With ‘easy,' ‘apple' taken, city seeks ‘Big Friendly'

By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

Appearing before a gathering hosted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, Centennial Commission director Blake Wade said Thursday his office has applied for a trademark for "the Big Friendly” just in case Oklahoma City might want it as a catchphrase.
"I really like to think of that ‘Big Friendly' as an opportunity our fathers might want to look at — is Oklahoma City a friendly city?” Wade said. "And I think absolutely it is.”

Wade presented a slideshow of Centennial-sponsored projects completed since the commission was formed in 1999. In Oklahoma City alone, they include the Capitol dome, the Oklahoma History Center, the United Way fountain and plaza in Lower Bricktown, clocks throughout the metro area and several downtown murals. Coming up: the American Indian Cultural Center, Jim Thorpe sports hall of fame, completion of the Land Run Monument, and the Oklahoma Heritage Association's new museum in the Mid-Continent Life Insurance building.

"Between public, private, federal, grant funds and sponsorships, we've seen more than $90 million (impact),” Wade said. "The economic impact of all these projects in the future will be unbelievable for Oklahoma City and Oklahoma.”

Wade said his mission, launched with an appointment by then Gov. Frank Keating, had an unremarkable start with a presentation on the dome to a crowd in Fairview. The audience walked out, Wade said, reflecting an estimated 49 percent of the population against completing the Capitol dome at that time.

Now, Wade says, it's difficult to find anyone not proud of the new state landmark. Wade said his staff had to work hard to place projects across the state, but concluded that task has been accomplished. While working with smaller towns, Wade learned residents were scared to come to the Capitol, with its lead-in being a Lincoln Boulevard blighted with old motels, dilapidated buildings and seedy businesses.

That fear led to Lincoln Renaissance, a redevelopment of the stretch that included removal of blighted businesses and creation of tree-lined boulevard leading to and from the Capitol.

"I've heard from all over the state of how one of the most beautiful views is coming into the Capitol from the north or south,” Wade said.

Wade said upcoming events will be a boom to the city, including the Oklahoma Centennial Expo, the Oklahoma Centennial Parade and "The Spectacular,” a concert scheduled for Oct. 14 that he promises will feature some of Oklahoma's best-known performers.

Wade said the only barrier to capturing another $16 million in private funding is whether the required matching money will be provided in the closing weeks of the legislative session.

"We have the $16 million in these small communities, and we desperately need the matching dollars to complete the overall mission for the Oklahoma Centennial,” Wade said.

Among those listening to Wade's pitch was veteran Oklahoma City ad man and civic booster Ray Ackerman, who applauded the possibility of trademarking "the Big Friendly” — an idea thought up by fellow civic booster Lee Allan Smith.

"I wish it were my idea — it's Lee Allan Smith's idea,” Ackerman said. "I can't think of anything better for Oklahoma City. The people who don't think it's so good say ‘Everybody thinks they're friendly.' Well that's what makes it so good for us to get it trademarked.”

I can't decide if I like it or not.

You're just being unfriendly.


Just kidding..

I'm with you JBrown ... I sort of like it.. but I'm wondering if it's a little 'hokey'...

New Orleans - Big Easy
New York - Big Apple

Oklahoma - Big Friendly

hmmmm, I'll have to think about it .. (after I go have a road rage incident and cut someone off ).. lol - I'm so friendly!

Any other biggies?

It's certainly a nice complement to the "Drive Friendly" signs I used to see all the time on the turnpikes.

I think the Big Friendly is a great nickname and in my experience it's dead-on accurate.

Karried, I think your concerns about hokeyness are not without merit, but let's face it, how many nicknames out there lack any semblence of hokeyness? Nicknames are supposed to be highly casual creatures and thus there's always going to be a cheese factor with which to reckon.

My wife and I had a lengthy discussion about this over coffee, and decided that we would prefer "The Friendly City" because A. It's appropriate and B. "The Windy City" is already taken. Running a tight second place was "Oklahoma City...Global Warming Free and Proud Of It"!!!

I prefer "The Big Friendly" over "The Friendly City".

Considering our ranking on National obesity stats, maybe "Big" IS more appropriate...

I don't have a problem with it. (But, I'm just friendly like that.) :Smiley077

I don't have a problem with it. (But, I'm just friendly like that.) :Smiley077

:congrats:

"The Big Friendly" is really cheezy, but so is the Big Apple and the Big Easy. If we throw a paramount PR campaign, packaged with a team Stern sends our way (hopefully not the Supersonics), MAPS3, CoreToShore, inflated smaller campaigns, and the Centennial, headlined with "the Big Friendly", the name could be a huge payoff.

