It could’ve been ‘WA’s up?’

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, March 15, 2006

SEATTLE – The state’s new tourism slogan, “SayWA,” may be more clever than its critics suggest.

After all, “saywa” does mean “landmark” in Aymara, a language spoken by 2.2 million people in South America. And those Andean villagers around Lake Titicaca are suckers for backpacking. Wait till they get a gander at REI.

True, they aren’t the state’s target demographic – 35- to 55-year-old Westerners with disposable income – but the Washington State Tourism Office might hope the slogan resonates there, because a lot of English speakers are panning it.

“It’s just not that catchy,” said Sarah Owens of Seattle as she led a couple of Irish tourists through the Pike Place Market, one of the state’s premier tourists attractions. “Who makes these decisions? Washington’s spectacular. It doesn’t need a slogan.”

The slogan, which took 18 months to come up with, is designed to promote Washington’s tourist attractions, from hiking in the Olympic Mountains to visiting wine country to wind-surfing in the Columbia River Gorge.

A replacement for “Experience Washington,” it was chosen after a lot of market research and the input of a 32-member “brand development task force” that included Chamber of Commerce directors, tourism officials and business representatives from around the state.

Beginning this spring, a $442,000 campaign will put “SayWA” advertisments in travel magazines and television programs.

“SayWA is a distillation of the sense of wonder that comes with discovery,” the tourism office’s Web site says. “It describes the moment when an experience becomes emotional. Where the traveler is no longer an observer, but a participant. The SayWA moment.”

One advertisement mock-up shows tourists taking pictures of the Columbia Gorge. “SayWA: This is the sound of jaws dropping.”

More than one observer noted that dropping jaws are generally silent unless making way for a tongue depressor. Others said “WA” reminds them of a baby crying or a toddler asking for water. Even the slang basis for it – “Say what?” – is a response to something nonsensical or stupid.

“Thirty-five years ago, I smoked dope and probably could have come up with something like that,” said Darrell Bryan, general manager of Victoria Clipper, the largest tour operator in the Northwest.

“To me, it’s better to have no slogan than to come up with something like that. There’s too much scratching the head about ‘What does that mean?’”

Certainly, the classic tourism slogans – “I (heart) NY,” “What happens here, stays here” – aren’t so opaque.

“Virginia is for lovers,” Bryan said. “I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s catchy.”

The state tourism office insists that the slogan was designed to help Washington escape traditional tourism advertising.

“Any good campaign is going to cause people to stop and wonder about it,” spokeswoman Michelle Zahrly said. “We know, as with any marketing campaign, that not all the people are going to like it, but if it’s based on research for the target audience, and we did a lot of research … it will reach those people we’re hoping to attract here.”

Several vendors at Pike Place Market, whose livelihoods depend heavily on tourist dollars, weighed the new slogan with bemusement. Kenny Telesco, 44, a purveyor of watercolors, and fellow vendor Heather Tullius practiced saying “WA” first with fist pumps, then with a French accent (“Zay Hwah!”) and finally with “jazz hands,” which they found most satisfying. They gathered passers-by for a group photo to try out “WA” instead of “Cheese.”

” ‘WA’ is the sound you make when you’re not having fun,” Tullius said.

“WA! WA! I think it’s working,” Telesco said, fingers flickering beside his face.

Jokes notwithstanding, Bryan said the slogan’s weakness represents a serious problem for the industry: a lack of state support. The state’s tourism budget is $3.6 million, which leaves only about $600,000 a year for direct promotion after staff salaries are deducted.