90's Video Game Graphics Used In Village Of Homewood Ad Campaign

HOMEWOOD, IL — Out are the avocados and in are 1990's video game graphics as a way the village of Homewood tries to attract new residents. The village released their newest marketing campaign on the CTA Blue and Pink lines in the city of Chicago at the beginning of March, Marketing Director Jennifer Quirke said.

The ads, which appear as interior railcars on the trains and as posters at platforms, bring a sense of nostalgia to the demographic the village is attempting to reach, Quirke said. They invite commuters in the city to "level up," which apparently is 1990's video game speak, and move to Homewood.

"We wanted to speak to a large group of people who grew up in the early 1990's, have been living in the city for awhile and are looking for their next home," Quirke said. "People have fond memories of those super cheesy graphics, so we thought about what it would be like to view Homewood as a video game."

Village marketing team members worked with designer Charles Riffenburg of Grab Bag Media to create the detailed graphics.

"He did an amazing job turning Homewood into pixels," Quirke said.

The ads tout "Homewood’s affordability, high-quality schools, award-winning park district, walkability, nightlife and overall awesome community," a news release from the village states.

The video game theme is the latest in the "Think Homewood" campaign, one that two years ago featured comic strips that made quips on avocados and such to help bring city residents to the village. The campaign more recently included a podcast and video series that featured the "quirky" aspects of Homewood.

“We wanted to showcase Homewood’s fun side with this new campaign,” Quirke said. “And what’s more fun than playing retro video games! We have an extraordinary community that is artistic, quirky and unique.”

The ads are expected to be on display until May 1.