Without the surrounding suburbs, could Milwaukee exist?

Odd to think about, isn’t it? Now flip that question around. Without Milwaukee, could our suburbs exist? No matter how you slice it, there’s a symbiotic relationship around the city’s core identity, and it’s not unlike other metropolitan areas. But when you examine Milwaukee’s image under a microscope, things begin to shift: why do Naperville residents claim they’re from Chicago while those in Wauwatosa claim to be from, well, Wauwatosa?

Milwaukee is often internally portrayed in a negative light, but that’s not 100 percent of the problem. Milwaukee’s issue is with its brand. Despite our dense population of college students, recent graduates often overlook Milwaukee while searching for jobs.

Ian Abston and Quentin Allums are among several that believe Milwaukee could be doing a better job of marketing (especially for the year we’re living in). They believe in better harnessing the power of social media and collaborating with surrounding metro areas like Chicago and Madison to attract and, more importantly, retain young talent. Collaboration is in their millennial nature, after all.

So, tune into The GoGedders podcast for the first episode of season 2, and you’ll hear all about Milwaukee's brand, why Summerfest is an odd time to visit Milwaukee, why young leadership is the future of our image, and why Milwaukee and Madison should just befriend one another already.

Listen to the full podcast at soundcloud.com/gogedders/milwaukees-image-problem-ian-abston-quentin-allums.