During a recent and first trip to New Orleans, something intriguing was noted. Beyond the casual, Big Easy feeling natives all carried. Way more than the southern hospitality and pleasant dialogue in accents thick enough to need a translator at times. What we simply looked at as the logo for the NFL New Orleans’ Saints team, is truly a larger symbol and a way of life for the region and state.
No we aren’t talking about the Cajun crawfish or delicious beignets (can someone please send us some from Cafe Du Monde). It is the fleur-de-lis, pictured above, that caught our eye. It literally can be found on everything from marble walls, table cloths, signs and even black diamond rings in jewelry stores. The fleur-de-lis is everywhere. It may just be a sin or a written law to not have it somewhere in your establishment (we’ll look that up later).
As a first timer to the area, it seemed a bit much. Hoping on an elevator and looking down to see it in the tiled floor, on menus at a popular restaurant, but by day 3 it became a wake-up call to what was a way of life to the area. So much so, conversations with locals had to take place. In speaking to various residents, many expressed it was always a part of their life and became even more of a symbol of pride after Hurricane Katrina.
There are very few cities, states or areas who have pulled this level of symbolism off within the United States. We’re talking about a graphic with deep history. Much of which we won’t tackle here in this blog, but this of course cranked the marketing juices within.
Do you know of other cities who can come close to creating one symbol to ensure everyone knew its value or history? In Florida, we are of course known as the Sunshine State and sometimes the state with the craziest news stories as well. But that’s not included in the Visit Florida pamphlet, so let’s stick to the sunshine. There are no big suns painted everywhere. In fact, many kids these days may not even know they live in the Sunshine State. You just don’t see large yellow circles in restaurants.
And although this isn’t a message to our tourism bureau, it is a question to business owners and organization leaders. What are you doing with your logo? Do people take a look at it and know what it means? Do they have a sense of pride in being affiliated with you?
This trip challenged our own marketing plan and hopefully this blog will do the same for you.
We would love to hear how your logo has been transformed into a way of life for you, your employees and customers. Please share with us below.
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Above Promotions is a full service publicity, marketing and promotions company, founded with the purpose to serve an array of clients that are looking to expand their presence in the marketplace. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit www.abovepromotions.com today.
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