Swearengin on Fresno's image
The first and most important thing we can do to improve Fresno’s image is to be excellent in all that we do at City Hall in our community. I have two degrees in marketing and have run the marketing departments for three local companies. I have extensive experience in public relations and communications and can say with certainty that there is no substitute for excellence when it comes to image, branding and marketing. A clever slogan or well funded advertising campaign may get some results in the short-term, but you cannot change the image of a product in the long-term without being able to deliver on quality and excellence. The same principle applies to branding for cities and regions. As we push towards excellence within City Hall and as we partner with other agencies to make improvements in regional issues like air quality, education, water, and transportation, we will do so knowing that it is a part of our long-term strategy to improve Fresno’s image.
As we are making those improvements, we will celebrate our accomplishments. I will work closely with the Fresno Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Fresno State, the business community, and the cultural arts sector to build and implement a sustainable campaign to promote our region and to attract visitors. I will also use the public relations opportunities that come with the Mayor’s office to promote our accomplishments in innovation, business, arts, athletics, water technology and clean energy, and education. I will do my best to make sure that everyone in the community is aware of our individual and collective accomplishments.