'Out of the Bucket' campaign receives mixed response

PAWTUCKET - A campaign designed to rethink Pawtucket's most famous nickname, "The Bucket," is receiving a cautious response from some in the city.

The man behind the "Out of the Bucket" campaign, the colorful Ron Augustus of the city-based Axion Media Lab, says he's now rethinking the wording of the campaign, though not the main premise that Pawtucket's image needs a facelift.

Augustus, a Bristol resident who has never lived in Pawtucket but has worked here for two years, is recruiting local business owners to join his cause.

Augustus told The Breeze there's "always been a negative connotation" for Pawtucket, and it's time to get rid of the bad reputation that comes with the "Bucket" name. From the redevelopment of the Hope Artiste Village to the city's growing craft beer scene, Pawtucket has much to be proud of, he said.

"There are so many good things going on, and it's amazing how overshadowed it is," he said.

Though Augustus started out last week with a call to "cast aside the nickname of 'The Bucket,'" some took exception to that basis for the campaign and immediately called for it to be modified.

Nate Broomfield, owner of the fledgling Bucket Brewery, jumped on Reddit to tell Augustus that the Bucket Brewery has actually embraced the nickname that offends some.

"As an owner of Bucket Brewery, I have to say that I don't like the idea," he told Augustus. "I love our city enough that I named my business after it. Nobody chooses their nickname, but they do choose to embrace it."

Augustus quickly responded that the campaign might be a bit unclear. He told Broomfield that his copywriters are "working on a better line" that more accurately reflects the intent of the campaign, "to cast aside the bad reputation of the name 'The Bucket.'"

"This project has taken on more meaning than intended," posted Augustus.

Assuming that Augustus will do what he says, Broomfield told The Breeze, "I think he's promoting a good thing overall."

"His vision is of improving the image of Pawtucket as a path to revitalizing, which I am all for," he said.

Augustus, who is attempting to move his residence to Pawtucket, said he's now looking to "polish up the name and mission" of the "Out of the Bucket" campaign and "not getting rid of the name." He will rely on other business owners and residents to help him brainstorm ideas for the campaign, which should include making the "Bucket" a positive term.

Pawtucket needs to be marketed as a popular destination, said Augustus. This should be a city where everyone is proud to say where they're from, he said.

The campaign, complete with a video featuring Augustus taking an imaginary run at mayor of the city as "Axion Jackson," a character of his who runs Axion Media Lab, can be found at www.outofthebucket.org .

The video uses exaggerated terms to paint an ugly picture of the city, where "a dark cloud has covered your streets for decades now." It then calls for a "new revolution" to take the city back.

"You cradled the inception of modern manufacturing, but now you lay dormant, crumbling like the mills that once breathed life into your streets," states the voice-over guy.

Augustus said he and fellow business partners were set to hold a meet-and-greet event at Machines with Magnets on Tuesday, and there are several more planned over the coming weeks.

The tactics of this campaign may be "a little on the silly side," he said, but he wants it to turn into something "useful," something that makes Pawtucket "more desired." The Out of the Bucket campaign is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Aaron Hertzberg, executive director of the Pawtucket Foundation, said he's spoken to the people at Axion Media Lab and believes they have good intentions.

"I think it's great that they had enough passion for Pawtucket to make a video and engage people in a conversation about ways to improve the city," he said. "I encouraged them to try and keep the conversation constructive and participate in some of the existing organizations working on revitalization, like the Pawtucket Foundation and the Armory Arts District Study Group."

Mayor Donald Grebien said that as a lifelong resident he can relate with the campaign from Augustus. Every time someone refers to Pawtucket as "The Bucket," he instinctively gets defensive, said the mayor.

"That should not and is not always the case," he said. "Take the 'Bucket' Brewery, which is a great new small business growing rapidly in our city. They are taking the negative reflection and using it to market their growing business."

Pawtucket is a "great city," said Grebien, "with dedicated residents who care about one another and know our city has a lot of potential."

"After I viewed the video online and put it all in perspective this video could provide an opportunity to work with the local company to promote many of the positive changes happening in Pawtucket," he said.

Augustus identified some of the challenges Pawtucket has struggled with for years, said Grebien, like a lack of attention to vacant industrial facilities and not adequately addressing litter, and the responsibility for himself and members of his administration "is to step up and make these challenges opportunities."

There are a number of positive things happening right now for the city, said Grebien.

"That is exactly what we are doing, turning the challenges to accomplished results," he said. "It is my hope that the company that produced the video will now work with the city to focus in on the challenges (and to) promote Pawtucket and the many improvements that are happening."