live and visits, if a person cannot overcome a negative perception, the door will always be closed and the person will not make the effort to experience reality." Perception does become reality in Milwaukee more often than usual, however as Monday's guests looked at the survey results two areas in which Milwaukee scored high -- quality of life and quality of workforce -- are the reality and are very positive notes for the city as it continues to evolve.
Development Counselors International, a company with more than 40 years of experience, mailed surveys to 2,875 executives. They received 435 responses, for an overall response rate of 15.1 percent. 21.3 percent of locals returned the survey. Six surveys were conducted for audience (internal and external) in three areas: business, education/culture and tourism.
Here are some select responses from the survey, the most complete and sophisticated to date in Milwaukee:
Have you ever visited Milwaukee?
Business responses: Yes, 48.1% No, 51.9%
Education/culture responses: Yes, 55.2% No, 44.8%
Tourism responses: Yes, 46.6% No, 53.4%
Overall perception of Milwaukee?
(5 point scale, 5 is excellent)
Average score was 3.61, with external audiences (non-Milwaukeeans) rating the city slightly lower than Milwaukeeans rated itself. For example, external audiences rated education/culture a 3.47 and internal audiences rated it a 3.87. The Spirit of Milwaukee would like to see all numbers at 4 in two years.
Three words that come to mind?
External responses: Beer, baseball and cold
Internal responses: Lakefront, Festivals, Values, Right-sized, friendly and from business audiences "conservative"
Three strengths?
External responses: Location, people, values, recreation, quality of life, values.
Internal responses: Quality of life, recreation, values
Three weaknesses?
External responses: Location, image, business factors (regulations, taxes)
Internal responses: Business factors, quality of life, location, recreation, values.
Open Minded vs. Closed Minded?
External responses: Think Milwaukee is open-minded: 70%
Internal responses: Think Milwaukee is open-minded: 35%
Strong quality of life?
External and internal: More than 80% said Milwaukee has a high quality of life.
Vibrant downtown?
External responses: 52% said yes Milwaukee does have a vibrant downtown
Internal responses: 62% said yes
Good place for young professionals?
External responses: 60% said Milwaukee discourages young talent.
Internal responses: 62% said Milwaukee discourages young talent
As Dean Amhaus, president of Spirit of Milwaukee noted, "if the Milwaukee area wants to attract more young professionals some critical action must take place."
Strong work ethic and family-friendly?
Both scored more than 90% with all audiences.
Milwaukee vs. other cites
In general, groups viewed Milwaukee on the same level as Cleveland, Columbus, Kansas City, Indianapolis and St. Louis. Milwaukee was viewed less favorable than Minn./St. Paul and Cincinnati by some audiences.
Opinion of Milwaukee's theme line, A Genuine American City?
5 point scale, 5 is best
External average: 3.20
Internal average: 2.67
In summary, five conclusions were reached:
- The overall perception of Milwaukee is mildly positive, but within the Milwaukee area it is considerably less positive than other places that the survey company has worked in.
- Milwaukee's Lakefront, recreation and quality of life are favored within the area, but not well-known enough outside the city.
- Prominent negative perceptions include taxes, government, self-image, infrastructure, leadership and weather. (note, the survey was conducted during the County Executive scandal)
- External audiences are mainly unaware of Milwaukee's theme line.
- Milwaukee see its education/culture and tourism climates has improving but its business climate staying the same.
The Spirit of Milwaukee will use the survey to better promote Milwaukee's demonstrated positive assets. The group will also encourage Milwaukeeans to better talk up Milwaukee and get the "tipping point" moving in a continue positive direction. A Web site project (involving OnMilwaukee.com) is also planned.
For complete survey results call (414) 277-8272.
