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October 20, 2006
Seattle's Slogan Slump
Posted by Stephanie Clifford at 11:35 AM
When I was growing up in Seattle, it was branded “The Emerald City.” It was a lovely place to live, and the slogan represented that, evoking the city’s evergreen trees and parks and sparkling lakes. It equated Seattle with the merry old land of Oz. It was a simple and pretty slogan.
Then this morning, I got a press release from the Seattle Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. It’s scrapped The Emerald City in favor of—wait for it—“Seattle: Metronatural.” Say what? The idea is to “highlight Seattle’s rare and uniquely marketable combination of urban and outdoor experiences.” The goal of the branding campaign is on target, as the mix of city and outdoor life does set Seattle apart, but really—metronatural? If it’s meant to sound hip, it doesn’t; the kids stopped using “metrosexual” sometime in 2005. Beyond that, it's bewildering and meaningless. I shudder at the thought of billboards bearing that slogan popping up all over Seattle.
Of all the slow-moving mammoths that fumble branding, cities seem to be among the worst. I’m thinking of chilly Edmonton, Alberta, which probably didn’t want to tout its bad weather: “Edmonton. It’s Cooler Here.” The confusing “Baltimore: Get In On It” and “Atlanta: Every Day Is an Opening Day” are two more flops. My vote for worst city slogan ever, though, goes to Philadelphia’s in the late 1970s: “Philadelphia Isn’t As Bad As Philadelphians Say It Is.” Sweet, I’ll plan a visit immediately.
The cities seem to trust focus groups and branding consultants far too much, rather than understanding their customers and using common sense as most entrepreneurs would. That said, some cities have come up with great slogans. New York’s “The City That Never Sleeps” calls up New York’s energy (and Broadway life, as it’s a line from a song). And, more recently, “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” is a standout. If only what happened in the mind of Seattle’s rebranding committee had stayed there as well.
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As far as Philly goes, we dwellers of the City of Brotherly Love can't stand to hear that our slice of concrete is "The Next Brooklyn" either...
London, Ontario's slogan was "All mixed up"...it sure was alright...
That is the most retarted thing i have ever heard.They should have just stuck with the emerald city..DO they really think this is going to last long?
Wow, metronatural? Since coffee is such a hit in the Emerald City how about "The Caffeinated City" or "Seattle, Naturally Caffeinated" or “Green Caffeine” or even Seattle: The Big Green (as in money AND nature) or “You don’t need sun to have fun in Seattle? I can even go for Seattle: Nature Calls.
Having lived in Seattle for 27+ years when it was growing up, I like the term "Lesser Seattle" from Emmett Watson. It helped keep Seattle the jewel it was by keeping the big spenders, etc. away. Now it has become a jaded metro area, too high of a cost of living, over-worked good ole boys and girls and not as much fun as it used to be. Sorry, but the cost of living, finances, health, etc. is just too much for this ole man. Bye for now, lovely Emerald City.
I was thinking "Seattle: Come As You Are." It both honors the great local boy Kurt Cobain while also giving off that "Stuffy Northeasterners wear suits and ties, we are strictly cackies and Timberlands in case an after-work offer of mountainneering arises" vibe.
Or, to honor Cobain and local folks: "Seattle: We Love the Needle!"
Sounds like the work of a committee with too much money for consultants.
The thing about Baltimore is, if you visit or move here, you do "get" the new slogan. It's meant to intrigue those of you who haven't experienced the unique characteristics and diversities of this fantastic, easy going southern "town" / northeastern-mindset "city". I've traveled all over the world and while there are some definite standouts as favs (Vancouver, Copenhagen, Prague, London), Baltimore is great and I'm glad I'm in on it!
I first heard about the new slogan a couple of weeks ago from a friend that said it sounded too much like metrosexual. Not that there's anything wrong with that term, but you could say it doesn't exactly engender what Seattle is all about. However, I don't think it's fair to slam consultants. I happen to be one of them, and I would NEVER have chosen that name; or even suggested it to the client. No, whoever was managing the renaming project is responsible, and perhaps they hired the wrong consultant in the first place.
Our slogan is: you can talk when you need!Thare is no problem what we can not solve.game
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