New Frontiers in Government Spending: Rebranding

Jesse Walker | November 27, 2006

The government of Galveston, Texas, paid a marketing firm $86,000 to think up ways to increase tourism. The results:

Instead of just "Galveston," this historic city should be called "City of Galveston Island," a firm hired to suggest ways to increase tourism has suggested....

The firm says adding the word "Island" to Galveston would broaden the appeal of the area.

I'm a little jealous of my Galvestonian parents. Their city paid just $86,000 for that crappy idea, and it came bundled with some half-decent notions, such as improving signage and beautifying the seawall. In my corner of the country, by contrast, the quasi-public Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association spent $500,000 for a new slogan. The winning phrase: "Get in on it!" (That's $125,000 a word. Someone has one hell of a good agent.)