My first source for information is the official website for the operation, called brandColorado.gov, and this website has tons of information on the operation and its goals. As this is the states website promoting and explaining this new idea, it was one of the first things I came upon when searching google on this topic. It came up on the first page and i considered it a useful site as it had .gov at the end of its domain name. It is easily identifiable as the official page as soon as you are on it, so I trusted all information was credible.This website has a full explanation of the goals of this so called Colorado brand, including how they believe its going to stimulate Colorado's economy. One of the focuses of this website is to help people understand why this new symbol is being created(refer to image 1), and why it is more effective than the Colorado flag. As most of you know Colorado has many opportunities to exploit tourism throughout the state, and so this is one way to draw people in, and as earlier stated help boost the economy. They also support their claim that this symbol more effectively portrays Colorado as they did a survey as to how many people recognized our state flag, and more people thought it was for Chicago,and other places. This is one of their main points for promoting Colorado through this new symbol, as it is much more recognizable at just a single glance.
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My second source from which I am currently drawing information from is an article in the Denver Post talking about the new brand that governor Hickenlooper has started around our state. This article was the first i had read on this subject, and was what initially sparked my interest in the topic. I read it a while back, and when asked to write this paper i went back to it and found i wanted to know more. This article gives a view from someone who is not involved in the project, and tells of how this is the largest branding effort of its kind by a state. Of course they also talk about the reason this is all happening as part of an "economic blueprint" for our state as John Hickenlooper calls it. This symbol does not merely have one purpose, and will be used throughout the state government, and on almost everything they have to do with such as vehicles. On the contrary to the official site, they do admit that not all residents were opposed to using the Colorado flag as our symbol, as some actually preferred it. Not all response was positive to this new slogan and symbol, but for the majority of people they believe it will be more efficient. This article also outlines how the green and white mountain are a noticeable symbol for many, and often people relate it with Colorado, as our license plates have a similar resemblance. Other companies and brands in Colorado will be able to use this symbol as well to show they are a Colorado made, or friendly product, and each of the twenty two state government sections will use this as well.
Works Cited
"Colorado Rolls out New Logo and Slogan for State Brand Campaign." - The Denver Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
"Home | Brand Colorado." Home | Brand Colorado. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
I like the looks of the Colorado flag better, because it is prettier and even a bit bolder. I can see where the confusion may be not knowing where the flag is from. I think the new symbol seems almost a little cartoon looking. I'm not sure how to describe it but it isn't very formal in my opinion. I do like that they incorporated the mountains. Colorado is associated with the mountains so I do like that aspect of it. I just feel like they will be spending a lot more money trying to advertise with this new symbol, when most people already associate Colorado with the mountains and the winter sports.
ReplyDeleteIf this new symbol is not replacing the state flag, but they are just changing the state logo this picture, then I understand the reasoning better. It is more recognizable at a glance to everyone who is not familiar with Colorado. It will be easier to spot government vehicles, and it does resemble the basic state license plate. I am curious if they are still changing the slogan for the state from "Colorful Colorado" to "It's in our Nature", and also if they will be planning to replace all the state signs with this slogan and logo. I am curious how much they estimate it to cost, and how that was allowed in the budget as well.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder about the cost of switching to this new logo. I'm also curious about how they are going to use this symbol nationally. You mention that it will be used on products made in Colorado, but how many of these products are shipped to other states? One thing I'd like to know more about is how the state government and this symbol's backers envision it generating income. From your description, it seems that most of the symbols will be used on government generated documents, vehicles, and etc. So, who will see those besides Coloradans, and other tourists already visiting here? Don't get me wrong. I like the symbol. I just wonder about whether or not the cost is worth it. Several years ago, the Minerals Management Service was embroiled in scandal. So, the government changed the name to the Office of Natural Resources or ONR for short, like "honor." This required getting rid of tons of stationary and whatever else, and replacing it with the new name. It was not cheap, and possibly cost in the millions since this is part of the federal with offices throughout the country. Did the name change bring more revenue to the federal government? I don't think so. So, I wonder if it was all worth it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing a blog on this topic; to be honest I didn't even know this campaign existed until I read your post. I tend to be one of those go with the flow type of people, so until you made your blog had never really had much thought on the topic. As far as your research goes, I think you have started off at a good point; using the official website of the campaign is definitely going to provide accurate information. It was also wise to use the article that sparked your interest in the first place, especially since this article offers both opinions on the topic. I’m interested to see what your further research reveals, if you are able to find a source that is completely against the campaign and why. Perhaps an idea for some research would be to do an actual survey yourself; provide an image of the old and new symbol asking people’s preference. I would be very interested to see what results you get from those that are not familiar with the campaign as I wasn't. I wish you luck in your further research and good luck with your topic as a whole.
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