By Katie Laird
'Surprise, awesome, uncommonly friendly, staggeringly beautiful'...these were a few words used to describe Utah by those outside of the state in a seven-month whirlwind of focus groups, market research, and endless debates that culminated Wednesday in the announcement of the state''s new brand: Utah, Life Elevated.
Utah''s Department of Tourism plans to use the 'life elevated' brand in a massive marketing campaign around the country fueled by the $10 million dollars allocated to attracting more visitors to the state by the legislature last July, 2005.
'It''s more about trying to communicate an experience to people than it is about trying to sell them something,' said Kim McClelland, chairwoman of the Utah Board of Tourism. 'People don''t want to be sold stuff anymore; they have enough stuff.'
McClelland said it''s not about the logo or the tag line; it''s about Utah, and what the state has to offer. He told the story of a man from Seattle who was shown pictures of Utah''s scenery without being told where the pictures had been taken.
'This must be some kind of trick,' McClelland quoted the man as saying. 'There''s no way that scenery exists in one place, because if it did, I would have been there.'
Comments like this helped the 13-member board in trying to capture the 'heart and soul' of the Utah experience. Setbacks delayed the unveiling of the brand, such as the discovery of a Colorado ski brand that some felt too closely resembled the brand they''d chosen.
'We have a gift that no one else has,' McClelland said. 'That gift is the majestic scenery and the diversity and the beauty of our state that allows people to come here and have a new experience at every turn.'
The short film that will be shown around the country starting in September promoting Utah portrays a man whose life is filled with endless workdays and meaningless routines and raises his life to a higher plane after he discovers and explores Utah.
Tourism Managing Director, Leigh Von Der Esch, said the desire for a better life held by Utah''s pioneer founders is mirrored by Americans today.
'The new brand voice of Utah is a reflection of all the people, past and present, who have come here to seek a richer, fuller life; to seek freedom and peace; to seek quiet and solitude; and to let the majesty and grandeur of the place shape their own independent aspirations,' states the branding platform.
Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. complimented the board and all those involved for the hard work and success they had achieved, suggested that the slogan 'life elevated' would help Utah and its residents to not only elevate how they see the world, but how they see themselves in it.
'The new slogan captures the essence of Utah because it embodies the heart and soul of our state,' he said in a news release Wednesday. 'Our quality of life and growing business environment are second to none.'
With its five national parks, 42 state parks and 'the greatest snow on earth,' state officials expect Utah''s allure to visitors will grow significantly.
'You come to Utah to see; you leave with new eyes. You see vistas like nowhere else on the planet...The result: your emotions are stirred, your sense are lifted. You soar. Your spirits rise. Your life is changed. You are elevated.'