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The license plate thread got me thinking about which states have got good brands/slogans/symbols going, and which states seem to constantly struggle to come up with slogans and images that might set them apart from the pack.
Particularly with the license plates, every few years you see some states experimenting with catchy slogans and nicknames that just seem like they were made up in a advertising agency break room. I kinda feel sorry for those states.
First, the states which are not having a problem:
Vermont: They pretty much OWN the color green. Green Mountains, etc, and their fake-French name supposedly means "Green Mountain." And they slap it all over every possible thing. And have been smart enough never to redesign their license plates without it. So, they are Brand Green.
New York: "The Empire State." That has been New York's slogan since the time of Jesus. The state may be crumbling, but their motto is still monumentally badass. No explanation or rebranding required. (Not to mention "I Love NY" is the most successful state ad campaign ever devised.)
Texas: I'll leave this to others to describe why, but Texas is never, ever going to need branding help. They've got it covered.
South Carolina: It's a good thing that they have such an attractive and recognizable state "symbol" (the Palmetto and the crescent moon) because it's a lot cooler than the only other thing that everyone remembers them for ("We Started The Civil War! WooHoo!") So, good on ya, S.C. Nice save.
Florida: Florida. Oranges. Nuff said. Who does not like oranges?
Oklahoma: How can you go wrong when you own the word "OK"??? You just can't. It's pure marketing gold. They can say "Oklahoma is OK" and it isn't even silly, because it's literally true. That is the abbreviation for the state. Not only are they OK, but they come off as informative and helpful when they tell you this on a bumper sticker or license plate. "What does OK mean? Oh, I see - it means Oklahoma. Oklahoma is OK. Thanks!"
Colorado: How did it come to pass that everyone associates the Rocky Mountains - a huge mountain chain - immediately with Colorado? (and not, say, Montana or Wyoming?) Marketing, my friends... marketing. And it's stuck.
Indiana: They have the best name for themselves (Hoosiers) and everyone remembers it. Iowa, Ohio and Illinois are every bit as flat and corny, but Indiana wins! Because they're Hoosiers, dammit.
And now for the sad sacks with their various problems...
New Hampshire: What happens when your cherished state symbol (The Old Man of the Mountain) suddenly, one day, just slides into a pile of rubble? Uh-oh. You've got a problem. A state without a symbol is just a horrible thing to witness.
Arkansas: "The Natural State." Like every other state in the U.S. doesn't have nature. FAIL...
Washington: "The Other White Meat." It's really hard when you're a state that has the same name as a big important city all the way across the country.
New Jersey: Is not even trying. "The Garden State" - that's their story, and they're sticking to it.
Pennsylvania: Unfortunately, while everyone still knows what an empire is (see: New York), nobody knows what a keystone is any more. Pennsylvania has been wrestling with this issue for quite some time e.g. "You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania" which I think was supposed to be a clever reference to Quakers but really just came off as "Hi, I'm Pennsylvania, willyoubemyFRIEND?"
How can we help these poor states and dozens like them, rebrand themselves? Are there colors, slogans or symbols they can adopt???
Last edited by Bo; 05-17-2011 at 10:51 AM..
Reason: Moved from General US. This is a competitive comparison.
The license plate thread got me thinking about which states have got good brands/slogans/symbols going, and which states seem to constantly struggle to come up with slogans and images that might set them apart from the pack.
Particularly with the license plates, every few years you see some states experimenting with catchy slogans and nicknames that just seem like they were made up in a advertising agency break room. I kinda feel sorry for those states.
First, the states which are not having a problem:
Vermont: They pretty much OWN the color green. Green Mountains, etc, and their fake-French name supposedly means "Green Mountain." And they slap it all over every possible thing. And have been smart enough never to redesign their license plates without it. So, they are Brand Green.
New York: "The Empire State." That has been New York's slogan since the time of Jesus. The state may be crumbling, but their motto is still monumentally badass. No explanation or rebranding required. (Not to mention "I Love NY" is the most successful state ad campaign ever devised.)
Texas: I'll leave this to others to describe why, but Texas is never, ever going to need branding help. They've got it covered.
South Carolina: It's a good thing that they have such an attractive and recognizable state "symbol" (the Palmetto and the crescent moon) because it's a lot cooler than that other thing that everyone remembers them for (We Started The Civil War! WooHoo!) So, good on ya, S.C.
