Every category of business needs a strong brand. This includes everything from corporations and retail outlets to food trucks and sports teams. But what about a city? And what about if the city is well, a county?
Cities often try to brand themselves, many times for reasons of tourism or to gain positive rankings on one of the countless “best of” lists. Some have been wildly successful and are easily recognizable. (Try to guess the city from the slogan – see answers at the bottom.) Our “best of” top five list:
- What Happens Here, Stays Here.
- The City That Never Sleeps.
- The Sweetest Place on Earth.
- Cleveland Rocks!
- The Aliens Aren’t the Only Reason to Visit.
The slogans are just a start and they will add to the brand if the message stays consistent with the reality, is relevant, makes a point and is memorable and attractive.
Here are five of the not-so-great ones, followed by our rationale:
- More than Just a Song. Shenandoah, TX (Not readily known for their musical attributes – does not pass the reality test.)
- Third Oldest City in Oregon. Lafayette, OR (If you’re not number one, is it worth pointing out? This does not pass the relevancy test.)
- The Town That Made Tulsa Famous. Glenpool, OK (Just not smart to introduce a comparison to another city – there’s just no point.)
- Where People Care. Malabar, FL (Too vague; could be many places – not memorable.)
- How About Doin’ Some Time in Leavenworth? Leavenworth, KS (Not very appealing to be reminded of the massive federal penitentiary. Can this slogan be real? If so, it’s not attractive!)
Prince George’s County, MD, despite its size of more than 850,000 residents, is not officially a city. This however is not stopping them from introducing a $500,000 branding campaign with the slogan, Experience, Expand, Explore. We’re not sure if it is compelling enough to make it to our top five “best of” list. Read about it in this Washington Post article and let us know what you think.
Answer Key:
- What Happens Here, Stays Here. Las Vegas, NV
- The City That Never Sleeps. New York, NY
- The Sweetest Place on Earth. Hershey, PA
- Cleveland Rocks! Cleveland, OH
- The Aliens Aren’t the Only Reason to Visit. Roswell, NM
Leisa Chester Weir
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