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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- If they're catchy enough and emote "Utah," the right three to five words could be worth millions to the state's economy.
State tourism officials and advertising experts are nearly ready to unveil a new "brand" to promote Utah around the world. The slogan will become the focal point of marketing campaigns that they hope will attract high-spending tourists and businesses.
But picking the right brand is a tricky business.
Susan Rugh, an associate professor of history at Brigham Young University who has researched Utah's branding history, said brands are especially important as people search for vacation destinations on the Internet.
"Price is often not as big a determinant as you might think when people are planning their travel, and with people doing their investigations online, it (a good brand) is more critical than it ever was," said Rugh, who is writing a book about the post-World War II family vacation.
This won't be the state's first crack at branding. In the 1940s and 1950s, the state used slogans such as "Utah, the Friendly State," "Utah, Land of Color" and "Utah, the Unique." More recently, "Ski Utah," "A Pretty, Great State" and "The Greatest Snow on Earth" emerged, although not all were official state brands.
Utah's current brand, "Utah! Where Ideas Connect," was unveiled in August 2001 by then-Gov. Mike Leavitt. But it's not getting much use nowadays.
This year's brand selection is different, because it has a lot of taxpayer money riding on it. Backed by $10 million in tourism promotion money this fiscal year and additional millions expected after that, the Utah Office of Tourism is working with Salt Lake advertising agency W Communications and others to pick a brand.
W Communications President Mark Hurst has said it will reveal "the look of Utah," "the soul of Utah" and "the sound of Utah," all composing the "emotional core of Utah."
"It seems every state is out for the tourism dollar and getting every buck they can get from people traveling and visiting," said Randy Stroman, who came up with "Utah: A Pretty, Great State" while at ad agency Fotheringham and Associates. "They're all hitting it hard to come up with something unique."
From the outset, Rugh saw a couple major challenges for Utah branders. Geography is a Utah strong point, but the diversity of its geography makes developing an all-encompassing brand difficult, she said. Utah's religious history is unique among states, she said, but any emphasis on that could turn off some potential visitors.
While Rugh has no specific brand suggestions, she sees in the "I Love New York" and "Virginia Is For Lovers" brands a way Utah could approach it.
"Neither tells you anything about the state, really, but they've been successful," Rugh said. "The same with New Mexico's 'Land of Enchantment.' It plays on the Native American heritage, and that's a good platform for them. Utah can't really do that, play on the Mormon heritage. Maybe something like 'Land of Color,' because 'land' has kind of a Native American resonance to it," Rugh told the Deseret Morning News.
Because of the millions in taxpayer dollars involved, the pressure is more intense. A couple years ago, the state's marketing and promotion budget was $900,000.
Suggestions from the public during a "branding tour" and feedback from focus groups have helped officials refine their options.
Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism, said tourism officials will likely stick with the successful "Greatest Snow On Earth" tag line to promote Utah's ski industry.
Hinting at Utah's new brand, she said the essence will be "to elevate." "Aspirational" is another word describing it, she said.
Utah isn't having a statewide contest to pick a winner -- the Utah Board of Tourism Development has final say -- but Utah tourism officials and W Communications execs received many suggestions when they visited more than a dozen cities. A stop at the Salt Palace yielded these: "All Five Senses In One Place," "Good, Clean Fun," "As Close To Heaven As It Gets," "Get Out Here," "Connect With Yourself," "Expanding Horizons" and "The World Is Still Welcome."
Utah had a brand picked out but found during a registration process that it was too similar to one used by the Colorado Ski Association. The association's was "Enter a Higher State." Utah officials wouldn't reveal their initial proposal.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
