Okay…
So DC is starting a campaign to attract people to visit the seat of power… and they’re doing it with a play on words that points out that we in DC are full of ourselves.
I can see this sort of humor working in New Jersey, perhaps, but in our Nation’s Capitol? This is a concept that doesn’t work on soooo many levels.
Yet again we find that focus grouping does not help build a brand. The head of Destination D.C. is heard on the news clip on NBC saying they tested the idea and people liked it. Sure! It’s cute. It’s a bit funny… but I’ll be very surprised if either the slogan or the ads end up bringing anyone to our area.
The advertisements are really strange (also viewable on the previous link) – almost ignoring the play on words and showing awkward couples dining and dancing while two dimensional graphics zoom around trying to indicate that there’s excitement here.
I just don’t get it. Who does this connect with?
Yes, we’re selling the opportunity to see the seat of power in the US – but to execute with a peculiar and unacknowledged humor and flat advertising that could just as well be trying to sell you car insurance seems off.
If you want power mentioned – why not use it in a positive sense – like referencing the fact that DC makes power, or suggesting that people can be a part of the power generation. When pairing Virginia is For Lovers and “Create your own power trip” – the latter leaves me flaccid.
Does the campaign work for anyone out there?
