Recent Press
Palo Verde Valley puts its Blythe spirit in hands of tourism's Dr. Phil
By STEVE MOORE
The Press-Enterprise
March 29, 2008
BLYTHE - Roger Brooks, often called the "Dr. Phil of Tourism" for his candor, wit and look-alike quality, glanced out his car window heading along Interstate 10.
The "branding" guru caught his first glimpse of the Palo Verde Valley -- the latest in a long list of places he's promoted over the past two decades. They total about 400.
From his freeway vantage, Brooks spied industrial buildings in downtown Blythe -- some that appeared empty -- and little else.
Rodrigo Peña / The Press-Enterprise Traffic rolls through downtown Blythe. After the freeway was built, motorists zipped by the area or stopped only briefly in Blythe. "It looked like an area that was struggling a little bit," he said recently. "As visitors, we always judge the book by the cover."
But after driving around downtown, touring surrounding areas -- including the Colorado River -- and speaking to about 275 people at a community luncheon, the expert sees definite potential under an upcoming marketing campaign for a long-overlooked area.
After the freeway went in decades ago, many motorists zipped by the area or stopped only briefly in Blythe for food, gas or to stretch their legs.
The branding consultant says a partnership between the Palo Verde Valley and Destination Development, headquartered in Seattle, could lure travelers off the freeway. Brooks is a founding member of the company.
"Here's the good things about the Blythe area," he said. "I thought the river was a great untapped resource. Number two, I thought the fairgrounds were very nice, and they've got a speedway out there.
"Maybe, they could build on that."
The consultant also picked up a sense of pride in the Palo Verde Valley, something that is very important in any promotional effort.
"It tells me this is a community that cares," he said. "And it also tells me this is a community that could make something happen. I saw that there.
"I did not get the defeatist attitude that I have seen in many California towns that says, 'We can't be anything.' "
Spreading the Word
Many in the area liked what they heard from Brooks a few weeks ago.
Max Schoenrock is president of the Desert Alliance for Community Empowerment and represents the unincorporated Mesa Verde area on its board.
"We finally got a dose of realism about what we should or shouldn't be doing," Schoenrock said. "A lot of people are hesitant -- for some reason or another -- to do anything in this valley.
"What he had to say really hit home ... take a look at ourselves, where we're at and where we want to go."
As a consultant, Brooks will spearhead a "branding" effort for the greater Blythe area sponsored by the Palo Verde Economic Development Partnership.
The group's membership is a community cross section, including local business owners and professionals and officials from Palo Verde College, Blythe and Riverside County.
The branding campaign's goal is to attract 1,000 new residents annually over the next decade -- enough people to lure more stores to the area without sacrificing small-town living, officials say.
Brooks will return later this summer to sit down with local officials to discuss specific branding ideas for a campaign that could get under way in late 2009. Brooks and his team's help costs about $80,000 to $85,000, and money will come from grant funds, officials say.
Private-sector development plays a major role in any successful branding campaign, Brooks said.
"My day out there was kind of a conversation starter," he said. "I don't have any preconceived notions.
"We don't know what the perceptions are for the Blythe area -- except it's way out there and in the desert. Some know it's near the river."
Branding Defined
During his speech, Brooks talked about "The Ten Things You Need to Know About Branding."
A brand is a "perception," what people think of you.
"It's what sets you apart from everyone else," Brooks said.
He says visitors must experience "branding" firsthand through activities that reinforce what's being promoted.
"Geography is not a brand, historic downtowns are not a brand, scenery is not a brand," Brooks said. "These are all part of the ambience."
Brands are "earned" through a combination of word-of-mouth and public relations, and slogans and logos are way down the list.
"Cute and clever are rarely effective," he said. "If a slogan has to be explained, toss it."
Recent winning slogans aimed at building interest in the upcoming branding campaign drew winces from Brooks.
"The East Coast of California" didn't work for him.
"It really doesn't explain anything. People are going to wonder how a river all of a sudden became a coast," Brooks said.
Neither did "Small Town, Big Adventure."
"That could be almost anywhere in North America -- if not the world," he said. "Too generic."
Or "The Doorway to Adventure," which prompted Brooks to say, "A doorway is something you pass through to go somewhere else."
Reach Steve Moore at 760-322-5738 or stevemoore@PE.com
