[Vision2020] tourism brilliance

[Debbie Gray]

DISCLAIMER:

"tourism brilliance" was typed with extreme sarcasm... i cannot believe a
panel of 30 people approved this. Talk about a herd of sheep with no
emperor's clothes and a mixed metaphor.

Debbie

On Thu, 16 Mar 2006, keely emerinemix wrote:

> 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
>
> %^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%
>    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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>

Debbie

%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%
  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
%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%