Montana vs Chicago – a Smackdown?

Having lived in both Chicago and Montana I understand and appreciate their differences. Montana – land of ranchers, small towns, wildlife, spectacular mountains, clear streams and wide open vistas. Chicago – home to upscale and abundant shopping and restaurants, Wrigley Field, blues and jazz, outstanding culture and museums.

Both excel in distinctive ways, so why all the trash talk?

It started in the spring when CTA buses and trains sported ads touting Montana’s visual splendor. In June, the Chicago Tribune hit back with its own “Take that, Montana!” campaign.  Newspapers in Montana picked up on the challenge and the smackdown went viral.

Clearly a tremendous win-win!

Why? Because Travel Montana is getting repeated FREE publicity in the Chicago Tribune and various Montana newspapers and the Chicago area is simultaneously getting residents excited about identifying what makes Chicago special – it’s a public relations dream!

No one could have anticipated the outcome, but being poised to respond and capitalize on opportunities is what sets outstanding destinations apart when it comes to maximizing their exposure.  Having savvy media outlets doesn’t hurt either!

For most communities, getting into a spontaneous tongue-in-cheek brawl with another town isn’t going to happen, but there may be other ways to set themselves apart. Most find bragging about superlatives easy, but how many can laugh at themselves and embrace the absurdities when an idiosyncrasy comes to light?

If you found your town being called the “Armpit of America” would you be able to rise to the occasion like Battle Mountain, NV did for a few years with its Old Spice Armpit Festival?

How about waking up to find that a TV show is taking some lighthearted shots at you? Scranton, PA tapped into the popularity of “The Office” with Dunder-Mifflin logos sprinkled through town, tour guides for sites mentioned in the show, and the Welcome to Scranton sign (seen in the opening credits) has been moved to the Mall at Steamtown for fan photo ops.

Roswell, NM thrives on its UFO niche, Cassadaga, FL is home to spiritualists and psychics and Salem, MA is still riding the coattails of the Witch Trials (back in 1692).

Get people talking. Stir up some media interest. What is it that’s interesting, quirky or makes people laugh about your community?