Weekly Opinion Editorial
OKLAHOMA IS BETTER THAN OK!
by Steve Fair
Is Oklahoma just OK? Lt. Governor
Matt Pinnell, who doubles as secretary of tourism and branding, thinks the
Sooner state is better than just OK. He
wants to develop a new brand that moves past the “Oklahoma is OK” slogan that
has been used for decades. Pinnell is collaborating
with business and community leaders across the state soliciting their ideas on
how a fresh new brand should look. He
has invited the public to take a 5 question survey on the Oklahoma brand. Go to projectbluesky.ok.gov. Three observations:
First, branding is the marketing
practice of actively shaping your brand.
A label, slogan or logo is developed to convey what a product stands
for. Product quality must match the
label or no repeat sales. You get the
product formula and quality down first and then you develop an appropriate eye
catching label. A decision is made as to
where to ‘position’ the product in the marketplace. Will it be expensive and appeal to a small niche
market? Will it have broad based appeal
across all demographics? Oklahoma should
be getting the formula right even while shaping and positioning the brand. We should do a better job of actively recruiting
manufacturers and distributors to the state (and helping existing ones in the
state) to create jobs for younger Oklahomans, or we will continue to export our
most precious resource- our kids and grandkids.
No amount of superb branding will fix that.
Second, Oklahoma has some unique
call outs to place on our label. Those
little bursts of information(call-outs)
on consumer products are placed there to highlight a unique attribute of the
product. Low Fat, Organic, and Natural
point to a formula characteristic. Easy to
use, squeeze bottle, no drip cap, point to a packaging characteristic. Oklahoma’s has some obvious call-outs:
Centrally located geographically, mild climate, friendly, hardworking people,
great natural resources (oil, gas, coal, agriculture), unique state history(Land
Run), independent spirit are all characteristics the ‘Oklahoma is OK’ slogan doesn’t
capture.
Third, in branding simplicity is
paramount. A successful branding campaign
must be recognizable, informational, consistent,
and tasteful (RICT). Logos must be
easy to spot and slogans, catchy and memorable.
The brand must deliver quality.
Consumers expect recognizable attributes from certain brands- whether
consumable or service related.
Because of the popularity of the musical, many people across the globe think
everyone in Oklahoma drives a pickup, wears a cowboy hat and boots, and dodges
a tornado every day. By seizing onto a
line from the state song as our slogan, we played into the stereotype. “If we don’t define who we are, every other
state will. There are 49 other states competing for job and tourism dollars,”
Pinnell said. Those states are not only
competing, but they are currently winning. Oklahoma should be a tourist destination, not
a flyover or drive through state.
It is time to update Oklahoma’s label and put some ‘call-outs’ on the label that better define who were are, but
simultaneously a reformulation of the product should be afoot by state
leaders. That will produce long term success
by getting the repeat customers.
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