View Full Version : Downtown OKC Tagline Needed



Luke
09-02-2004, 10:05 PM
Downtown OKC is wanting a tagline as noted in this article:

http://newsok.com/article/1307860/?template=business/main

Any suggestions?

mranderson
09-03-2004, 09:43 AM
What has our theme been for several years? Rennaisance. So...

"Experience the Renaisance."

Joe Schmoe
09-03-2004, 11:41 AM
"It's not so big that you could get lost..."

or how about,

"The hottest 5 blocks in Oklahoma."




:D

mranderson
09-03-2004, 01:06 PM
What do you guys think of this one?

"Expereince Bricktown. Let US show YOU the door."

downtownguy
09-03-2004, 08:18 PM
My suggestion is "Dare to Dream."
It's the perfect tag that was true a century ago, true now, and hopefully, a century from now, and it's unlike anything I've seen for any other downtown. My complete pitch for this can be read at www.downtownguy.blogspot.com

-The Downtown Guy
www.downtownguy.blogspot.com

floater
09-03-2004, 10:55 PM
Some ideas I'll throw in:

"Downtown OKC: Your Friendly Neighborhood Hotspot"

Yeah, it's cop-off of some other brands. It conveys that downtown truly is a residential neighborhood -- one that's very exciting.

"Make it your place."

This is to reflect the different activities offered downtown: you can do what you like. It also extends a sense of ownership downtown, encouraging businesses and residents to be a part of the renaissance.)

"Simply Electric"

Used against the backdrop of the neon lights in Auto Alley and Bricktown.

Patrick
09-03-2004, 11:00 PM
Hmmm. I know I'm not very creative. But, why not steal the old Penn Square theme...."Downtown OKC. The One and Only"

Okay, I like downtownguy's suggestion!

Nuclear_2525
09-03-2004, 11:46 PM
I like the word electric. Lets come up with some more themes with that word in it. I think that is one of the best words that could be used to talk about Brictown. It also needs to be something short and sweet that will stick in peoples heads when they hear it. People will forget something that is too long. And what do you know...electricity rhymes with Oklahoma City! So really you could just use the phrase "Oklahoma City Electricity" or something to that effect.

HOT ROD
09-07-2004, 11:17 PM
This is a tough one. We all voted for "The Renaissance City" as a moniker in our past forums, but a tagline needs to say something catchy - more than a moniker.

Mr. Anderson's idear, "Embrace the Renaissance" is catchy as it has our moniker and a catchy ring to it. Perhaps, we could come up with something more upscale - using words like Eclectic, Eccentric, and Sophistocated(sp).

For now I like "Eclectic Downtown Oklahoma City, Embrace the Renaissance" as the tagline or even "Eclectic Oklahoma City, Embrace the Renaissance!"

To me, those are catchy and allow us to permanently adopt our moniker - Oklahoma City, The Renaissance City. It also allows us to have meaning with our signature, Continue the Renaissance!

I am just glad the city is looking for monikers and taglines. This is a great step in the right direction - for an Oklahoma City National/International Marketing Campaign!!! Don't you guys think? :)

floater
09-08-2004, 07:32 AM
I like the tagline for our group, Continue the Renaissance! But I'm disinclined to use it for Downtown OKC simply because many other cities have used the word in theirs (Pittsburgh and Newark, among others). I would like us to be more original even though I never tire of hearing or pronouncing the word.

I like the words "embrace"and "experience" because it invites people to ride the wave of downtown OKC's success. If we can include one of them in a concise logo, that would work, too. And I still like "electric" or "electricity". If anything, we're destined to have an "e" word in the logo!!

Luke
09-08-2004, 04:10 PM
Some random thoughts...

All around the state Oklahoma City is simply known as "The City". Being raised in a small town, Sulphur, we'd come up to the city quite a bit to do business. Usually it was to buy groceries or household goods and of course we'd normally make a day of it by visiting a mall or going to a "real" restaurant. I asked a friend from Broken Arrow if they refer to Tulsa as "The City" thinking that "The City" referred to anywhere you'd go to purposely leave your town to go and do stuff. She told me that "The City" is Oklahoma City to them as well and Tulsa is Tulsa. Anyways, that got me thinking of a tagline like, "OKC: The City." Also, if you take the "C" from "OKC" and stress it when you say it, it could be used as "see". So, when you said it, it would sound like okSEE the city (a push for tourism, "see the city!") I would only write it like "OKC: The City", though.

In a completely different direction, we could take a cue from Gary England's Friday night weather forecast. Nearly every Friday's during thd 7-day forecast he'll say "It's Friday night in the Big Town!" and pump his fist. Heh heh. I always liked OKC referred to as "The Big Town" because while it is a large city it still has a small town feel thanks to the down to earth, nice folks who live here and make this city a great place. So, something about "The Big Town" would be a cool moniker as well.

Just some thoughts. What do you think?

HOT ROD
09-08-2004, 10:02 PM
Luke, I like your suggestion for OK C - the City!

