Kansas City to blitz Omaha

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 9:42 pm

Kansas.com wrote: New promo bills Kansas City as place for 'New Discoveries Daily'

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A new marketing slogan pushing Kansas City as a tourist destination, due for official unveiling next month, boosts the community as a place offering "New Discoveries Daily."

Jill Raines, marketing director for the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City, unveiled the new slogan and accompanying three-color image of the local skyline this week. It's subject to last-minute change before the bureau's annual luncheon on April 13, but board members gave overwhelming support with a show of hands on Tuesday.

Raines said "Kansas City: New Discoveries Daily" won out over another slogan "Kansas City: Open for Discovery," which is still favored by some.

"I liked 'Open,'" said the bureau's president, Rick Hughes. "People got hung up and thought it was more a discovery of the past than our future and all the new things downtown."

The bureau's chairman, Bill George, said he thought the "Open for Discovery" line "put us too much back into cowtown," while the "New Discoveries" slogan "stands on its own and will do wonderful things for the city."

The new slogan replaces "A flavor all its own," adopted in 2001 and marketed with barbecue images and a glowing neon heart logo. For about three years before that, boosters promoted Kansas City as a place with "No mountain. No beach. No problem." Raines figures the new slogan should be good for at least five years.

Gene Brown, a marketing and advertising professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, called the new slogan good, fresh and colorful.

"And it's got a great message," he said. "The purpose of tourism is discovery. I always like the direct approach. It's a very positive message."

The convention and visitors bureau kicks of a $1 million advertising campaign next month. It includes a television blitz promoting Kansas City as a weekend and leisure visit destination, and will air in markets such as Oklahoma City, Wichita, Kan., Springfield, Mo., Omaha, Neb., and Des Moines, Iowa.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 9:51 pm

Why don't we do stuff like this? I have seen tons of Missourri Commercials on tv and I'll shoot myslef in the head if I hear that Adventureland song again. We have plenty to offer that people should make a drive for. Also some adds aimed at locals would be great too.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 10:21 pm

It would be nice if all the Convention and Visitors Bureaus in the metro could work together on one COMBINED marketing effort for tourism, like the KC metro does. If each wants to do additional marketing beyond that, fine, but it's time to stop being so territorial between cities.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 10:34 pm

okay... I have to say that slogan kind of sucks.

but yeah, why don't we do that stuff, etc...

guy4omaha · Post by **guy4omaha** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 3:38 am

That slogan is the worst I can remember. It is difficult to say. At least "Omaha: Rare. Well Done." was not a tongue twister.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:25 am

Yeah, Omaha: Rare Well Done was bad but for completely different reasons (i.e. it's cheesy!).

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 1:56 pm

guy4omaha wrote:That slogan is the worst I can remember.

No way, if at least we expand that to proposed slogans, that honor would have to go to ex-IA gov. Terry Branstad's proposed slogan for Iowa in the mid-80s that was supposed to pay homage to the state's education excellence - Iowa: A State of Minds. Mercifully, that one was never enacted.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:19 pm

The problem with the KC slogan, other than the tongue twister aspect, is that it's vague. Who is discovering what? Is Kansas City discovering things, or the people who go there discovering things? And also it doesn't make any definate statement about KC, like "We're a great city, come visit us!"

I think a better slogan would be like "Kansas City: we'll knock your damn socks off!"

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 8:03 pm

Kansas City: Wish we were Omaha!

RockHarbor · Post by **RockHarbor** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 5:03 am

I think "Open to Discovery" was much better. First of all, it doesn't throw the city back into its cowtown days, it merely is saying "We're open for business and discovery." I agree that the chosen saying is more of a tongue-twister or something.

