America’s No. 1 Wired City once captured the fancies of journalists around the globe looking for places with a fresh story to tell. Tacoma’s story got told and retold more than 200 times. Not anymore.

The world went wireless. Today, America’s No. 1 Wired City finds itself obsolete technologically, irrelevant to journalists and relegated to a past chapter in the Tacoma saga.

So, this spring, the City of Tacoma made a public plea for expert help with an ambitious goal – instigate a new surge of local and national media coverage that persuades developers, business owners and commercial real estate investors to pour private capital investments into Tacoma.

Four companies – two from Tacoma, two from Seattle – say they can do it and want the contract to identify Tacoma’s next story and share it with the world

However, don’t expect a new brand slogan and logo from this venture, said Ryan Petty, director of the city’s Community and Economic Development Department.

“The time will come again when it makes sense to create some kind of a (new) catchphrase,” Petty said. “This assignment is about helping us increase the flow of private capital into town.”

Later this month, leaders from all four companies looking for that assignment will give their best in-person pitches to City Hall evaluators who will pick the powerhouse public relations team best able to sell Tacoma.

Good news? Absolutely.

But the ultimate success of the city’s approach hinges on two factors:

First, the selection of the storyteller will prove just as critical as the stories it will tell.

Second, gaining the world’s attention through compelling stories won’t result in private investment if the city doesn’t also create a proficient sales team to do the hard work of pursuing leads, making cold calls, following up inquiries and negotiating deals.

Let’s look at our competitive lineup of wannabe Tacoma storytellers:

 • JayRay, the long-standing, well-respected Tacoma public relations and advertising firm with a healthy stable of mostly local and regional clients.

 • BCRA, Tacoma’s largest architectural firm, which has diversified its services recently to include marketing and graphic design. BCRA has partnered with The Pont Group, a New York public relations firm launched this year whose principals have experience in international economic development marketing.

 • The Fearey Group, a 26-year-old Seattle firm with deep roots in the powerful political, business and land development networks of Washington state.

 • Rockey Hill & Knowlton, a firm based in Seattle with a Spokane presence and an affiliation with Hill & Knowlton, an international PR firm with 71 offices in 40 countries.

All four written proposals from the contenders suggest similar processes for Tacoma – some research, developing key messages and stories, a public relations and media relations plan, perhaps a formal media bureau and exploiting their relationships with journalists to sell Tacoma stories.

Picking the winner, Petty said, will likely hinge on how well each company makes the case for its expertise, shows its passion for Tacoma and displays creativity during presentations to the city’s selection team later this month.

To sell anything, you need to know what differentiates your product from the competition. I would want to hear what each competitor thinks differentiates Tacoma from Bellevue; Provo, Utah; or Boise, Idaho. In marketing terms, what’s Tacoma’s “unique selling proposition” today?

Another unanswered, elephant-in-the-room question remains: Who can tell Tacoma’s story better? Someone who lives and breathes Tacoma every day and understands its essence? Or an outsider who can look at Tacoma with a fresh perspective unhindered by local preconceptions?

“It’s not possible to quantify that,” Petty said. “We’re open to using an outside firm. But we also love it when we can hire a local firm. What’s most important in serving the people of Tacoma is that we get the firm that’s best able to help us.”

In their proposals, JayRay and BCRA played up their Tacomaness.

The cover of JayRay’s booklet shows a photograph of the iconic Frisko Freeze burger joint with the caption, “We love Tacoma too!”

BCRA’s cover letter says, “In order to give Tacoma the love it deserves on a national and international level to attract future economic growth, we believe that compelling stories (ones that sell) can only be told by those who experience them first.”

Not necessarily, even though I like to root for the locals.

Development Counsellors International, based in New York City, came up with America’s No. 1 Wired City and successfully sold the world on Tacoma’s story.

The two outsiders, meanwhile, emphasized their extensive lists of “place-based” marketing and public relations. (Tacoma listed that criterion first among the ways it will evaluate the companies.)

Rockey Hill & Knowlton has sold the Yakima Valley as a destination for relocating or expanding businesses, promoted Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho for the Inland Northwest Economic Alliance, and worked for the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, for example.

The Fearey Group, meanwhile, handled public relations for the Port of Seattle’s underused 60-acre North Bay property redevelopment; sold South Lake Union in Seattle as a biotech district for Vulcan, the company owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and drew media attention to Anchorage for the Anchorage Economic Development Council.

Handicapping this competition, the outsiders clearly have the greatest body of work related to what Tacoma needs.

The Fearey Group would have to get the early nod for its connections and the complexity of its similar work. Rockey Hill & Knowlton has the most experience selling tough-to-sell places.

But JayRay consistently shows off its creativity and knows Tacoma, from a PR perspective, best. BCRA and The Pont Group, meanwhile, have the least relevant expertise in the public relations niche.

Whoever the City chooses, however, won’t succeed without a Tacoma team ready to follow up the anticipated media coverage with in-the-trenches sales work. The hardest work.

Tacoma didn’t have a formal sales team as part of America’s No. 1 Wired City and suffered for it. Other than the 200-plus articles, some in the New York Times, Inc. Magazine and other high-profile publications, can you name more than a couple modest ways that campaign translated into businesses moving here or investments of private capital?

Tacoma can’t waste another round of glowing stories – whatever they might be and whoever might tell them.

Dan Voelpel: 253-597-8785

dan.voelpel@thenewstribune.com