You Can’t Just Market Your Way Into Being Sixth Borough . . . It’s Neither Brand Nor Viral Campaign

Philadelphians certainly can’t complain now about all the New Yorkers driving up prices in Northern Liberties:

With an eye on disgruntled New York artists pinched by rising rents, Philadelphia is using a new advertising campaign in an effort to lure the so-called creative class crowd to help the city rebound.

The tactic is a common one for cities seeking revitalization, as 20-something artists tend to spur investment in industrial, dormant, or tawdry neighborhoods. In New York, this has been the story of SoHo, followed by Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and now Astoria and Bushwick, where neighborhood vitality follows the hipsters, as do the higher rents that eventually push them out.

The city of brotherly love is seemingly bidding to add its name to that list, showboating its proximity to New York and relatively inexpensive cost of living.

The ads take the form of posters and inserts in an alternative weekly newspaper that direct people to uwishunu.com, a Web log run by the city ‘s tourism agency that focuses on nightlife and Philadelphia’s artistic scene.

Have some fuckin’ self-respect, why don’t you?