Looking at KC's old saying "No ocean. No mountains. No problem." reminds me so much of the fact that KC seems to give off an insecure vibe about being located in the Midwest. I like KC, but I think they need to get over that, and stop giving out that vibe. You don't see Omaha, Minneapolis, Des Moines, St. Louis, etc. giving that insecure vibe. Those cities seem more content and proud to be in the Midwest. I think KC will benefit with having that same attitude. Making a big deal over the fact that your NOT insecure, makes you look even more insecure.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:04 am

I actually liked the "Flavor All It's Own" one. The logo for it wasn't bad either.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 3:23 pm

I think you guys are looking a little too deeply into this. It's a CVB slogan that will change in 3 years...I've never gone or not gone to a city based on their cheezy CVB slogans. It's a sidenote on the letterhead and an ending to a TV commercial. Heck I still thought "A flavor all it's own" was pretty new and now it's gone.

GoWest · Post by **GoWest** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 10:45 pm

icejammer wrote:
guy4omaha wrote:That slogan is the worst I can remember.
No way, if at least we expand that to proposed slogans, that honor would have to go to ex-IA gov. Terry Branstad's proposed slogan for Iowa in the mid-80s that was supposed to pay homage to the state's education excellence - Iowa: A State of Minds. Mercifully, that one was never enacted.

I didn't really care for the "Iowa, you make me smile" slogan either. But it did make me kind of chuckle under my breath.

GoWest · Post by **GoWest** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 10:51 pm

DTO Luv wrote: I'll shoot myslef in the head if I hear that Adventureland song again.

I sometimes feel the same about "Great faces, great places, South Dakota".

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:37 pm

GoWest wrote:
DTO Luv wrote: I'll shoot myslef in the head if I hear that Adventureland song again.
I sometimes feel the same about "Great faces, great places, South Dakota".

I don't think either are quite as bad as the commercial West Virginia use to run (probably just on the travel channel) where all these tourists sang that terrible "West Virginia, Mountain Home" song.

Is anybody waiting by their mail box with as much anticipation for this year's issue of "The Iowa Traveler's Guide" as I am?

DMRyan · Post by **DMRyan** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:59 pm

^
It's pretty hot trust me!

The Danish Windmill in Elkhorn deserves its own section.

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 1:37 am

I always liked the South Dakota jingle. It was original and the music and lyrics were really kind of cool too. I think Omaha will step up its marketing efforts soon.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:09 am

Omaha's slogan should either be:

"Omaha: Omaha"

Or the slightly longer:

"Omaha: It's Omaha"

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:20 am

"Omaha...You Got a Problem With That?"

or

"Omaha...We Got Your Sister Pregnant"

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:07 am

No Swift I think you are mistaking us for New Jersey, where the slogan used to be "What are you lookin at?"

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:20 am

Omaha: Love it or DTO will be at your house!

guy4omaha · Post by **guy4omaha** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 4:40 am

Swift wrote: "Omaha...We Got Your Sister Pregnant"

Oh man, get me that bumper sticker. By the way, who is your sister?

KansasCityCraka · Post by **KansasCityCraka** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 2:51 am

DTO Luv wrote:Kansas City: Wish we were Omaha!

You wish!

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 3:03 am

Why wish. We are Omaha.

KansasCityCraka · Post by **KansasCityCraka** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 12:51 am

DTO Luv wrote:Why wish. We are Omaha.

I know that's why I said it.

sokkerdewd · Post by **sokkerdewd** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 1:46 am

Sorry to resurrect this one, but...

DTO Luv wrote:Why don't we do stuff like this? I have seen tons of Missourri Commercials on tv and I'll shoot myslef in the head if I hear that Adventureland song again. We have plenty to offer that people should make a drive for. Also some adds aimed at locals would be great too.

One of Mayor Fahey's goals for his second term is to nearly double tourism funding. Right now, Omaha spends less on its CVB than Des Moines, and is on par with places like Duluth (1/5 the size, but fairly touristy.)

sokkerdewd · Post by **sokkerdewd** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 1:47 am

Sorry to resurrect this one, but...

DTO Luv wrote:Why don't we do stuff like this? I have seen tons of Missourri Commercials on tv and I'll shoot myslef in the head if I hear that Adventureland song again. We have plenty to offer that people should make a drive for. Also some adds aimed at locals would be great too.

One of Mayor Fahey's second-term goals is to nearly double tourism funding. Right now Omaha spends less on its CVB than Des Moines, and is on par with places like Duluth (1/5 the size, but fairly touristy in its own rite.)