New Slogan For Baltimore City

Ron Matz Reporting
(AP) BALTIMORE

Baltimore, which has struggled for decades to craft a catchy, appropriate city slogan, will soon try a new one: "Get In On It."

The slogan will be announced next week as the city gears up to lure tourists and visitors in the summer months.

City officials refused to confirm selection of the phrase, but The (Baltimore) Sun reported in Saturday's editions that the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association has submitted four trademark applications to secure its use.

Early reviews for the new slogan were mixed, at best. "Get in on what?" asked Baltimore City Councilwoman Rochelle Spector.

"I've seen some dumb ones in the past, but this is the dumbest," Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer, a former governor and Baltimore mayor, said through his spokesman.

The city has endured plenty of mockery for its previous attempts at a slogan: "Charm City," "The City that Reads" and "The Greatest City in America."

Branding expert Eric Swartz, founder of TaglineGuru.com, said "Get In On It" was a vast improvement. "'Get In On It' sounds provocative, inviting, sounds like there's something to discover," Swartz said. "It's vague enough to have an appeal to people who are not familiar with Baltimore. It's an invitation."

City officials paid a consultant, Landor Associates, $500,000 over the last nine months to come up with the slogan. Citing people familiar with the selection process who requested anonymity because of its secrecy, The Sun reported that the phrase was judged to be better than several other finalists. Among those, The Sun reported: "The City You Savor," "Breeze Into Baltimore," "All City, No Hurry" and the cryptic "Enjoy The Pace."

Nancy Hinds, a BAVCA spokeswoman, said the new slogan will be unveiled at a ceremony Wednesday and said it was just one element of a new branding strategy. "Whatever the tagline is, it's only half the story," Hinds said. "It's far more than just a slogan."

Swartz said Las Vegas' slogan, "What Happens Here, Stays Here," provided a model for other cities to follow. Earlier attempts to promote Sin City as a family-friendly destination led to a drop-off in business.

San Francisco-based Landor has come up with slogans for such locations as Madrid, Spain; Florida; and Hong Kong, as well as brands including Gatorade, Altoids and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Landor's director of brand strategy, Susan Palombo, told Mayor Martin O'Malley in November that many people have a poor perception of Baltimore, fueled largely by TV dramas like "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "The Wire," which focus on the city's crime and drug problems.

Palombo said the city should build on its unique character and not try to "out-monument" Washington or "out-Disney" Orlando, Fla.

But some questioned whether "Get In On It" was unique enough.

Filmmaker and Baltimore native John Waters -- who has pitched "Come to Baltimore and Be Shocked" as a slogan --said the new phrase wasn't exactly memorable. "It's not catchy. I keep having to ask what it is again because I forget," Waters said. "That's OK. I don't hate it."

"Get in on it", hunh???