Tony Tye, Post-Gazette
	Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, left, speaks with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl during Mr. Ravenstahl's first public appearance as the new mayor of Pittsburgh at an Allegheny Conference presentation of a new marketing campaign for Pittsburgh and the region.
	Logo for the new effort aimed at reminding local residents of the region's strengths as well as revising outdated notions of Western Pennsylvania outside the area. Click image to campaign website.

Declaring the Pittsburgh region sorely under-appreciated by outsiders and residents alike, local business and political leaders yesterday unveiled a three-year, $3 million marketing effort aimed at showcasing the area's beauty and accomplishments and bolstering the region's image, economy and civic pride.

"Pittsburgh. Imagine what you can do here" is the tagline for the campaign, which will kick off next month locally with print and online ads followed by a national rollout in December. The campaign will be the cornerstone for events leading up to the commemoration of the city's 250th birthday in 2008.

"As we approach our 250th anniversary, we have an opportunity to celebrate our heritage and highlight the assets that make our region one of the best places in the world to live, work, visit and invest," said James Rohr, chairman of PNC Financial Services Group, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Pittsburgh 250 Commission, which is planning the birthday celebration.

The Allegheny Conference expects to announce details about 250th anniversary events at its meeting in November.

The new branding campaign, which has been in the works since the beginning of the year, will promote the region's heritage of innovation -- from the Salk polio vaccine to the invention of the Ferris wheel. It also will highlight the city's current strengths, from its leadership roll in robotics and organ transplants, to the cultural amenities, professional sports teams and biking and jogging trails.

Officials said the campaign was as much about galvanizing local pride as attracting new businesses, residents and visitors.

Research showed "people outside of Pittsburgh think of us more highly than we do ourselves," Mr. Rohr said.

"We should feel really good about what we have," he said during an interview prior to yesterday's news conference at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, citing Pittsburgh's low crime rate, affordable living, relatively short commute time and the roughly $1 billion slated to be spent on Downtown development over the next 3¹/₂ years.

"This is a fabulous place," he said. "We have more building blocks than anybody, yet we don't market them."

He said the commission wanted a message with longevity so it could be used beyond 2008.

"It has legs. We'll be able to use it for years," Mr. Rohr said of the campaign, which was created by South Side-based Red House Communications.

Local businesses will be invited to incorporate the tagline and theme into their own advertising, Mr. Rohr said.

Besides local and national print ads, the effort will include direct marketing and a Web site, www.imaginepittsburgh.com, which showcases the campaign and will promote plans for the 250th birthday bash. There will be no radio or TV spots for now, but they could come depending on funding, officials said.

Mr. Rohr said he expects the initial $3 million budget, funded by the Allegheny Conference and the Pennsylvania Department of Community Development, will grow "significantly" through corporate, foundation and government contributions.

A number of efforts to come up with a marketable image for Pittsburgh have failed in the past, including a branding effort in 2003 by the Image Gap Committee that relied on a 12-word "core theme" and 16-word "brand promise."

Officials said they believe the new campaign will succeed in part because it involves the cooperation of so many public and private organizations.

"This is the first time there has been such a collaborative, integrated marketing effort," said Michele Fabrizi, chief executive officer of Marc USA and the Allegheny Conference board member who spearheaded strategic development of the campaign.

She said the timing of the campaign was perfect because Pittsburgh was basking in the national spotlight following the Steelers' Super Bowl victory and the All-Star Game at PNC Park, and next year the U.S. Open pro golf tournament comes to the Oakmont Country Club.

Mr. Rohr said yesterday he had delayed the unveiling of the campaign because of the failing health of the late Mayor Bob O'Connor, who had been a big part of the Pittsburgh 250 initiative.

"The last thing the mayor would want us to do is to stop [efforts to revitalize the city]. And it's the last thing we should do," Mr. Rohr said explaining the timing of the news conference a day after Mr. O'Connor's funeral.

Mr. O'Connor's successor, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, yesterday said the campaign gave the city an opportunity to put its best foot forward.

"I pledge to you today my support in any way I can make that happen," he said in a brief turn at the podium, noting that he was making his first official public appearance since Mr. O'Connor's death last week "with a heavy heart."