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♥s and Minds

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

When the economy is shaky, tourism may be a necessary evil to kick start growth. Milton Glaser explains why he felt designing the "I ♥ NY" logo was his civic duty in similar tough times. Also, Thomas Ranese of Empire State Development explains why tourism makes dollars and sense for New York.


Comments

  • [1] mark from ireland May 13, 2008 - 10:06AM

    in order to encourage tourism, immigration control needs to be hauled over too!, everyone coming in to the USA, is treated as a criminal, with photographs and finger prints taken! and interrogating questions about why are oyu in the US, where you are staying, waht is your job etc.!!,

    it does not exactly inspire anyone to visit NYC


  • [2] Jon Young from Staten Island May 13, 2008 - 10:12AM

    I love NY, but Virginia is for lovers- Vito & Laura Fay.


  • [3] Chris from Brooklyn May 13, 2008 - 10:14AM

    Please stop playing that song! Put that CD in the microwave!


  • [4] Mike from NJ May 13, 2008 - 10:15AM

    Brian, for the love of humanity, please stop playing "I Love New York". Years of therapy are coming apart right before my ears. Thanks. Mike


  • [5] RJ from Brooklyn May 13, 2008 - 10:16AM

    Brian, I'm disappointed. The brilliant Milton Glaser "just" replaced the word "love" with a heart and chose a typeface and that was it? That "just" is the center of creativity: the artistic instinct or ability to see the elements, the meaning.


  • [6] Mike from Brooklyn May 13, 2008 - 10:17AM

    The song is awesome. They should play it from speakers on all city street corners.


  • [7] leoinnyc from NYC May 13, 2008 - 10:18AM

    My advice -- In the rush to make everything family-friendly and disney-fied, don't forget to Keep It Real. New York still has to be New Yawk., you know?


  • [8] asdf from NJ May 13, 2008 - 10:19AM

    Agree with #1 Mark. Banning photography on subways and arresting all those protesters during the GOP convention damaged the "real" New York's soul for many years.

    And I just found out Cafe La Fortuna closed due to a massive rent increase. Mourning the pre-mall-ed New York...


  • [9] Pat from Red Hook, Brooklyn May 13, 2008 - 10:19AM

    Hi Brian -

    After Sept 11, Milton Glaser was on your show and was so inspirational about giving our hearts and minds to helping the city recover. His redesign of his iconic image hangs framed in my house: I Love (Heart Icon) NY More Than Ever. It was an opportunity for me to support WNYC while declaring that my City would heal from the wound of the attack because we New Yorkers would rise to the call.

    It's amazing how those early days of despair lead to a collective outpouring of sympathy and support around the world. Almost 7 years later, Sept 11 has become a wedge used by politians to frighten and separate citizens from each other, instead of reminding us of the strength of our democracy if we stand together in the face of danger and challenge.

    Hopefully, this fall will bring a renewal of government that encourages our best qualilties instead of policies that keep us frightened and cut off from each other.

    Thanks for the show,

    -Pat


  • [10] Joan Rosenfelt from New York May 13, 2008 - 10:21AM

    The "I love New York" "jingle" is one of the WORST I have EVER heard in my LIFE!!! It has NO MELODY OF INTEREST - NO MUSICALILTY - NO RHYTHMN - It is simply a DRONING ANNOYANCE - essentially like a child's chant - an UNIMAGINATIVE child's chant - IT'S DREADFUL!!! The writer should be EMBARASSED at having produced such a simplistic and UGLY jingle. They should DEFINITELY NOT BRING IT BACK!!! IT'S A HORRENDOUS EXAMPLE OF THE WORST OF "JINGLE" NON-WRITING!!! No talent! - no musicality - no imagination - no melody - It's just a HIDEOUS DRONE! NO NO NO!!!


  • [11] Michal Christopher from Staten Island/atlanta May 13, 2008 - 10:22AM

    The logo should be "I love NY, expect delays!" I'm kidding. Keep the song and logo. NY is a great place to VISIT now, being too expensive to live there. I am a refugee of NYC but love to visit as much as I can.


