My friend, Scuba Mike, recently asked me what I thought about the "Play Enjoy Relax" slogan that's being batted around by MVA.
Any slogan has to be memorable, unique and descriptive. The concepts are there in this slogan, but I can't remember the slogan. The Hyatt hotels have a similar three word slogan that I also can't remember.
There has been a lot written about marketing and branding. Ultimately, business is all about comparisons. We have to be able to clearly define what we stand for and what sets us apart. What is our USP - unique selling point? What words sum up our spirit? There has to be some direct reference to the fact that we're a tropical island with water, warmth, sand. But that isn't enough. After all, there are plenty of places like that in the world. What differentiates us from the rest? In my mind the key features are the indigenous cultures, the diversity of Asian cultures, the rich history, the people, and the fact that we are in fact not developed to the extent as say, Guam -- something raw about the land. Now, you can't have a slogan that says too many things, because, well, then it's an unwieldy paragraph, not a slogan. You have to capture the gist, the essence in just a few words that anyone can remember.
When I let all these thoughts rattle around in my head, something like "Where Asia Meets Paradise" emerges. Or "Meet the People of Paradise," "Meet the Cultures of Paradise."
What do you think are our unique differentiating features? What slogan comes to mind?
9 comments:
Smoke. Shag. Snorkle.
or
Whatever happens in Garapan, stays in Garapan!
or
Saipan: We treat everyone like a corrupt, powerful DC lobbyist!
Those were meant to be funny.
Back to reality:
I think the CNMI's three major selling points are:
1. diverse people
2. unparalleled beauty
3. rich history
Things unique to our islands;
1. Latte Stones
2. Traditional Canoes
3. Chicken Kelaguin
Most people who visit here always remark on how welcoming people are. We should really focus on that. I also always here the word paradise when they talk about us.
I also like your idea of dropping CNMI and Saipan and calling it the Marianas. That way we can shed some of the bad things associated with those words. It also creates something new. People like new.
So, how about:
Marianas, your personal paradise
Marianas, your home away from Nome (for the alaska crowd)
Marianas, welcome home for the first time
or something like that.
If that fails, we can just use the video of EJ jumping on a bed.
Sometimes I think kids have a knack for distilling the obvious. I asked Nava why she loves Saipan, and she rattled off three things:
1. It's a beautiful tropical island. 2. The people are nice.
3. The diversity of the population.
If you have access to them, ask some other kids for their thoughts.
So, Brad, what do you think?
piggy-backing on Angelo's last post on marketing what's in our oceans, I always liked "Watch the stars come out in the day" blue starfish? One lady told me she thought we put them there for the tourist, she had no idea they were real. Come to the Marianas-where the stars come out at dawn! Something like that.
So, Brad, what does your date think?
Does this mean "We accept food stamp" is not in the running?
I like the starfish thing. The tag line, with a picture of a starfish, would be a great promo for a diving or snorkeling campaign.
I can see someone sitting in their office, tie undone, hair dishevelled (spelling?) and needing a vacation. Then I see him sitting on the beach in the daytime, with his feet in the ocean watching the starfish. The only problem is, I'd put a margarita in his hand, but it's kind of early to be drinking.
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