A month or two ago, Wisconsin revealed its stupid, unoriginal, and slightly embarrassing new logo and slogan:
On an evening stroll through my neighborhood I saw a tavern had posted this response:
It’s unfortunately a much more accurate summary of our state’s culture of overindulgence, so that’s kind of pathetic, but I still found it a dang funny response to a ridiculous waste of tax-payer dollars. Live like you mean it? Oh right, by doing a cartwheel! Wisconsin just sounds so enticing – I want to go to there! Sorry, I feel that discussions about ineffective and/or obnoxious advertising is one place where sarcasm is warranted.
Also on my neighborhood walk, the marquee makes it official! Get excited…
I love my little neighborhood. And sometimes I love my state. Like today… come on state legislature, you can do it! Pass that smoking ban!
13 Comments
Not that I disagree with you, but I just want to stick up for WI a tiny bit and say that we definitely aren’t alone as a state in the area of overindulgence… it’s a bit wide spread problem in this country.
And also, I have my fingers crossed for the smoking ban.
Well, statistically we are #1 in binge drinking… there are other states who come close, but we really do lead the pack http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hea_alc_con_bin_dri-health-alcohol-consumption-binge-drinkers
I think we just get used to it, but people from out of state will often say they are surprised by the culture of alcohol here! But yeah, if we pass that smoking ban I’ll overlook the alcohol thing. Aside from drunk driving (which we also, sadly, hold the high statistics for) alcohol use does not impact everyone in the room the way that smoking does. It seems so obvious to me that it should be illegal to subject people to carcinogens!
Also, this one
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/23/health/main4036542.shtml
One blogger’s take on the new slogan, including his re-designed logo:
http://milwaukeeversus.blogspot.com/2009/03/wisconsin.html
nice! i guess it’s the natural next step for those of us who feel the need to mock the logo… i had no idea about bacardi!
Hey cool … you noticed that “new” logo! The one that from a distance looks like a RED X over Wisconsin (take that as you will, hopefully you are not rating our fine state). What do you think … is that better than “Wisconsin – On Demand”?
On Demand is here: http://commerce.wi.gov/
I’m with Breena, frankly. 6 months of winter? I have a hard time wanting to do a cartwheel over that, let alone being able to for fear of breaking a hip.
Now I know what you’re gonna say “if you don’t like it you should move”, which is true, but first wisconsin has to fix its budget deficeit so that I can actually get my job back, so I can earn enough money to move away from a state that prevents me from doing cartwheels because of six months of winter. Phew!
As a side-note, I love the Barrymore. I saw They Might Be Giants there when I was 17. Mother Fool’s is the greatest coffee shop ever, incidentally.
Now, granted I am not a graphic designer. I am a lowly first year Industrial design major HOWEVER by my rather limited education in the world of design this thing is just plain awful! As someone stated he person forms an “x” over “Wisconsin”. Worse still the X is RED! The color scheme reminds me of Christmas, which reminds me of winter, which reminds me of Wisconsin’s climate (was that intentional?). The logo is not even pleasing to look at! The typography doesn’t fit the feel of the random cartwheel. Urgh I could go on and on.
Now this has me curious as to what my state’s logo is, though. Where would I find that O_o?
Well … the “You Are On” image might come close to the state’s logo. See this page on the Wisconsin Portal: http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/acceptable_use_policy.html#linktoportal
And of course there is the state seal (not to be confused with an antarctic seal – do seals live there?). Not sure where to point you for that … but it is real similar to the State Coat of Arms: http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_symbols.html
(that page also tells you about the official state soil)
What I heard was that Bacardi did not “renew” their slogan (as a trademark, servicemark, whatever) and so the State of Wisconsin grabbed it. True!
Cost to create that logo? $250,000 or just $50,000, um…
http://www.wisn.com/news/19381946/detail.html
Did you see the video produced for Wisconsin’s 2009 Governor’s Conference used to introduce the states new logo and tag line? Here: http://vimeo.com/4135058
Per Thomas O’Guinn, UW-Madison marketing professor and executive director of the school’s Center for Brand and Product Management:
“It says we’re not going to be a bunch of wet blankets,” he said. “We’re not going to stand in the way of you having fun. It signals, come up here, have a great time, we’re not going to bother you a whole lot. Hedonism is okay. Fun is okay. As these slogans go, I think it’s pretty good.”
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090316/OSH0101/90316015/1128&located=RSS (Come to Wisconsin where hedonism is OK … um, not my choice for a slogan)
And … the smoking ban passed! Read about it: http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/451112