ATLANTA

MILWAUKEE ISN’T the first city to grapple with an identity crisis. Atlanta responded to its own in 2005 with an $8 million promotional campaign, on top of nearly $400 million in investments in public projects, including renovations to The High Museum of Art and a massive aquarium.

Since the mid-2000s, metro Atlanta’s population has grown by about 500,000 while crime has dropped by nearly 40 percent. As branding caught on, so did love for good ol’ ATL.

In 2012, Atlanta photographers launched an Instagram campaign, #weloveatl, that led to more than 50,000 submissions from amateurs and pros alike, with the best shots getting displayed at an art show for charity.

Even as some ATL campaigns took off, others have bombed.

As part of the 2005 effort, rapper Dallas Austin released the song “The ATL,” which has fewer than 9,000 views on YouTube. And let’s not mention the city’s newfangled slogan: “Every Day Is an Opening Day.”