From a marketing perspective, it has been fascinating to watch how the Hudson Valley has evolved over the past 15 years. For starters, according to organizations such as the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp., the Hudson Valley region officially includes the seven counties of Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan. But as recently as 1990, the northern suburbs of New York City were generally described by New York media with one word — Westchester.
Manhattan began to slowly embrace the term “Hudson Valley” around 1995 for a variety of reasons, and the evolution continues today, but with many intriguing quirks and bumps in the road. For example, Westchester prefers to stand alone and not be grouped in the Hudson Valley. Even the online encyclopedia Wikipedia acknowledges this in its definition of the Hudson Valley. It states:
“Though Westchester County is often classified as part of the (Hudson Valley) region, Westchester residents who live at the southern end of the county (and especially the parts closer to the Long Island Sound than the Hudson River) generally do not associate themselves with the region, unless their town includes Hudson River banks.”
The dominant media outlets in the region have also contributed to this segmentation. The Journal News, which serves Westchester, Rockland and Putnam, claims it covers the “lower Hudson Valley.” The Times Herald-Record refers to its coverage area of Orange, Sullivan and Ulster as the “mid-Hudson” area and News 12 TV has separate local news programs for Westchester and the Hudson Valley, which reports on Rockland and the southern tier of Orange County.
Naturally, the establishment of a region with a sexy name and over-the-top demographics would be beneficial to all.
“Being part of the Hudson Valley helps everyone in the region compete in the global marketplace,” said Orange County Business Accelerator Managing Director Michael DiTullo, who as the CEO of Pattern for Progress from 1996-2004 was charged with building a brand identity for the Hudson Valley and fostering a sense of regionalism.
“As an example, the City of Newburgh by itself would have trouble competing for business against Shanghai or Milan. But when you package Newburgh in the Hudson Valley, you now have a region with a population of about 2.5 million and an economy of between $30 and $40 billion. That’s a significant difference.”
Eventually, marketers dream of a unified Hudson Valley that promotes easy access to New York City, great schools and colleges, destination-type shopping malls, a robust Stewart Airport, history, the magnificent Hudson River, West Point, a resourceful economy and wonderful towns and villages.
“Little by little, the Hudson Valley is gaining more acceptance regionwide,” said DiTullo. “It is moving slower in areas like Westchester and Rockland to the south and Ulster to the north, but it is coming.”
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 294-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at www.advertisingandpr.com.
