Washington State's New "SayWA" Slogan Faces Ridicule...

Washington state's new tourism brand campaign, "SayWA," has its own website, which doesn't extol the rain forests near the coast nor the wineries east of the Cascades. Instead, the website explains the brand itself.

"On the most basic level, WA=Washington," the text reads. "So when you 'SayWA,' what you are saying, in effect, is 'say Washington.' This device functions to keep Washington top-of-mind, on the short list when considering travel destinations."

All evidence of the problem, says Darrell E. Bryan: "It needs too much explanation." Bryan is general manager of Victoria Clipper, a ferry service that shuttles tourists throughout northern Puget Sound and lower British Columbia. He joins a crowd of befuddled Washingtonians whose response to the campaign is "Say what?"

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