Posted on 03/26/2007 7:33:51 AM PDT by 3AngelaD
Seattle has a new tag line: "metronatural." And Little Rock has recently begun calling itself "The Rock."
Now the District is looking for its own catchy way to describe and define the city and lure more tourists to town. Tourism officials are hiring marketers, conducting surveys and convening focus groups in search of a few words or images that capture Washington's essence.
The current slogan, used for nearly a decade, never electrified anybody. It appears in every D.C. taxicab and on the sleeve of every D.C. police officer, but even longtime residents are hard-pressed to recall it: "Washington, D.C.: The American Experience." Another catchphrase, "Celebrate and Discover," which appeared for a time on D.C. license plates, also was a snoozer...
Civic leaders say they are looking for more than just a snappy line. Tourism accounts for $5 billion in direct spending each year (and $550 million a year into the city's general fund.)..
"What we're trying to uncover are the emotional connections and motivators for our visitors," said Victoria Isley, senior vice president of marketing for the Washington Convention & Tourism Corp., the organization leading the effort.
Isley's Brand Marketing Task Force, which began meeting in January, includes officials from the Washington Convention Center, Marriott International, the Greater Washington Initiative and the National Gallery of Art...
In a survey running through April, a new Web site, http://www.shareyourdc.com, asks local residents what they think. (Sample factoid: 70 percent say they call their home "D.C." None calls it "the Capital.")
Two firms have been hired to research and develop the slogan, which will be launched in early fall, Isley said. The project is expected to cost about $150,000, she said...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Washington D.C. : Roll 'Em Up!
The Moneypit.
"Watch your back"
Applicable to all neighborhoods and strata in DC.
Washington D.C.: "That Giant Sucking Sound"
Le Cesspool
"Washington DC: The B***h set me up!"
Here's my entry:
"If You Can't Read This Slogan, Thank the Washington D.C. Public Schools."
(D.C. has the highest illiteracy rate of any city in our nation.)
"Welcome to D.C. Gimme yo wallet."
DC - You'll be SOOOOOOO happy to get out alive.
BOHICA!
"Washington DC: Is that septic I smell?"
Washington D.C.: Whining About Statehood As If We Just Couldn't Move To Maryland Or Virgina If We Really Wanted To
Also applicable for the rest of the country. I thought about: "Washington, D.C.: 489,000 people and not one freeway through town."
Washington, DC: "Nancy Pelosi only works here half the time!"
"Washington DC: You'll be glad it isn't Detroit"
Hands down...end it now...we have...
THE WINNER!
Come for the protest, stay for the museums.
Where history meets fantasy.
Wasington D.C. - Gateway to Rosslyn!
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