11/11/2006: "The Branding Contest Continues!"

We have been swamped with slogans. As I write this there are more in my email. There are so many good ones it will be hard to pick a winner and we haven't even told you what the prize is! We have extended the deadline for getting your slogans in.

The slogans reveal a lot about who we are. If you have lived here for a while you understand the schizophrenic nature of Islanders when it comes to sharing this place. We want visitors but we don't want them. I'm not surprised that this attitude showed up in the "branding process". If you are a visitor reading this don't be alarmed! We want you here and we want you to go away. Confused yet? Keep reading.

Some of you used this opportunity to vent frustration. That's good. Get it out! Others took this opportunity seriously. Most of us did not. Some were funny so I included them even though they had nothing to do with promoting the Islands. Some of the entries were deleted, censored or corrected for spelling and grammar (pay attention if you graduated from a local high school)! So if you don't see yours on this list shame on you anyway!

We received this bit of information from the hard working divas at the Visitor's Bureau:

"As you know, the branding process can be VERY expensive, then everyone in the community says "I could have come up with that – or something better"! As you might know, the Town of Friday Harbor funded branding research a few years ago and came up with "A Natural Playground." We used it for a bit, but two County Commissioners didn't like it, so we stopped. It made one of them think of Disneyland."

Unlike the Town of Friday Harbor our branding contest was not expensive at all and it shows. It is sad that any money was spent on the lame slogan "A Natural Playground". Like I said, we can do better and I think we did. So here are the top entries so far:

San Juan Island 247 Days of Sunshine (the other 118 suck)

Guaranteed to be Surround by Water Or Your Money Back.

On the mainland they "SAY WA?", on the islands we say WAHOO!

SAY WA? Say Juan. San Juans!

San Juan Islands, WA?

San Juan Islands, Our name only sounds Puerto Rican

San Juan Islands, Home of the Virgin Mary (Okay, Just Mary)

San Juan Islands, World's Largest Grape (Isn't Here)

San Juan Islands, Buy a lot of stuff and go home.
Friday Harbor: It's Island Time
San Juan Islands, West of conventional

San Juan Islands, Off the coast but still on the chart.

SJ Planning and Development, Making The Easy Impossible!

San Juan County Council where everyone is entitled to hear their opinion.

The Friends of the San Juans, building a bridge to anywhere else!

Romantic San Juan Islands, where you never lose your sweetheart, just your turn!

Retire to the San Juans, where your dream house is our nightmare!

Come to the scenic Californicated San Juan Islands

San Juan Islands, North of California

Ruined where you live? Move to the San Juan Islands

The San Juans, where Real Estate Agents and Attorneys outnumber the rest of us.

Visit the San Juans?…never, now more than ever!

San Juan Islands, We have met our quota now.

Ride the ferries… What could possibly go wrong!

Ask a local…we'll tell you where to go!

Visit historic Friday Harbor…the quaint little fishing village it never was!

Paradise in the Pacific Northwest

There's a reason why people live on islands.

Isles of mystery

San Juan Islands, No, not the ones you think of first, The other ones.

San Juan Islands, Where everyone is treated equally, Except those that aren't.

San Juan Islands, Still Floating.

San Juan Islands, Ride the ferry back home free!

San Juan Island, Home of the Haves and Have Nots.

San Juan Islands, These ancient mountain-tops are easier to climb now that they've sunk.

San Juan Islands, I'm here, you can leave now.

Come back when you can't stay so long.

San Juan Islands, If you pick us we'll pick you clean.

San Juan Islands, Over 740 Islands at low tide. Not as many at high tide.

San Juan Islands, Totally connected under water

San Juan Islands, More to Explore

San Juan Islands, Visit this year, It will cost you more next year.

San Juan Islands, One of the few places you can't get lost.

San Juan Islands, get lost!
San Juan Islands, Much to do about Nothing

San Juan Islands, Settle down, we have.

San Juan Islands, Visit our time warp.

San Juan Islands, October through April is the best time to visit.

San Juan Islands, We don't charge you to leave.

Looking for a date in the Islands?

The odds are good but the goods are odd.

San Juan Islands, Attitude surrounded by water

San Juan Islands, Not just for witness protection anymore.

The San Juans, where liberal hypocrisy reigns supreme
San Juan Islands, only 3622 driving miles to Key West

San Juan Islands, if you lived here and are retired you wouldn't care about branding the islands

San Juan Islands, Conveniently located North of the Equator
South of the North Pole

San Juan Islands, if it was always below freezing you could skate here from the mainland.

San Juan Islands, all 743 of 'em surrounded by water
Visit and prove us wrong.

San Juan Islands, The land of Milk & Honey, if the ferry delivers it.

San Juan Islands, Where $3.00 a gallon gas is a bargain.

San Juan Islands, Even our Jails are scenic!

As you can see we really need some serious slogans! You can do better than this. We are still accepting entries! Now that you get the idea send them in right away to:
editor@islandguardian.com.
Or stop me on the street and tell me your slogan. I will try to remember it.