Posted on 11/14/2005 5:50:52 PM PST by Cagey
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Make us a slogan we can't refuse, the state of New Jersey said. We got your slogan right here, the people replied.
A push to come up with a new slogan for the Garden State has become an excuse to crack New Jersey jokes. Among the not-so-serious entries:
"New Jersey: You Got a Problem With That?"
"NJ: How You Doin'?!"
"Most of Our Elected Officials Have Not Been Indicted."
The search yielded more than 4,000 possibilities in all, many of them attempts to sum up the land of Bruce Springsteen, "The Sopranos" and smelly interstates in one pithy phrase. The deadline for submissions was Monday.
The program began last month after acting Gov. Richard J. Codey rejected a consultant's recommendation -- "New Jersey: We'll Win You Over" -- as too negative. That slogan, developed as part of a $260,000 contract by global image consultants Lippincott Mercer, was shelved a day before it was to be unveiled.
Instead, the state opened the process to the public, establishing a Web site and telephone hot line to receive suggestions, which included the lyrical ("The Ocean, The Motion, The Magic") along with the satirical.
New Jersey, which once used "New Jersey and You: Perfect Together," has not had a new marketing slogan in four years. "Get Away, Without Going Far Away" has been used in the interim, but tourism officials say it does not resonate with out-of-staters.
"We have the opportunity to craft a new message for our tourist literature to reflect the pride we have in our many parks, open spaces, farmlands, quaint villages, boardwalks and beaches and our exciting cities," Codey implored would-be slogan writers on the Web site.
The governor and the state Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism Commission will "pare down the suggestions and go from there," said Karen Wolfe, a commission spokeswoman.
The state's musical legacy -- Frank Sinatra called New Jersey home, Springsteen still does -- led one person to suggest "From Ol' Blue Eyes to the Boss: Jersey Is Singing Your Song." Another entry: "Born to Fun."
Others found New Jersey's reputation for mobsters, toxic waste sites and lowbrow taste fair game. "Bada Bing! Choose New Jersey" was one suggestion.
The campaign was run by the state, but newspaper columnists, talk radio and "Saturday Night Live" got into the spirit, too. "New Jersey: It Always Smells Like This," one Philadelphia Inquirer reader suggested. "New Jersey: Come Glow With Us," another said.
New Jersey, home of the famous Concrete shoes!
New Jersey: "Dem dat's left here don't never come back."
Bribery State
Land of Pukin
Big Skunk State
The Smells
Stungun State
You Want A ##$%##! Slogan?
I Got Yer ##$%##! Slogan Right Here!
"That was me on a thread a few weeks ago."
I loved it. Cuts right to the chase. Unapologetically crass and sort of belligerent.
What's wrong with NJ and you: Perfect Together? Why do we need a new one? Anyway, if they do come up with a new one, it should reflect the diversity of the state. NJ: A little bit of everything. We've got farmlands, wetlands, beaches, large cities, small towns, suburbs, rich, poor. For a small state, you're not going to find so many choices as you get in NJ. That's one of the things that makes it great. People who make fun of NJ are just ignorant, and anyone who thinks NJ has cornered the market on corruption is fooling themselves. Look in the mirror.
"My Garr Durn State"
New Jersey: At Least It's Not Rhode Island
New Jersey: We're just west of Spain.
I like high taxes, do you like high taxes?
LOL!
Property of Jon Corzine
ROTFLMAO!!!
The winner!
That's the best!
"People who make fun of NJ are just ignorant"
How about "New Jersey: We make more fun than you do."
Everytime I see people talking about how New Jersey is an "upscale" state, I show them that the folks in huge houses in Rumsen and Colts Neck are far outnumbered by the more humble folks in Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties.
“Joisey, fuhgeddaboudit.”
NJ: Close to Phily, anyway.
"In New Jersey you leave the gun but get the cannolis"
My Aunt and Uncle live in Linden. It's no wonder that you can't breath, yet their tomatoes are as big as a basketball.
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