This. That. No Other. » Blogroll http://bstewart23.com/blog bstewart23 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:28:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Toronto is Like New York, Run by the Torontonians http://bstewart23.com/blog/2008/06/17/toronto-is-like-new-york-run-by-the-torontonians/ http://bstewart23.com/blog/2008/06/17/toronto-is-like-new-york-run-by-the-torontonians/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:10:23 +0000 bstewart23 http://bstewart23.com/blog/?p=720 So, Tourism Toronto recently unveiled its latest bid to get more visitors to the city and… well, it doesn’t get high grades from blogTO commenters, the majority of whom voted that “at least it’s not Toronto Unlimited,” referring to a previous, inscrutable and Just Plain Bad ad campaign. Is it that the city can’t afford [...]]]> So, Tourism Toronto recently unveiled its latest bid to get more visitors to the city and… well, it doesn’t get high grades from blogTO commenters, the majority of whom voted that “at least it’s not Toronto Unlimited,” referring to a previous, inscrutable and Just Plain Bad ad campaign. Is it that the city can’t afford creative marketing people of higher caliber — or is it just the cronyism held over from too many years of Mel Lastman — which has saddled the city with such breathtakingly lame boosterism?

And while no one (except me, sarcastically) ever repeats that rumoured quote from Peter Ustinov — “Toronto is like New York, except run by the Swiss” — the moratorium seems to have eluded the Toronto Tourism folks, who’ve given their landing page the retarded title “NYC – Microsite” and a URL of “nyc2008″:

NYC

Presumably they were going for an acronym of “Name Your Corner”? Whatever, it’s remarkably inept.

I guess, though, you do have to give them props for including Toronto’s Rich, Diverse, Multicultural Community of White, Steroidal, Partying Leathermen to illustrate our vibrant lesbigay community. There’s a nod to racially-mixed conservaqueers but, naturally, they’re all gooshy and gay-marriagey:

NYC Homos

Too bad there aren’t any pretty lesbians in Toronto, huh? But we sure do have some safe, old drag queens female impersonators! I love it when they look just like my mom trying to look pretty. So edgy. So outrageous.

NYC Woodys

I especially love the ad copy (predictably) referencing Toronto’s (predictable) Woody’s: it “had a cameo on the wretched popular TV Series, Queer as Folk.” Since, after all, Toronto was standing in for fucking Pittsburgh in Queer as Folk. Please, guys, try to remember which city you’re aligning with Toronto. And maybe get someone other than that guy in Creative whose wife’s brother is gay to point you to some hipper homo haunts.

But let’s not limit the marketing ineptitude to our diverse lesbigay population. Here’s the spot for the “Something New” signpost:

NYC Shoes

Except… she’s at David’s shoe store — you know, the one with all those fucking Sex and the City posters (another inept Toronto-NYC comparison) uglifying the windows? — across from Manulife Centre. At Bay and Bloor. Almost 20 blocks from Eaton Centre. Those heels will be totally broken in after that walk.

A job well-done, Toronto-style!

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