I’m planning a trip to Columbia later this year, and stopped by (among other sites) the official Proexport Columbia tourism site. There I saw what I take to be Columbia’s official tourism tagline:
Columbia, the only risk is wanting to stay.
Err, yeah. Let me say a few words about that.
Lampshading
First of all, I recognize that Columbia has a bit of a reputation problem (one that, in my own small way, I’ve contributed to) and I sympathize with the marketroids who have to pitch tourism in the face of that. I applaud their boldness in confronting the issue directly, but think they missed the mark. Columbia’s slogan is the equivalent of one of those drug-free-zone signs that you only see in sketchy, drug-infested neighborhoods. It immediately make me think: “Whoa! I thought they had that FARC problem under better control!” It also sounds like a toned-down version of a cynical first draft: “Columbia, you may never go home.”
Suggestions
Of course, once my mind started wandering in that direction, I couldn’t help tossing off some other tourism slogans. If you’re interested in hiring me as a copywriter, drop a line immediately. Material this good shouldn’t be left fallow.
| Columbia | “Safer than Venezuela.” |
| Mexico | “Visit 1990 Columbia World, right next door.” |
| Argentina | “More than beef and Nazis.” |
| Uruguay | “More polite than Argentina.” |
| Canada | “Not as boring as you think.” |
| Quebec | “Like France, but closer.” |
| Nevada | “Machine guns and hookers!” |
