How would you Promote Illinois during the Rose Parade?

New Year's Day starts off with the legendary Rose Parade in Southern California, apparently, Illinois has a float in the parade this year to promote visiting the state. Here is what will be on the float, and what changes we would make to properly promote the Land of Lincoln.

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According to myjournalcourier.com, there will be an 'Enjoy Illinois' float going down the iconic Rose Parade on New Year's Day, its goal is to promote tourism to Illinois. On the site they say...

"Using the Enjoy Illinois campaign theme of "Illinois. The Middle of Everything," the float includes a replica bust of Abraham Lincoln, a Route 66 sign and such tourist attractions at the Chicago Navy Pier Centennial Wheel, a real waterfall to represent the Garden of the Gods in Shawnee National Forest, skyscrapers and the Cloud Gate — also known as The Bean — and lots of the state's official flower, the violet."

To read more, and to see a mock-up of what the parade float will look like click here!

My instant reaction is that they did a pretty good job with the idea for this float. We have seen the Enjoy Illinois commercials and they focus heavily on Chicago with sprinkles of downstate activities, and the float seems to be more of the same. Personally, focusing on Chicago is a good thing on the national stage in my opinion.

Why? Because to convince people from the East Coast, and the West Coast to actually spend money to fly and vacation in Illinois you have to show them the WOW factor, and Chicago is full of wow factors. Chicago has the lake, the river, the buildings, the entertainment, the shopping, the dining, the sports, tourist attractions, airports, and everything you need to have a week-long vacation.

As far as the rest of the state? Tourism for the rest of the state like visiting Springfield, the Garden of the Gods, and enjoying the small towns along the Mississippi River (like Quincy) doesn't need to be a national campaign. Very few people who live in Miami will care to travel to Springfield, IL to learn about Lincoln, BUT... People who live in Chicagoland, and the St. Louis area should be constantly bombarded with ads promoting what else Illinois has to offer for weekend getaways that are an easy drive away like Springfield, Garden of the Gods, Peoria, and so on. That's just my opinion, do you think it makes sense?