I think it would really work as a logo of some sort. We could suggest it (and your meaning/explanation) and perhaps a graphics artist could design the logo. We could have the logo, plus a tag line that included our moniker.

LOGO OK C - the city [graphically designed of course] then, Experience the Renaissance! as the tagline.

Floater, while you are right that Newark and Pitt used Renaissance as a moniker, Detroit and Cleveland has also. Now tell me if any of those cities are as progressive as OKC? Heck, all of them are smaller than OKC except Detroit! And none of them have the synergy going on in their downtowns!

I say! It is OUR TIME - to be the Renaissance City. While others tried and failed with it, it really STICKS to Oklahoma City! Look at what we have done, minds we have and are changing, and the simple fact that OKC is - well - a tourist attraction! Who would have known 10 years ago that people would be planning trips to OKC for a vacation?

Well, after our Renaissance of Downtown, we have created pride for our city. People initially came in because of the National Memorial or a Convention - but then, they said - "We need to come back, for a vacation!!!"

That's Renaissance! and OKC is The Renaissance City!

Here's a tagline tying in Luke's, Nuclear's Electricity, et al suggestion as well as our moniker,

OK C - The Renaissance City! [as a graphic logo] with tag saying after the logo, Experience the Electricity!

We put that on EVERY official and marketing material for OKC and make a better BIG CITY ccvb website [instead of the small towne western one we have - announcing the incorrect fact that OKC has 12,000 hotel rooms (its way more than that)].

Nuclear_2525
09-08-2004, 10:35 PM
Whatever happens, OKC needs to come up with a commercial on par with the ones about the state as a whole that show on T.V. now...You know the ones that say OKLACOOL and OKLASOUL etc. I think that commercial swept the national awards for best tourism commercial or something like that. Everytime I see it now, it says something about all the awards it won. Anyway, OKC needs to hire that company to create their commercial.

Luke
09-08-2004, 10:37 PM
Yeah, whoever they hired for the Oklahoma tourism commercials did a really good job. I would definitely be in support of them doing OKC's commercials.

Joe Schmoe
09-09-2004, 09:04 AM
Ackerman McQueen does the OK state ads, they are well connected & huge. I would be surprised if anyone else did the ads.

But possibly they would pick another firm just to make sure that the look & feel was different to the state ads.

What ever we choose, I hope it is original & not a sad take off of some other city's slogan. Sometimes that seems like what we do best here. Make a one tenth scale imitation of someone else's ideas.

I'd like to be pleasantly surprised.

"OKC, surprisingly City like."

"OKC, biggest small town in the US!"

"Almost Urban."

"OKC not really a cowtown anymore... really."

I love OKC, but I don't often see the adventuresome attitudes here that I see in other large Cities. Still very parochial.

mranderson
09-09-2004, 09:25 AM
Joe: When you said we tend to copy others, that is also one of our problems.

I wish the state would change to a smaller agency instead of Ackerman & McQueen. Smaller companies tend to spend more time with clients instead of being a production mill. Plus, there is speculation that Ackerman & McQueen may pull out of Oklahoma City and move to their San Francisco office.

We need to get away from terms like "small," "medium," "frontier", "Native America," and anything else that gives the illusion that we are a bunch of skol chewing, Coors guzzeling, cow roping hicks. And that we are a small or medium city.

The recent traffic rankings said we were a "medium" sized city. Whomever came up with that is nuts... Or has never been here. We are NOT "medium." The Oklahoma City metro is among the 50 largest cities in the nation. With thousands of cities, that is by no means medium. That is major. We have nearly 1.3 million people. In fact, Oklahoma City proper has more people than Atlanta, St. Louis, and many others. Our traffic is no worse than theirs is. In fact, our traffic, all though a smaller scale, is no different than Los Angeles. The people who think LA's traffic is a nightmare, are viewing it from the illusion television gives.

I want our slogan to be different and reflect a new, modern, cosmoplitian image. Not a dustbowl, "Grapes of Wrath" mentality. Across the nation, we are still a laughing stock. We need to re-educate the country about what we are REALLY like.

That is why expressions like "Renaissance" draw appeal. Plus, hit the networks. I can not recall any time I have seen commercials about Oklahoma in any other state other than Oklahoma. We need no advertsing here. We need it across America. If states like Wyoming and New Mexico can do it, we should be able to. After all, the entire state of Wyoming, population wise, is smaller than Oklahoma City proper.

Large agencies like Ackerman & McQueen can not see the future. They see the past. :o

Nuclear_2525
09-09-2004, 12:39 PM
I kind of wondered about that too. I always see the Oklahoma commercial here in OK...but never in TX where it should be playing or any other state.

The commercial for OKC shouldn't just focus on tourism, it should also focus on attracting companies and people to move here...not just visit.

Nuclear_2525
09-09-2004, 12:44 PM
Look at Floater's tagline above his OKC picture. The last two sentences. Why not use that...when I just now read it for the first time...it really caught my attention.

