Canada: A slogan not worth the money

Michael PlattThe Calgary Sun

In the middle of a global recession, Calgary, Alberta, wants to spend $1 million to “rebrand” itself, said Michael Platt. Nine years ago, we spent that amount to come up with our current motto, “Heart of the New West.” Sure, it’s “a bit sad and pretty lame as slogans go”—but we’re just starting to get used to it. The welcome signs with the New West logo have been up at the city’s borders for only two years. Shouldn’t we give them a chance to inspire potential tourists before we rip them down and start over? We certainly haven’t noticed any other cities reaping great harvests of tourists with their own expensive slogans. “Toronto’s ‘You Belong Here’ is weak, while Regina’s ‘I love Regina’ sounds like a city trying to reassure itself—there, there, it’s not so bad.” Calgary should face the hard truth: The only time outsiders ever come to “this frozen prairie metropolis” in western Canada is when they’re on their way to the mountains of Banff. So if we must rebrand, maybe we should go with: “Calgary: It’s close to Banff.”