New
motto is O! so captivating
Old Gold and Black Editorial Board
>
February 16, 2001
The Freshmaker.
Just do it. Where’s the beef? All are staples of American marketing
culture, all memorable and all are mottoes.
A catchy slogan can be a public relations gold mine for any product,
or even sometimes for a place (Virginia, as everyone knows, is for lovers.)
A jingle creates a hook on which to peg a place or a thing, a quick
and irresistible phrase that sticks with you whether you want it to
or not.
That must’ve been the rationale behind the biggest news to hit
Winston-Salem since its hyphenation: the city now has a slogan.
No, it’s not “Winston-Salem: Helping You Die a Slow, Insidious
Death From Lung Cancer.” Nor is it “Almost Greensboro, but
not quite.” Nor is it even “Winston-Salem, You Donut Want
to Miss It!”
Over six months of administrative planning, group initiatives and a
$65,000 budget have yeilded the city’s bona fide new catchphrase:
“O! Winston-Salem. Now That’s Living!” Runners-up included
“Winston-Salem, When You’re Ready For Life”, and “Winston-Salem,
Your City for Life,” which conjure up images of euthanasia and
long-term imprisonment.
Hoping to drum up local excitement for the metropolis among that key
18 - 34 age demographic, the chosen slogan, “O! Winston-Salem.
Now that’s Living!” has been described as both “bold”
and “in your face” by Carrie Sizemore, the city director of
marketing.
While that single letter, so round and inviting, is certainly pregnant
with possibility, isn’t there room for misinterpretation? “O”
can express a spectrum of emotion; how can a Winston-Salem resident
be sure this isn’t an “ohhh” of disgust, like one would
make peering into a fraternity bathroom sink around Pledge Night? Or
worse, what if it’s that special kind of “ooooohhhhhhhh”
so passionately uttered in the orgasm-friendly Herbal Essences commercials.
That benign exclamation point after the O (which, for some inexplicable
reason, is not accompanied by an “h”; one can only suppose
the tab couldn’t cover such excesses) leaves the average city dweller
vulnerable to confusion.
Perhaps this carefully placed O will result in legal wrangles; those
fresh-faced stars of ABC’s “Making the Band” called themselves
O-Town. Would the city be infringing on the band’s territory? What
if Winston-Salem was nicknamed O-Town? Would the band have to live here?
More importantly, would citizens be required to purchase or listen to
their music?
Or what
about basketball hall of famer Oscar Robertson, nicknamed “The
Big O?” Surely, it’s only a matter of time before Robertson
decide to take legal action. If the matter came down to a game of O-oriented
one-on-one between The big O and senior Robert O’Kelley, Winston-Salem
could be in trouble.
And couldn’t the city have found a better self-promotional use
for $65,000? After all, High Point’s got the biggest bureau in
the world; couldn’t this city build a giant glazed doughnut? Or
a frightening monolithic Deacon? Or maybe the city could erect an enormous
Deacon atop everyone’s favorite architectural and anatomical joke,
the Wachovia building, squating there chomping on a Krispy Kreme and
smoking a Camel?
Winston-Salem has other unique features to explore besides phallic monuments
and vices such as smoking or overeating — Old Salem. Imagine the
original settlers of Old Salem, hacking through the Bethabara underbrush
with their teapots, sugar cookies and many-pointed stars in hand: why
can’t one pay tribute to these brave pioneers? The jungles of north
Carolina are a harsh place; a little shout-out in the slogan is certainly
not too much to ask.
“Winston-Salem: Baby, you’ll love this feast.”
Maybe the motto should focus on things Winston-Salem thankfully doesn’t
have; “Welcome to Winston-Salem, free from infectious disease.”
Or “Winston-Salem: We won’t swap your babies.” Or, simply,
“Winston-Salem. Damn.”
With motto-mania sweeping the city limits, maybe it’s time the
university take a tip from city promoters. “Pro Humanitate”
seems to be getting a little dated. What better way to recruit top-tier
prospective students than a hip and happening motto? What about “O!
Now that’s learnin’!”? Or “Homogeneity: Catch the
fever!” Such a slogan would be as irresistible as Tim Duncan or
the seafood buffet at the Pit, and is sure to attract students in droves.
The university, after all, scored not one, but two Presidential Debates
and Hootie and the Blowfish rocked the vote to boot. Just think what
a killer motto could bring the area — a rodeo clown college, a
sex-toy convention, a novelty alligator-themed roadside tourist trap
or even a stop on the Mr. Big reunion tour. The possibilities, really,
are mind-boggling.
With this new motto-fueled marketing blitz, for better or for worse,
Winston-Salem has put itself on the proverbial map o’ maps. Now
not merely one of the shining jewels in the Piedmont Triad crown, Winston-Salem
is hurling itself headfirst into the new millennium with a flashy new
image complete with logo and catchphrase. The city’s like a sneaker
now, but different.
So put
on your O face, Winston-Salem. Your city’s got a brand new, $65,000
bag.
Top that,
Clemmons!
