Talking Proud: Telling Buffalo's Stories

In 1978, the directors of the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce met in a workshop to create a five year action plan to improve the region’s economic climate – in particular, to increase the number of private sector jobs. The Chamber decided that their prime strategy would be to upgrade Buffalo’s image, both among its own residents and nationally. Eventually, they created a “Buffalo Image Campaign,” valued at three to five million dollars, with radio, television, and print advertising. Part of the campaign was designed to highlight Buffalo’s assets, which, according to the campaign, included low cost of living, low crime rates, schools “among the best,” a “gentle prevailing wind off our lake,” “some of the best pollution-free air around,” short commutes, cheap parking, a “unique nightlife,” and “neighborhoods that pull together, stay together and are being restored and renewed together.” The campaign portrayed Buffalo as America’s #1 sports town, but also boasted of its 500 parks and playgrounds, 17 colleges and universities, world-renowned child heart surgery and cancer research, and low costs for housing and industrial land.DataDemographicsHistory__Talking_Proud.pdf: 80 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020