Local marketer Melissa Mroczek, 42, was OK with the name but said an employee at MECA or the city could have come up with it for less.

“I can’t believe they spent the money,” she said.

Katie Krcmarik, an assistant professor of practice in advertising and design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said she sees merit in the attempt to create a clear identity for each park under a shared umbrella.

Similar efforts are common across the country, building identities for neighborhoods and parks, she said, pointing to Omaha neighborhoods like Dundee and Benson and their efforts to stand out.

Phani Tej Adidam, a professor of marketing and entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said there’s social and economic value in branding a destination like Omaha’s “RiverFront.”

People will feel a greater sense of ownership in the place, he said, and that will give residents and developers more confidence to invest in the area. He pointed to the recent success of Aksarben Village as an example.

“I support the concept,” he said. “And I think it is long overdue.”

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