You're in the City. Oklahoma City. ? I think it sounds great.

mranderson
09-09-2004, 01:46 PM
Actually, if his line is used, it would be "Relax. You're in the city... Oklahoma City."

Better than most, however, it still fails to show what the new Oklahoma City is.

Joking, I said "let us show you the door." That could work. Imagine a man wearing a tux with gloves, maybe a "Mr. Roarke" type ("Fantasy Island"). He starts by walking toward a doorway. He says in a soothing voice "relax, you're in the city, Oklahoma City... Let us show you the door." He opens the door and what do you see? The canal, Ford Center, bricktown at night, the stadium, Harkins, Bass Pro, and more. The he ends with "Oklahoma City... Experience the Renaissance."

Bold. Modern, soothing, non cowboy and Indian.

What do you guys think?

floater
09-10-2004, 07:09 AM
That would be funny, mranderson. And to the point. Ricardo Montalban (sp?) -- his elegant look and voice would be both effective and a comical play on his Fantasy Island past. But once he opens the door and shows the canal, the Chesapeake Boathouse and pier, and other things you mentioned...it would turn heads, especially of those on the coasts.

And nuclear, that signature line is the product of listening to too many smooth jazz radio commercials.

floater
11-05-2004, 12:21 PM
Well, instead of "Let Us Show You the Door", or "City Electricity", or "OK C - the City", for the Downtown OKC tagline we have various versions of "Going Up" -- Drink Up, Eat Up, Listen Up -- to show the direction downtown OKC is headed. It's okay, I'll take it. It indicates we're moving forward, but at the same time, doesn't overpromise. I wanna see the logos and graphics before I make judgment. Here is the link to the article, for some reason I can't copy the text:

http://www.newsok.com/article/1354902/?template=business/main

What do you guys and gals think about this slogan?

mranderson
11-05-2004, 01:05 PM
Leave it to the little advertising talent pool this state has to create a lame set of lines based on "going up."

I may be biased in this next comment, but I also like clever ideas. My idea based on "let us show you the door," shows creativity and shows potential tourists a lot of places we have to offer.

I will have to see the spots to really judge, but I bet they are as lame as "Native America."

floater
11-05-2004, 03:20 PM
Yeah, I wish we had more ad agencies here in OKC -- there seem to be just a handful of them -- Ackerman, Jordan Associates, Third Degree, etc. But in Ackerman McQueen I think we have a great, nationally-respected agency.

I actually loved the Native America campaign they did. Made me proud to be an Oklahoman. I still have my "Native America" licence plate because the lettering is cool. The black background set off well with the native colors and landscapes. The music to the ads (the melody still plays in my mind) matched well with the theme and was exciting. I still remember the voice to the natural history history museum ad, "where long ago...isn't far away". Dazzling stuff.

But yeah, "Going Up" (kind of tells you the copywriters worked in multistory buildings) seems low concept and unremarkable. I think they can make it better by having as many variations as possible -- Shoot Up (fountains and that yearly 3-3 tournament, not what you're thinking), Get Up (bike along the trail, or Halloween party costume), Fix Up (older buildings), Throw Up (as in weekly Catholic priest exorcisms at St. Joseph's cathedral), Kick Up (dancing, as in your heels, or whatever soccer takes place next to Sycamore Square), or Play Up (baseball, or stage center plays). If Downtown OKC truly runs with this, it could be effective.

mranderson
11-05-2004, 03:28 PM
Yeah, I wish we had more ad agencies here in OKC -- there seem to be just a handful of them -- Ackerman, Jordan Associates, Third Degree, etc. But in Ackerman McQueen I think we have a great, nationally-respected agency.

I actually loved the Native America campaign they did. Made me proud to be an Oklahoman. I still have my "Native America" licence plate because the lettering is cool. The black background set off well with the native colors and landscapes. The music to the ads (the melody still plays in my mind) matched well with the theme and was exciting. I still remember the voice to the natural history history museum ad, "where long ago...isn't far away". Dazzling stuff.

But yeah, "Going Up" (kind of tells you the copywriters worked in multistory buildings) seems low concept and unremarkable. I think they can make it better by having as many variations as possible -- Shoot Up (fountains and that yearly 3-3 tournament, not what you're thinking), Get Up (bike along the trail, or Halloween party costume), Fix Up (older buildings), Throw Up (as in weekly Catholic priest exorcisms at St. Joseph's cathedral), Kick Up (dancing, as in your heels, or whatever soccer takes place next to Sycamore Square), or Play Up (baseball, or stage center plays). If Downtown OKC truly runs with this, it could be effective.

I will not shoot up. However, I might throw up, get up, and kick up. Vomit, get up and turn the channel, and kick up a tantrum for another bad local ad campain.

At least it is not the Jerky emporium or that place "where working women shop." Get my .357 and aim for the tube! :Smiley275

floater
11-05-2004, 09:47 PM
Lol mranderson. But let's see how the slogan is presented.

Luke
11-05-2004, 10:29 PM
Come on guys, don't give "up". :) As floater says, let's give it a chance.