GTA Trendwatch #4: 416 for sale

"Toronto is one of those rare instances where its true unique nature makes it difficult to describe without being cliché" may be a mouthful, but the phrase featured in the Toronto Unlimited print campaign contained a kernel of accuracy. The unveiling of a new local brand in June resulted in a sponsorship mini-scandal, with the atrocious copywriting, derivative name and logo, and a reported $4 million thrown at focus groups, public consultation and advertising agency expense accounts. Reaction to the effort was inversely proportional to the exuberance the brand project was striving to convey. But would any of the pamphlets piled on travel agent desks stand up to this kind of scrutiny?  Prior to the industry woes magnified by 2003’s visit from SARS, the tourist version of Toronto wasn’t a topic locals gave any thought – they remain more concerned about the state of the Secret Swing than the fate of Casa Loma. Certainly, a sense of place conveyed through your words and pictures online is more evocative than a T.O. teardrop morphing into spoons and balloons, even if the latter approach helps keep layers of bureaucracy preoccupied. We’ll see if tourists can be baited in mid-winter by a stage musical; the theory of The Lord of the Rings as a saviour has already been pounced upon left and right. But there’s also a prevailing sense the city is still two or three years away from its vibrant ideal – perhaps it will always be not quite prepared for its close-up. Toronto: Nothing to see here quite yet … please look away for the next little while …