How do you think Washington State should promote itself?

WashingTON's of FUN!!

How should Washington market itself? Let's start with concept, then execution.

I moved out here over a year ago now, and thus my wife and I have a pile of relatives from Chi-town that float into SeaTac to visit about every five days or so. What I hear from all of them... "I never knew how beautiful this state was." There's an awareness issue here, most outsiders see Seattle as damp and dreary. Visitors quickly notice the thriving music scene, rolling San Francisco-esque hills, dash of wild west, winter sports, the cuisine scene... wine country... you name it. We have all of the benefits of California with a little less sunshine but a lot less attitude.

Part of the problem is that most mass media that has brought national awareness to Seattle is not really Seattle-centric. Does Grey's Anatomy and Sleepless in Seattle really the heart of Washington? Sort of. Movies like Singles or programs like Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure have faded into memory, which were much more honest in their version of quirky northwest lifestyle.

Many campaigns have be structured around the whole "all you can do is right here" package. California is recently doing just that in their television advertising. The state of Virgina also did a diversity push, which was geared towards budding filmmakers, their claim... our individual counties looks like a lot of other states. You'll have California, Nevada, Maine and Florida all in one region. So yeah, it's been done before. But in the tradition of Mircosoft we can take something that has been done and do it differently.

The message is simple, Washington is an exciting place has a lot of stuff happening, and you should be a part of it. Like San Francisco in the 60s, New York in the 70s, Los Angeles in the 80s.... this is the big thing now. We need to be larger than life. We're progressive, fun, exciting, with a lot of brainpower. See major plays tested before they hit Broadway, see bands before the make it big, snowboard down Mt. Rainer, know the latest and greatest before it hits the rest of the country. Many companies test their products here because we're so d*** picky. Use it to an advantage. Forget rest and relaxation... this place is like an espresso shot to the soul. In fact... that's a good starting point.

Execution, this is Microsoft country. Let's look at the internet. It's already a buzz generator, let's channel it to make Seattle the place where it's all coming from. After all, you can download music and plays... but you cannot experience them live online. Use the internet as a teaser for an up and coming happening destination. Gear the message to "look what you're missing by not being here." In a climate where Obama can rise to power by soliciting "change" and "hope," it says people want something new. The trick is to find inventive ways to present the information in a way where it says "seeing in online just isn't enough." Look at how "Improv Everywhere" promotes New York every time they pull a wacky stunt.

In short, we're exciting. Since so many connect Seattle with grunge it's a good fit, and it's true. We have the capacity to pull this off, we just need someone to tie it together.

I'm thinking a more targeted marketing campaign would yield greater results. Hip urban types would gravitate to Seattle, although would give the rest of the state a pass. California wine snobs... er, oenophiles, would look to Walla Walla and environs. Wild West types would find central Washington appealing.... In short, everyone has different reasons to visit. A one-size-fits-all campaign just won't cut it, which is why the completely vapid "Say WA?" campaign was a failure, and why the current attempt to capture the entire state in four print advertis****ts targeting the generic "tourist" is also likely to come up short. Washington has something for everyone, and a real campaign would promote all of those somethings, not just a few.
A radical thought: We have enough online talent in this state to make a serious go of an online viral marketing blitz. Imagine if the state could tap into the creativity of the folks behind Bungie's "I Love Bees" campaign...

In reporting our story about Washington's renewed emphasis on tourism, I listened to consultants deliver preliminary reports about what the state is doing well and what it could do better.
Both online and print ad campaigns were cited as being important to the future of tourism in the state. Even newspapers, which are supposed to be dying (and certainly aren't having the best of times these days) were cited as being excellent places in which to tout your tourist attractions. Papers still reach mass audiences, and those papers also have websites of their own.
As far as the online experience goes, the state needs to do more with social networking (it might be a way for eastern Washington folks to tell Puget Sound urbanites about what's happening in their part of the state and vice versa). In fact, one of the consultants said Washingtonians don't know their state very well; that is, if someone has "done" Seattle then they end up thinking that's all there is to do. They miss out on the state's other tourist attractions, and businesses, therefore, miss out on the money people might spend in, say, Walla Walla or Wenatchee if they knew there was something to do, buy or drink in either of those places.
Another interesting idea was to set up flat-screen TVs on Washington's ferry boats and stream information, promotions, etc. to ferry riders. You have a captive audience. Why not tell them something about the state they're either visiting or live in but might be taking for granted.