Uh, no, you don’t… says one native from South Philly.

If the campaign slogan "We Smell Better than You Think." is your idea of a rebuttal, then you might want to rethink the whole campaign.  No amount of T-shirts, billboards, fliers or picket signs is going to change the way you smell.

I’m no hater, in fact I didn’t know half this news existed until I read this article.

Wait a minute are we talking literally or figuratively?

You left out any supporting facts as to why Jersey doesn't actually - and literally - stink. Accusing haters of stereotyping, by citing the often used description Armpit-of-America, Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of Jersey and Jerseylicious as false representations of Jersey, won’t do much to bring folks around and doesn't actually smell bad.

Nowhere does the article point to anything good. In fact, the leader of the Jerseydoesntstink campaign says: "My primary thought was that the whole state looks like the turnpike around Newark Airport," "But you get three miles away from that area, and it's beautiful."  I’m confused, so what you’re saying is get three miles away from where it stinks – and it’s beautiful?

I digress: Our interest in Philly has little to do with whether it actually smells bad – although, thanks to this campaign to increase awareness about the level of stinky-ness in Jersey, we are now keenly aware of the possibility that it just might stink when we arrive.  In our case, imagine helping a customer locate and vet a venue to hold their next event and suggesting they consider Philly’s newly expanded convention center. Now imagine our surprise when they send a link to Jerseydoesntstink and an article about the newly expanded convention center, that states:

• Union labor is the single biggest reason for lost business.
• Union Labor costs Philadelphia’s hotel industry 400,000 nights of business over 24 months.
• The convention center staff lacks experience: No Chief Financial Officer, no Chief Technology Officer and no National Sales Manager.

You do the math

The convention center just spent $786 million (how much was the entire US bailout again?) on doubling its’ size but costs will climb to $35 million while revenues are expected to be $12 million. One board member is quoted as saying; “We will realize the benefits if we can continue to have an efficiently run center.” “Continue!” Are you sure you’re not setting the bar too high?

Something about all this definitely stinks!