Brewed Fresh Daily

'Why is branding a city so hard? The Baltimore Sun asked that question to several people, including Sam Bass Warner, the urban historian. The problem, said Warner, is "we all have bits and pieces" of a city's image in our heads, from beautiful architecture and exciting baseball games to horrific crimes and homeless people. To be a believable marketing effort, he goes on, "you really have to have multiple images. I don't see any reason not to throw in (Baltimore's) harbor and ballparks, but it needs to be rooted in something more. Marketing people always want an Eiffel Tower, but no matter what one image they chose, they leave out so many people and so many experiences. If you want an image, maybe it's a fish stew with potatoes and onions and crab. You just can't market it like a stretch sock." '