11/06/2006: "Branding the San Juan's"

I attended the annual meeting of the San Juan Visitors Bureau the other day. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated professional staff for this important office. Our new County Administrator, Mr. Pete Rose, was the featured speaker. I was impressed with his business savvy.

I left the luncheon with the impression that he really understands the fact that if island businesses are successful then tax revenues will increase. He also understands the interdependence of our local economy with the visitor industry. His work as an advocate of agriculture and wine making and the promotion and "branding" of that particular niche market proved to be a brilliant strategy for luring visitors and producing revenues for Woodinville.

Of course the St. Michelle and Columbia Wineries have a huge advantage over San Juan County. They can bring in tourists and give them a snoot full of Zinfandel. Then unscrupulous merchants can take advantage of their tipsy condition and pick their pockets. In the Islands we can offer them a scenic overdose of nature but this does not necessarily fog their minds enough to compel them to empty their wallets.

One thing that Mr. Rose pointed out is that we need to "brand" this place and go forth and promote that brand. This is a trend that San Jaun County is missing out on. It is called strategic place marketing. The idea is to promote the image of a place with some catchy slogan. The goal is to find a slogan that plays up the characteristics of a place, emphasizes its strengths, and must have the "ring of truth".

I recently completed a cross-country drive. I saw quite a few billboards promoting places to visit. Many cities and counties have promotional slogans. For example, Cherokee County, Alabama is the "The Crappie Capital of the World" (I guess it is a Crappie place. Hopefully it does not demonstrate the "ring of truth" doctrine above).

Smaller places also are adopting slogans. I passed an exit off the Interstate that had one that rhymed: "Exit 27A: Shop, Play, Stay." If exits can do this why can't we? We have a lot more to offer than a silly freeway exit.

Other examples of marketing names include; Washington State, "SAY WA?" (This may be the dumbest one I have ever heard), Seattle "The Emerald City", and most recently "Metro-Natural", Tacoma "City of Destiny", New Orleans "Chocolate City" (sprinkled with nuts), King County, "Where dead felons can still vote", "Supernatural" British Columbia (Actually Victoria should be the Crappie Capital of the world. Spewing raw sewage into our surrounding waters violates the "ring of truth" doctrine.) and of course Friday Harbor, "A small drinking town with a fishing problem".

Las Vegas has had many slogans over the years. I remember it was called "Sin City" (Like Friday Harbor). Then a "Family Friendly" place. That was a complete flop. Now they say, "What happens here stays here," (Thus illustrating the "ring of truth" doctrine).

Now I know we can do better than this if we give it some serious thought. After all, we know all the things that make the islands such a special place. So I propose a slogan contest for San Juan County so that we can have a unique and catchy promotional slogan all our own.

Below are 2 categories for the contest. I have put a few examples in each so you get the idea. In addition to amazing fame you will also receive a cash prize awarded for the best entry (amount as yet to be determined). Anyone can enter. I know you can do better than this.

Category one: Tourism promotional slogans:
A nice place to visit but don't even think of moving here!
Have a whale of a time.
Let us buy you a house!
Get Away, Without Going Far Away, Just Go Away!

Category two: San Juan Islands . . . (fill in the blank)
Where the ferries have funny names
Where no whacky idea is without a sponsor
Where a 4-way stop yield goes around and around
We have a lot of rock.
Real Estate Agent Capital of the World

Now that you get the idea send in your entries right away to:
editor@islandguardian.com.