This e-mail came across the information super-cliche to me this morning. I leave the question to you, FrontBurner Nation:
I am a Texan at London’s Central Saint Martins, MA Design Studies researching the topic “How did the television series Dallas brand a city?”.
As with all MA level research it is pertinent to gain professional feedback in hopes of pushing development depths towards less obvious methods beyond initial investigation. Whilst I am conducting market research test groups internationally based on Ipsos’ theory, internal views are an essential component to discovery.
I would be grateful if you would please share your thoughts regarding the series impact on the city, the current Dallas and reversing common misconceptions of the city.
16 comments
I moved to Dallas the year the TV show debuted. I found the image conveyed by the TV show pretty much nailed the city in reality. I now consider reruns of the series to be cinéma vérité documentaries of Dallas circa 1980.
Mark,
“Cinema verite documentaries”? Please! In real life, people in Dallas wear larger hats, engage in significantly more gunplay, typically dwell on more expansive acreage, and speak in an even more non-rhotic Southern patois. Unlike the eponymous city, the TV show Dallas was diminished by its punctilious restraint. Some of the characters didn’t even have big belt buckles.
If you’ve been to our city’s gay entertainment district (Cedar Springs) you’ll notice that two of the most popular bars there are JR’s and Sue Ellen’s. One example of how the series continues to brand the city today.
As the Reagan years ‘I need a job’ head of personal shopping for Neiman Marcus, I dressed the ‘Dallas’ TV series when it was on location here each summer. So I confess; helped brand this as the city of shoulder pads.
I feel like the TV show was a huge positive for the city’s brand – coming only 15 years after the biggest event in Dallas’ history, JFK’s assassination.
The JFK assassination was such a massive negative black mark on the city’s brand (and continues to be to this day, though it does fade) – but Dallas, the TV show, helped turn that around, in my view. Sure, the characters had warts, and not everyone in Dallas lives in a ranch-style home. But overall, I’d call the TV show a big win for the city’s brand. If nothing else, it provided an association that wasn’t the president getting gunned down in downtown.
I do wonder, though, if it hasn’t also pre-conditioned some people to dislike Dallas. I know people who have moved here for work that were convinced they hated Dallas, and never got to know it, and left hating Dallas.
Yes, a very visible 1/4 of Dallas’ reputation is based on conspicuous consumption. But there’s a whole part that doesn’t drip with diamonds, and is a whole lot of fun.
My thoughts? MA-level research is hard work, and shouldn’t rely on anonymous responses posted to blogs.
I think AK nailed it pretty good. The JFK assassination knocked us back like you wouldn’t believe. The TV Series marked our return to Icon status. In my opinion, we are only now starting to deal with the Kennedy Assassination in a positive Ka-ching kinda way.
In many respects the Dallas portrayed in the show is completely completely wrong wrong wrong! Nobody in Dallas history ever wore a cowboy hat. Cowboy Hats are so not who we are. If you want cowboys, go to fort worth. That has always been our attitude. But then the TV series came and it presented a version of our city to the world, and rather than point out the glaring inaccuracy, we just started wearing cowboy hats for a couple of years.
We dote on international validation. We especially seek approval from Brits. It’s sickening, but there it is. While it is true that Brits are hated everywhere on the globe, we worship them here in Dallas. You should think about coming here once you get your MA.
As wrong as the series portrayal was of Dallas, on another level they got us Spot on. We aren’t really powered by oil as much as by paper, but we worship money and wealth and we are all pretty up front about it. God is second, close or distant, it depends purely on who’s doing the talking.
Yes, we certainly got branded by the TV series, and it remains that way. I’m personally hoping that it gets replaced by “Assassination City!” What have we got to be ashamed of? Folks, let’s all embrace that shameful moment and milk it for all we can!
Just my ‘umble opinion, Folks
Also, this is the town that MADE John Peele, or Peel,the greatest DJ since Tokyo Rose. Of course nobody here has ever heard of him, but he got his start on WRR before it played Classical
@AK… i think it did take the stigma off Dallas known as the “city that killed President Kennedy” and if nothing else… I will be greatful for that. I was traveling a lot for Braniff at that time in London and Frankfurt.. if you wanted extra towels, shampoo or anything, all you had to do is bring some write up on JR or Bobby Ewing… better than gold …at that time.
Never could watch an episode.
It’s a fairy tale … a big-budget prime time soap opera.
There is an economic backdrop to consider, as there was a significant downturn in the Rust Belt states up North. Steel mills were shuttering in Pgh, Cleveland, etc. Detroit automakers were toppling into a multi-decade wave of decline. To stave off bankruptcy, Chrysler received a major govt. bailout under new CEO Lee Iacocca. The kingpins were falling.
By contrast, the Sunbelt cities were shiny and new. Before J.R. Ewing and family hit the air, Newsweek magazine showcased Texas in a ”Superstate” issue, capturing the interest and imagination of families as well as CEOs who began relocating their companies here. A newsstand in Detroit became the biggest-selling vendor for the Houston Chronicle Sunday paper.
People were captivated by the opportunity and bravado they perceived. The TV show simply captured the era — in pure Texas, larger-than-life style.
The image sustains. My husband is a tall, handsome Texan who works in the oil industry. To this day, when we travel internationally and introduce ourselves, people automatically exclaim “J.R…J.R..!!!”
As others said, the city’s embraced the show and its fans to move people away from the memories of JFK. It was (and still is) a very popular show, and certainly it provides a tourism boost to Southfork Ranch.
At least we’re not Detroit. They’d probably love to have a show come and make the city seem like all that’s depicted within.
maybe The Good Guys are reclaiming the city
http://www.poptower.com/the-good-guys-fox.htm
@ Fred Goodwin all good research starts at some point. although mass blog comments was not the initial intention but rather a professional from d magazine writer’s views, it still uncovers findings.
think- london branding campaign
http://abrandforlondon.wordpress.com/
Travel the world, everyone sings the theme song and asks who shot JR. Berlin, Rome, Amsterdam, Prague, Munich have all seen the series and normally taken aback as I defy the stereotype. One guy even thought Texans rode horses to work in the major cites.
There are negative connotations paired with positive but the show put Dallas on the map.
I definitely think the series helped Dallas acquire it’s materialistic reputation. Where would the city be without expensive automobiles and women with big hair? But if you really get to know the folks you will find plain ole sweet country folks. Dallas is one of my favorite cities!