[Vision2020] tourism brilliance

[keely emerinemix]

I've seen brilliant.  It didn't look like this.

keely


From: Debbie Gray <dgray at uidaho.edu>
To: Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] tourism brilliance
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 18:35:03 -0800 (PST)


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002868335_saywa16m.html


Brows furrow over tourism slogan

By Gene Johnson
The Associated Press

The state's new tourism slogan, "SayWA," may be more clever than its
critics suggest.

After all, "saywa" does mean "landmark" in Aymara, a language spoken by
2.2 million people in South America. And those Andean villagers around
Lake Titicaca are suckers for backpacking.

True, they aren't the state's target demographic 35- to 55-year-old
Westerners with disposable income but the Washington State Tourism Office
might hope the slogan resonates there, because a lot of English speakers
are panning it.

"It's just not that catchy," said Sarah Owens of Seattle as she led a
couple of Irish tourists through Pike Place Market. "Who makes these
decisions? Washington's spectacular. It doesn't need a slogan."

The slogan, 18 months in development, is designed to promote Washington's
numerous tourist attractions, from hiking in the Olympic Mountains to
visiting wine country to windsurfing in the Columbia River Gorge.

A replacement for "Experience Washington," it was chosen with input from a
32-member "brand development task force," that included Chamber of
Commerce directors, tourism officials and business representatives from
around the state.

"SayWA is a distillation of the sense of wonder that comes with
discovery," the tourism office's Web site suggests. "It describes the
moment when an experience becomes emotional. Where the traveler is no
longer an observer, but a participant. The SayWA moment."

One mock advertisement shows tourists taking pictures of the Columbia
Gorge. "SayWA: This is the sound of jaws dropping." More than one observer
noted that dropping jaws are generally silent.

Others said "WA" reminds them most of a baby crying, or a toddler asking
for water. Even the slang basis for it "Say what?"  is a response to
something nonsensical.

"Thirty-five years ago I smoked dope and probably could have come up with
something like that," said Darrell Bryan, general manager of Victoria
Clipper, the largest tour operator in the Northwest. "To me, it's better
to have no slogan than to come up with something like that. There's too
much scratching the head about 'What does that mean?' "

The state's tourism office said the slogan was designed to help Washington
escape traditional tourism advertising.

"Any good campaign is going to cause people to stop and wonder about it,"
said spokeswoman Michelle Zahrly. "We know, as with any marketing
campaign, that not all the people are going to like it, but ... it will
reach those people we're hoping to attract here."



Debbie

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   Debbie Gray      dgray at uidaho.edu
   We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
   so as to have the life that is waiting for us." --Joseph Campbell
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