Column: Next door. Next level.

Dear readers,

Wow, Shelbyville has now been officially rebranded.

"Next door. Next level."

Go ahead and say it a few times with me.

Next door. Next level.

Next door. Next level.  

Next door. Next level.

Next door. Next level.

As soon as Mayor Scott Furgeson made the announcement, my phone started ringing. Loyal readers wondered what I thought of our new brand. Mostly, they wondered if I was disappointed that the brand I pitched, “Shelbyville, Home of the Indiana Derby” wasn’t adopted.

The answer is no. I’m not disappointed in the least, not at all, not in any way.

I actually like our new brand. Sure, it could have been adopted by any city. Just like Pepsi could have chosen “It’s the Real Thing,” or Folgers Coffee could have chosen “Good to the Last Drop.”  Just because a brand or slogan could have been used by others doesn’t make it bad.

We all know Coke is the “Real Thing” and Maxwell House is “Good to the Last Drop.” 

Going with something specific can be risky. If my idea of “Home of the Indiana Derby” was adopted, we would have been in trouble if the Indiana Derby was moved back to Anderson.  

Also, I’m not always right. Long time readers will remember a few times in the past when I went all in and was wrong. Let’s look back at some statements of mine from past columns that didn’t age well.

May 15, 1985: Wow, I love this New Coke. It tastes so much better than the original Coca-Cola formula. 

Nov. 14, 1996: Here is an early Christmas present for you Elvis fans.  Elvis is still alive! I have it on good authority that he was spotted shopping at our local Walmart.

July 15, 2001: Hiring Hoosier Jerod Fogle as its spokesperson was a smart move by Subway. A real person is much better than Ronald McDonald or that creepy Burger King cartoon. 

Oct. 14, 2012: Disney World has a great statue of “America’s Dad” Bill Cosby on display.

Aug. 30, 2018: Barnum’s Animal Crackers taste different now that they are allowed to roam free instead of being served straight from the cage of the circus boxcar. 

In addition to those examples, I have all my favorite music on 8 track tapes. I have a collection of my favorite movies on Beta.

Next door. Next level.

I’m all in. 

Truth be told, I was a little bummed out about The Helbing not being featured in the video launch of our new brand. Then a little bird told me there was a good reason.

You heard it here first. There will be a major announcement promoting The Helbing very soon.

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.