Your coverage of the traffic cop sent my mind in all directions.
Hats off to all those who see the marketing magic is this opportunity. It’s there, like the traffic cops, in clear view, and the fact that a face(s) can be put to this story adds value, real value.
I recently toured Harvard University and visited the statue of its founder, John Harvard. Tourists from all over the world were lined up getting their picture taken rubbing Harvard’s foot. “It will bring you good luck” an excited tourist told me.
Now, if you look closer to the writing near the statue you will be notified that the person’s face is not John Harvard because, unlike our traffic cops, no one knows what the dude looked like.
I am referencing this example to drive home the point: statues are important, so important in fact you can fake the face and everyone still smiles and rubs their feet.
My recommendation is to consider tapping into our creative arts community and have a statue constructed of a traffic cop (maybe Mr. Parsons or Miller) and place the statue in a safe environment allowing tourist to have an iconic photograph taken, one that truly represents a beautiful feature of our city’s history.
Yes, it’s nice to have tourism ads of little red head girls running alongside billowing clothes lines but they don’t come close to a smiling cop sending a universal message that gently says “Right this Way.”
Mike Fleming,
St. John’s
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