I think it could work.

Hmm, I'm going to have to think about this while I eat my watermelon vegetable.

I, too, prefer "The Friendly City". I just think it sounds better than ripping off the "Big" prefix.

I, too, prefer "The Friendly City". I just think it sounds better than ripping off the "Big" prefix.

Ditto. The Friendly City sounds great!! Big Friendly sounds too corny...like we are trying too hard to imitate the big apple or big easy

I'm like most everyone else - not sure. My concern would be setting up the city for a big fall with every single visitor. If that "Big Friendly" is promoted heavily, it takes just one cold and lifeless desk clerk at the hotel to ruin the whole thing for a visitor who came on the "Big Friendly" promotional tag. You can hear it now, "Yeah...real friendly! Huh!" I remember reading somewhere that when San Diego was going to replace the "America's Greatest City" slogan that they considered using "City of Sunshine" or some such thing and realized that all it took was one rainy day, on the wrong day, for a visitor to have the whole thing made a mockery. After all, they do have their "May Gray and June Gloom." It's kinda the same thing. The bar would be raised so high that maybe the friendliest city, not being perfect, could pull it off. I don't know though, it's a tough one.

-------------------

When the Hornets moved in for a couple of years, I came up with "the Big Breezy," which did not catch on. Not that I'm surprised.

Not my town but I'd prefer something a bit more offbeat if it were. After all, OKC just kinda has that reputation, and I mean that in a good way.

Let's face it, it does scream out offbeat to name the airpark after folks who died in a crash. I kinda admire that about the place. 8^)

Considering our ranking on National obesity stats, maybe "Big" IS more appropriate...


Well, maybe we could settle for "Fat and Friendly"

:evilsmile:

Something similar to the Big Friendly is Minnesota Nice. I have family that lives in Minnesota and the Minnesota Nice slogan is everywhere.

Minnesota nice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_nice)

I don't know what to think about it. I like Gary England's coined term the "big town". That says it all.

Something similar to the Big Friendly is Minnesota Nice. I have family that lives in Minnesota and the Minnesota Nice slogan is everywhere.

Minnesota nice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_nice)

I have been to Minneapolis and have relatives in St. Paul, but I have never heard of that. Minnesotans are nice. But a slogan?

I like "Big Town" too, chuckdiesel. I like "Big Friendly" too.

Definitely not Big Town. That will just reconfirm the hickish outsider perception.

I have been to Minneapolis and have relatives in St. Paul, but I have never heard of that. Minnesotans are nice. But a slogan?

I can't believe that you haven't seen or heard of "Minnesota Nice" slogan. They have been using that slogan for many years. At the airport there are all the suvenior shops with "Minnesota Nice" and at any shopping mall you will see all of the same things.

I think that it is one of the things where once you know about it is when you start to see slogan everywhere.

Having said that I don't know how true of a slogan it is, I am not saying that Minnesotans are not NIce, but it is not something that sticks out to you.

This is why I don't like the name "Big Friendly", with a name like that then people start to be more critical if you are not "Friendly".

Why can't we just be Oklahoma City. I like the name Oklahoma City. I really do. It works. We will earn our reputation in years to come.

Besides...self-styled nicknames are juvenile...especially patented ones.

Why can't we just be Oklahoma City. I like the name Oklahoma City. I really do. It works. We will earn our reputation in years to come.

Besides...self-styled nicknames are juvenile...especially patented ones.

To a degree, I agree. We should be the Renaissance city. The name on this thread, to me, is, to be blunt with no offense intended, dumb. Besides that, many people in Oklahoma City are NOT friendly. This city is becoming a very rude city, not unlike the stereotype of New York City.

Besides that, many people in Oklahoma City are NOT friendly. This city is becoming a very rude city...
As spoken by the poster child himself.

I thought we had a nickname already - Loud City

Come on, now. What city really is friendly? There are nice people and rude people everywhere. It just all depends on who you meet or run into. You can't escape evil.

"The Big Friendly" sounds more like something one would order from a fast food joint rather than a city nickname.

And I'm with okcpulse on this one... how can you truly determine that a city is friendly? And if we do decide to go this route, do all of our 'ambassadors' in businesses throughout the city get some additional 'friendly' training... is there a standard they will need to meet?