Florida: Florida. Oranges. Nuff said. Who does not like oranges?
Oklahoma: How can you go wrong when you own the word "OK"??? You just can't. It's pure marketing gold. They can say "Oklahoma is OK" and it isn't even silly, because it's literally true. That is the abbreviation for the state. Not only are they OK, but they come off as informative and helpful when they tell you this on a bumper sticker or license plate. "What does OK mean? Oh, I see - it means Oklahoma. Oklahoma is OK. Thanks!"
Colorado: How did it come to pass that everyone associates the Rocky Mountains - a huge mountain chain - immediately with Colorado? (and not, say, Montana or Wyoming?) Marketing, my friends... marketing. And it's stuck.
Indiana: They have the best name for themselves (Hoosiers) and everyone remembers it. Iowa, Ohio and Illinois are every bit as flat and corny, but Indiana wins! Because they're Hoosiers, dammit.
And now for the sad sacks with their various problems...
New Hampshire: What happens when your cherished state symbol (The Old Man of the Mountain) suddenly, one day, just slides into a pile of rubble? Uh-oh. You've got a problem. A state without a symbol is just a horrible thing to witness.
Arkansas: "The Natural State." Like every other state in the U.S. doesn't have nature. FAIL...
Washington: "The Other White Meat." It's really hard when you're a state that has the same name as a big important city all the way across the country.
New Jersey: Is not even trying. "The Garden State" - that's their story, and they're sticking to it.
Pennsylvania: Unfortunately, while everyone still knows what an empire is (see: New York), nobody knows what a keystone is any more. Pennsylvania has been wrestling with this issue for quite some time e.g. "You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania" which I think was supposed to be a clever reference to Quakers but really just came off as "Hi, I'm Pennsylvania, willyoubemyFRIEND?"
How can we help these poor states and dozens like them, rebrand themselves? Are there colors, slogans or symbols they can adopt???
I very much appreciate your lucid elucidation of Oklahoma's branding. Excellent.
New Hampshire: What happens when your cherished state symbol (The Old Man of the Mountain) suddenly, one day, just slides into a pile of rubble? Uh-oh. You've got a problem. A state without a symbol is just a horrible thing to witness.
What can they say? The Old Man lived free.......and then he died.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 05-15-2011 at 10:06 PM..
I'm getting pretty tired of tourism department ads that show golfers, fishermen and water skiers. Surely there is more than that in your state to make people want to come there.
I'm getting pretty tired of tourism department ads that show golfers, fishermen and water skiers. Surely there is more than that in your state to make people want to come there.
I forgot Minnesota! They should be put down under the "good marketing" list. Because whoa, they have 10,000 lakes. I wonder what the criteria are for lake status, but still. That is one huge number they can whip out.
Maybe they count puddles as lakes? I don't know. Reminds me a bit of the Thousand Islands in New York. "Is it big enough to host at least one tree? Can we maybe call that desiccated shrub a tree? Yes? OK -- ISLAND!"
So -- if you have a great slogan, a good color, a great symbol or a gigantic number, you're doing pretty good.
The "Pure Michigan" ad campaign has been pure gold for our beautiful state, or at least that's the feedback that I'm getting here on C-D and elsewhere. I keep seeing comments like, "I had no idea that Michigan had so many small towns!" (Right! Detroit is only one tiny corner of this massive state which is actually more rural than anything else!) or, "Wow, Ann Arbor is cool! (thank you, yes, it is very cool), or, "Wow, who knew that Michigan had pristine beaches with lighthouses?" (come on up and see them sometime!), etc., etc., etc.
I think, grading these states on a curve considering what they were given to work with, Kentucky comes out pretty high with the "Bluegrass" state. Wisconsin and cheese, is a great one as well.
Missouri is the biggest failure. the "Show Me" state? When your state's name sounds like "misery", all I can think is that the people of Missouri are going to "Show me misery" if I ever visit.
Idaho is comically bad. Potatoes don't do much for me. Their state university is the "Vandals" -- that one puzzles me.
Illinois ought to be able to do better than "Land of Lincoln." Surely there's something else more appealing about Illinois.
The "Pure Michigan" ad campaign has been pure gold for our beautiful state
hah. seriously? never heard that slogan before. i definitely don't associate "pure" with michigan.
when i think of michigan, i think of a dying auto industry.
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