How many of you can say you’ve sold artwork by age 14? After tonight, twenty middle school students from North Philadelphia’s Young Scholars Charter School will add this credential to their growing resume of academic and personal achievements. Their work is being showcased at the 3rd annual Young Scholars Student Silent Art Auction held at Studio Incamminati in Center City. Braithwaite is proud to support Young Scholars in their efforts to close the achievement gap for low-income, minority students and instill a culture of creative and academic excellence at their school.

In Philadelphia, we worry about the “brand” of the city. We want to come up with a clever phrase that will make the world think about, remember and revere Philadelphia.

A lot of people think a brand is the logo, or the color palette you use, but it’s really a feeling. The best brands encapsulate the feeling that a product or organization provide to the audience. It’s a feeling that begins inside the organization responsible for the product. That feeling can’t be made up. Your ad agency can’t create it out of thin air. The best brands are The Truth.

Over the years, there have been numerous efforts to brand the city and the region – some good, some bad. However, it’s fair to say that none of them have really caught the attention of the general public (at least not since they came up with City of Brotherly Love.

Like it or not, Philadelphia’s brand is defined by its history – more than anything, most of America thinks of this town as the Cradle of Liberty. This certainly isn’t a bad thing to be, but it isn’t exactly forward-thinking, either. The brand is also defined by our sports teams, their traditional lack of success, and the way we react to that lack of success.

But now comes a branding opportunity on the Big Stage. Phillies. Yankees. The World Series. Last year, when the Phillies beat Tampa Bay for the Championship, most of America yawned. But now, everyone will be watching because the Yankees are, well, the Yankees.

The Fightin’s are definitely underdogs, but these Phillies ain’t no Rocky Balboa upstart. They’re damn good.

Philadelphians are head over heels in love with the Phils, not just because they win, but because of the way they play and the way they stick together. Because of the way Charlie hung with Lidge. Because of the way the players live in and embrace the city.

Everybody in the area has an electric feeling about what the Phillies are doing, best captured in the great Phillies mash up that glorified Jimmy Rollins’ clutch NLCS Game 4 winner.

So the stage is huge. The opposition is mighty. The world is watching. When America tunes in, Philadelphia will look beautiful. Citizens Bank Park will be electric. People out there will see what’s going on here.

Of course, this is just the opportunity. To take advantage of the opportunity, the Phillies need to beat the Yankees. They need to win.

If they can do that, then Philadelphia can claim a new brand: Champions.

Because the best brands tell the truth.

Some quick hits on the morning of what might be a monumental decision in the history of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News…

By now, you know that Kanye West made a drunken scene at Sunday night’s VMA Awards. Even President Obama called West a “jackass” – albeit off the record.

West has spent the last 36 hours apologizing, and even seemed sincere last night on Jay Leno’s new show. Nice Kanye, but not enough. When you do something as universally condemned as what Kanye did, you need some serious PR. West needs to disappear for a while, and then figure out some way to truly make it right for Taylor Swift.

Maybe he can take some lessons from Beyonce, an innocent bystander who was dragged into the fiasco because West was “standing up for her.” When Beyonce won an award later in the night, she graciously called Swift back to the podium to speak, forfeiting her time in order to make things right. She should be applauded for giving up a little limelight to help Taylor Swift.

As we always say, every crisis presents both Danger and Opportunity. Beyonce found the opportunity in this crisis precisely because she wasn’t looking to spin the situation for PR purposes – she just acted like a human being.

As a Frank Sinatra-quoting friend likes to say, “that’s class.”

Lastly, this viral video from the Denmark Tourism folks is either brilliant or awful (maybe both, I can’t be sure). It certainly has created some buzz out there on the internets, but will it truly increase tourism? Or just offend people? The video is a fake plea from a significantly attractive woman looking for the father of her nine-month-old son. The message from Denmark is something like “we have nubile women who don’t hold grudges and who are available for easy sex, so come vacation in Denmark.”

That might or might not be good marketing, but it sure ain’t class.

The numbers don’t lie. After Sen. Arlen Specter voted in favor of President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill on Feb. 13, he was all but doomed. Within two months, his stock in the Republican Party had plummeted. His approval rating dropped from the 60s to low 30s and by all measures a reelection was out of the picture.

At the same time, Specter was gaining support among Democrats and Independents. And not just among Gov. Ed Rendell and V.P. Joseph Biden. He has agreed with Democrats on abortion rights, gay marriage and embryonic stem cell research, among other issues.

With this in mind, Specter asked, “How can I stay in the Senate?” Which is really the same question as, “How can I stay in business?” Naturally, he did what any successful, nimble business would—he changed his offering.

It’s not a decision based on emotion. It’s based on evidence.

Many businesses are asking the same question. Some can’t find a solution. Thanks to Specter, we have one:

1. Analyze the evidence
2. Switch parties

It sounds simple, because it is.

Take, for example, the auto industry. For decades, Americans have begged for cleaner, greener cars. We’ve proven we’ll pay more for it (Toyota Prius) and we’ve cried when what little progress was made, was yanked away (GM’s EV-1).

So, what has the auto industry done? Did it analyze the evidence? Did it switch parties? No and no. Today, at the brink of failure, it’s still unclear whether the American auto giants have heard the music.

This isn’t a rule just for Fortune 100 companies. Take, for a minute, your company’s offering and audience. Do they still align? Is your audience demanding something different? Higher-end? Faster? More efficient? Cheaper? And, what about your offering? Do you have the right approach? Right message? Right team? Right product? Are you delivering the right results?

The numbers don’t lie. Study the data and objectively, not emotionally, determine what it says. If it says you’re doomed as Republican, be afraid enough to switch parties.

In her Changing Skyline blog post today, Inga Saffron calls the design of the proposed 1,510 foot skyscraper at 18^th and Arch (to be called American Commer Center (ACC)), a “big, fat hulking mess.” Ouch. Not exactly what Hill International, the ACC’s developers, would hope for in Saffron’s review.

There’s been lots of racket – both in support and against – what (if built) would replace the Comcast Center as Philadelphia’s tallest building. On Wednesday, Philadelphia City’s Council Committee voted unanimously to allow Hill International Real Estate to build the estimated $1.1 billion “Madison Avenue lifestyle” (as they tout it themselves) tower. What does $1.1 billion get ya?, you might wonder. Plans currently include a 63-floor office tower and 26-story hotel with a department store (ladies, pray for a Saks), a movie/dinner theater and supermarket.

While opponents of the building argue that there just isn’t enough space at the 18^th and Arch location, advocates foresee it as Philadelphia’s very own version of New York’s Time Warner Center. Arguments about a lack of tenants to fill the space are met with opinions that it will bring thousands of jobs to our city in hopes to improve employment rates.

If the building does pass all zoning regulations (which at this point, it looks likely), the American Commerce Center could do wonders for Philadelphia marketing and tourism initiatives. If the ACC goes up, it will be the 3^rd largest skyscraper in the world, closely tailing Shangai and Taipai - and the United States’ tallest. Not bad for a city that’s largely recognized for its culinary art – the cheesesteak.  As America’s tallest building, the ACC has the potential to bring massive foot traffic and international tourists as well as curiosity to the City of Brotherly Love.

What Philadelphia citizens can appreciate is the fact that our city is growing. As marketers, we recognize that there’s nothing better than what the mere prospect of such an enormous (both in stature and in concept) tower can do for Philadelphia’s growth and prosperity. Whether built or not, we should welcome the conversations that arise out of the planning of our city’s evolution.