Seattle's new slogan has some residents asking: Metronatural ... say WA?


		Elaine Thompson / AP
	Letters 18-feet tall proclaiming Seattle's newest tourism slogan, "Metronatural," are seen atop the Space Needle on Friday. The slogan was unveiled by the Convention and Visitors Bureau. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

The folks who brought us one slogan that stuck, "Jet City," and another that probably won't, "See-@-L: Soak it up," have a new creation that they say highlights Seattle's two greatest assets: the city and nature.

Mayor Greg Nickels and the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau last year decided to ditch the dot-com-era logo with the @ sign in favor of something intended to poach visitors from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C.

One year and $200,000 in the making, the "metronatural" publicity campaign was unveiled Friday at a Space Needle party.

The trademarked word beat out slogan contenders "Life is different here" and "Inspiration awaits," said Ken Grant, a partner at Exclaim LLC, which invented the word.

"This is not an easy city to brand; it's such a complex city to put words to," he said.

Metronatural -- usable as a noun or adjective -- is fitting to describe Seattle's emergence as a global city because it has Latin roots and is easily translated into other languages, said John Schuler, the creative brains behind the word.

Whether Seattle's metronatural will join the list of slogan hits -- "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," and "I (heart) New York," -- or misses, "New Jersey, Come See For Yourself," and "Say WA?" -- remains to be seen.

But Seattle tourism leaders are so proud of the new word that they've painted it in 18-foot letters atop the Space Needle and are flying it from banners around downtown. A Kenmore Air plane also features the logo. In all, the tourism bureau will spend $300,000 promoting it.

Some Seattleites aren't convinced.

"There seems to be some conflict between claiming natural beauty and having a screaming highway right through the heart of the most beautiful part of the city," said John Raffetto, a 37-year-old tech consultant in Pioneer Square. "Metronatural? They ought to put an asterisk after it and fine print that reads, 'Except for a 20-block area between First Avenue and the waterfront.' "

P-I Web site readers lamented that the word is too close to "metrosexual" and "menstrual." Most seemed to agree it beats the recently abandoned "Say WA?" campaign, which came out of the state tourism office.

Dozens of Seattle business leaders attended the brand launch celebration on Friday, which featured a performance by Seattle Opera mezzo-soprano Helene Schneiderman, who sang "Habanera" from "Carmen."

Nickels, through a proxy, declared Friday "metronatural day."

The Seattle-love fest almost didn't go off as planned because of -- are you ready? -- the rain.

The Space Needle roof had to be dry to paint the new black and green logo. When the rain stopped Thursday, a painter scrambled out while tourism bureau Chief Executive Don Welsh prayed that no local media saw what was going on.

"I was freaking out -- we were praying," he said.

WHAT IS IT?

Met-ro-nat-u-ral

(as defined by Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau)

adj. 1: Having the characteristics of a world-class metropolis within wild, beautiful natural surroundings. 2: A blending of clear skies and expansive water with a fast-paced city life.

n. 1: One who respects the environment and lives a balanced lifestyle of urban and natural experiences. 2. Seattle.

READERS WEIGH IN

Readers at seattlepi.com had their own ideas about a marketing slogan for the city -- and they didn't even charge for the advice. Here are some of the suggestions:

Seattle: Wired and jacked up

If you're left, you're right for us

econostupid

Welcome to Washington, enjoy your stay, THEN GO HOME!!!

We hate Bush. Come join us

Seattle: Come look at the monorail

Seattle: Because Bremerton is too far away

Come visit. You can't afford the condos.

If you love taxes, you'll love Seattle

Seattle: Left of Bellevue.

We're green, mean and a tax-collecting machine

Seattle: Irony-free since 1992

P-I reporter Andrea James can be reached at 206-448-8124 or andreajames@seattlepi.com.
Soundoff (Read 178 comments)
Where's your favorite place to play tourist in your own backyard? What do you think of the word "metronatural�"? What word would you make up to describe Seattle?

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