  • [12] Nanette from Poughkeepsie May 13, 2008 - 10:22AM

    Good Morning Brian

    How about this ....

    New York! How do I "Heart" thee?

    Let me count the ways.

    then comes a list of all the wonderful features of NY


  • [13] EMA from BROOKLYN May 13, 2008 - 10:23AM

    we <3 you Milton Glaser

    check out http://www.myspace.com/propstyle to see how...

    EMA + SUPAKITCH + KORALIE


  • [14] MThonre from Brooklyn May 13, 2008 - 10:23AM

    To tag onto Jon Young's comment above -- Virginians who I knew felt that the I Love NY campaign was a rip off of their "Virginia is for Lovers" slogan, which definitely predates 'I Love NY.'

    The Virginia campaign was the first to use the heart logo to signify 'love.' Given this background, it's amusing to hear people talk about this or that entity 'owning' the I Love NY 'brand,' implying that it was the first, or at least something so unique!


  • [15] VR from staten island May 13, 2008 - 10:24AM

    There should be a remix/remade version of I Love New York for each borough-maybe an open contest-composers should be encouraged to work in all styles from Blues to Bhangra, and re-arrange/reharmonize/mashup the song as they see fit.


  • [16] elizabeth May 13, 2008 - 10:26AM

    there is a sort of heart key - key series anyway:

    <3

    i<3NY.com


  • [17] joshl May 13, 2008 - 10:40AM

    Nanette/#12 -- great idea!


  • [18] Joel Friedland from Forest Hills May 13, 2008 - 10:49AM

    I'm a tour guide for Gray Line in Times Square. Families living 40 to 150 miles away from the City, those within a 3 hour drive, are not making day trips to the City on weekends, anywhere near as frequently as in the previous five years (2003 to 2007). People in those exurban areas are staying closer to home.

    People making day trips like that don't spend a lot of money in the City, especially if they don't go to a Broadway show, but what they do spend, at the margin, is enough to make many small businesses in Manhattan a lot more successful. Weekend sales for reasonably priced restaurants, for off-Broadway shows, for souvenir shops, for hot-dog stands, even, is down at least 20%, perhaps over a third.

    Gas at over $4 a gallon plus the cost of parking means that families of 4 taking a day trip to the city are going to spend over a $100 just to get here and back. Buying tickets for an off-Broadway show in advance through TDF (picture one parent is a school teacher, say) adds a $100, eating at McDonalds to and from the City on the highway and in Times Square will add another $75 or so. Up near $300 for a simple day trip for a family of 4. If they go to the Metropolitan Museum and the children's zoo in Central Park, for free (or reduced fee) using their WNYC membership, it'll still cost close to $200.


  • [19] SOHO from SOHO May 13, 2008 - 02:57PM

    I love the "I Love NY" jingle brings back memories, much like the Milford Commercial -- the lullaby of Broadway.

    I guess the target demographics for this new 'I Love NY advertising are those that used to love NY but apparently now have loathed and hated NY (if they have not pushed out of NYC yet) because of all these condo and real estate developers, and the yunnies (young urban narcissists -- aka the Carrie Bradshaws wannabes), and yuppies consuming everything and everyone in NYC.


  • [20] World's Toughest Milkman from the_C_train May 14, 2008 - 05:13PM

    Just to add to a comment a caller made in reference to Jim Dine's artwork being a kind of inspiration I'd have to say that Robert Indiana's work seems to reflect the campaign more from what I can tell.


  • [21] Andy Levy-Stevenson from Efrat, Israel May 15, 2008 - 01:59AM

    I listen to WNYC podcasts from here in Israel, and love them. Enjoyed the I Love NY discussion.

    I think they should keep the theme song, but throw it open to remixes, interpretations, mashups ... how about a Moby version? Or a Suzanne Vega version? Celebrate NY musicians and rebrand the song. Some great viral YouTube possibilities too.


  • [22] Andy Levy-Stevenson from Efrat, Israel May 15, 2008 - 02:01AM

    Just reread the comments and noticed I wasn't the only one to suggest the remake idea ... great minds think alike (mine just thinks a little slower!)


This thread is closed.


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