(because its too embarrasing for words, otherwise.)

Seattle unveils slogan: ‘metronatural’ 

 

SEATTLE – When Washington state announced its new tourism slogan last spring, Pike Place Market vendor Kenny Telesco was willing to give it a chance. He practiced saying it with “jazz hands” and asked tourists to “SayWA” as they posed for photos. But he’s not sure he can stomach Seattle’s new tourism slogan, unveiled Friday in 18-foot-tall letters atop the Space Needle: “metronatural.” 

“How do you use that in a sentence?” Telesco asked. “‘Welcome to Metronatural.’ … It’s an airport where you can buy organic bananas.” 

Others suggested “metronatural” evoked an urban nudist camp and speculated about whether it would last longer than “SayWA,” which the state dropped recently because it failed to catch on. 

“Metronatural” is the result of a 16-month, $200,000 effort by Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. The bureau plans to spend $300,000 marketing the slogan, which will largely be targeted at generating business for the Washington Convention and Trade Center. 

The idea behind “metronatural” was to capture that “Seattle offers the best of both worlds,” visitors bureau president Don Welsh said in a statement. “We have a vibrant urban center surrounded by pristine wilderness and outdoor recreation.” 

A sampling of vendors and tourists at Pike Place Market, one of the city’s premier attractions, suggested that Seattle doesn’t need a slogan, let alone one that plays on that buzzword of yesteryear “metrosexual.” 

That’s the approach that Vancouver, British Columbia, took when it updated its tourism marketing. Instead of having a tag line, advertisements simply say “Tourism Vancouver,” with a large “V” styled to resemble an Olympic medal hanging from an athlete’s neck. 

It was Vancouver’s decision to update its slogan that prompted Seattle to follow suit. Seattle’s seldom-seen old slogan, developed in 1999, was a picture of an eye, an “at” symbol and the letter L: “See-At-L.” 

A look at the city’s tourism industry would seem to suggest it’s been doing fine without the new slogan. A record 9.1 million people visited Seattle last year, according to the visitors bureau. The cruise port is bustling, and the convention center drew nearly 400,000 people last year. 

“Metro” and “natural” are “not two words that impress me as words that are going to stick out in someone’s mind, like you want a slogan to stick out in someone’s mind,” said John Silas, a 30-year market veteran who makes and sells hardwood cribbage boards. “The idea feels sterile and commercial and it’s lacking the heart of Seattle.” 

Tour guide Dick Falkenberry said he had heard all about the new slogan. 

“It’s ‘SayWA.’ No, wait, it’s worse than ‘SayWA,'” he said. “It’s ‘urban-metro.'” 

Close enough. 

By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer 

On the Net: http://www.metronatural.com/

(my thanks to Diane Saarien for sharing this — its too late now, but for next year…)

Love Your Body Day Celebrates Women’s Bodies, Takes On Advertisers

October 17, 2006

October 18, 2006, marks the National Organization for Women Foundation’s ninth annual Love Your Body Day.

In response to unhealthy and exploitive images of women in the media, NOW Foundation established the Love Your Body Campaign to promote positive, healthy images of women and girls, protest harmful and offensive advertisements, and raise awareness about women’s health issues.

“Love Your Body Day is a day of action designed to combat the impossible beauty standards promoted by airbrushed advertising, Hollywood and the fashion industry,” says NOW Foundation President Kim Gandy. “We encourage women and girls to celebrate themselves on Love Your Body Day and every day,” says Gandy.

The goal of the NOW Foundation Love Your Body campaign isn’t to sway women from purchasing and wearing cosmetics or trendsetting clothing. Rather, the campaign advocates for women to be informed consumers—defining clearly what makes them feel healthy and comfortable with their bodies, on their own terms.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) 80 percent of women express dissatisfaction with their appearance, and the Love Your Body campaign is taking steps to reverse the trend.

Women and girls across the nation will be leading a variety of actions this Wednesday, October 18. Some groups are throwing parties to design posters to use for rallies. Others have decided to create and wear “beauty pageant-style” sashes with positive messages. Campus groups are planning a variety of events to raise awareness about body image.