I don't know where people get NYC is full of rude people. Every time I've been there it's been full of very friendly people. I got invited to dinner at the house of the first lady I talked to on Manhattan Island the first time I ever set foot on it. She was a bus driver and I'd interrupted her lunch with a couple of silly questions.

I also lived in Southern California for the better part of a decade, and those are by far the friendliest and happiest bunch of people I've ever shared space with.

Okay...So maybe the bus driver was going to chop me up and feed me to her cats and Californians are only happy on the outside...But at least they're friendly.

You know, a friend of my sister's was visiting here back in '01 for a week or so, and the very day she came across the people here, she realized and also mentioned to my sister how friendly the people here are, compared to where she was living-Boston. But I've noticed it too, people in Oklahoma City are by far some of the friendliest people, you won't find it getting much better than that. Of course, not every city can have 100% of its population being as being freindly-that would be called utopia, which of course doesn't exist. There are mean people everywhere. You just have to deal with them and move on. That being said, if it's decided that "Big Friendly" be the nickname, I guess I'm fine with it, but either way, what's in a nickname? Just keep building the reputation we have for being one of the friendliest cities and let it speak for itself.

I don't know where people get NYC is full of rude people. Every time I've been there it's been full of very friendly people. I got invited to dinner at the house of the first lady I talked to on Manhattan Island the first time I ever set foot on it. She was a bus driver and I'd interrupted her lunch with a couple of silly questions.

I also lived in Southern California for the better part of a decade, and those are by far the friendliest and happiest bunch of people I've ever shared space with.

Okay...So maybe the bus driver was going to chop me up and feed me to her cats and Californians are only happy on the outside...But at least they're friendly.

Keep in mind, I said stereotype. Actually, I find people in New York City and New Jersey to be VERY friendly. And for the record. Most in California are also. Plus. I just spent a week in Wichita. Oklahoma City can learn from those people. Not one person was even close to being rude.

It always comes down to how you treat people... they usually respond in like fashion..

I think that people on vacation are typically in a better mood ... so usually, the city residents react to that. When you are doing the daily grind...and aren't all that thrilled about it, people will react to that as well.

"Do unto others" and all that

Actually, this reminded me of something.. in all of my travels and living out of state for 40 years.. I have never, ever come across so many chivalrous gentlemen.. from opening doors and being polite and well mannered to giving up seats for other people.

Hats off to those who offer seats to women or the elderly, and to those to rush to open the doors for others.

Seems like The Big Friendly could easily become The Big Phony when visitors have one bad experience.

For what it is worth...

The BFG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_BFG)

Loud City- We aint that friendly anymore-thats good. I would take the friendly city- lets not exaggerate the population, too much.

It's kind of like why you shouldn't put a Christian fish on your car. It's very easy to do something "unChristian" when driving.

Likewise, on top of the corny factor, I think the "raising the bar too high" issue is a very valid point. I hadn't thought of that.

I don't know why we have to superimpose some silly label on the city. We've made the progress we've enjoyed so far without one.

As far as "relative friendliness" goes, people I deal with from out of state always comment at how friendly the people are here in contrast to where they live. They can't believe someone will just smile and say "Hi" to you without some sinister, underlying motive.

-soonerdave

I'd rather us develop a nickname in a natural, organic way, not because Ray Ackerman dictated it so.

I'd rather us develop a nickname in a natural, organic way, not because Ray Ackerman dictated it so.

Agreed!

Besides..."The Big Friendly" sounds like the name of a porn flick.

Haha I thought I was the only one who thought that. Sounds like something you'd find in Urban Dictionary.

Besides..."The Big Friendly" sounds like the name of a porn flick.

Which is why we had it trademarked. Gotta get your revenue somehow.

Speaking of which, and without googling it...does anyone know why Kentucky Fried Chicken changed it's name to KFC and the Kentucky Derby changed to Run for the Roses?

Please tell?

I only know this because I was bored in Iraq and was wanting to learn more about my wife's homestate of Kentucky. In a nutshell, the Commonwealth of Kentucky decided to trademark the name "Kentucky", forcing everyone to pay the Bluegrass State when using the name for commercial purposes.

You can read the rest at...
Source: Urban Legends Reference Page: Lost Legends (Fried and True) (http://www.snopes.com/lost/kfc.htm)

I love useless facts. They make for such great conversation.