Austin Texas’ new $1.1 million logo irked residents. So why do cities brand themselves anyway?

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas

I love New York. Cities and towns all across the country have branding and slogans, but why

I love New York. I love New York. What happens here? What happens here

Two of the most famous slogans in the country. While some branding has gone well, like New York and Vegas, it doesn't always work out that way

Take Austin, Texas, where officials recently unveiled a new logo. The local CBS affiliate posted the logo on Instagram and comments came in hot

Most of them were negative and the majority had the $1.1 million price tag in mind

Come on ATX, spend our taxpayers' money right, one comment read. Another read, this is a waste of taxpayer money

A logo is a really tiny, tiny part of a brand. And if a logo works, it will connect to the brand

So it'll be a visual, a much more important concept for a brand is a visual symbol, like the Sydney Opera House or the Statue of Liberty or something or the Transamerica building

So a visual imagery can be really important. I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about the logo

A representative from the city of Austin put a positive spin on the rebrand, saying, quote

We deliberately chose a mark that reminded us of movement to reflect how welcoming, flexible, and resilient this community and our employees are

While that rebrand didn't go well overall, there are many reasons why cities seek brand identity

It a thought that differentiates the city that ideally provides its secret sauce Or it suggests something that you might not think of when you think of that city because you kind of misperceive it In some cases it gone very well like New

York City. We've all heard I love New York. Brandon is extremely important, you know, even for a city

like New York, which has, you know, never struggles from a brand awareness standpoint, but we still

know that the city doesn't sell itself and it's still extremely important for us to brand the city

and properly promote the city in a way that draws visitors in. New York has had some home runs

more than one actually. Small towns do it for the same reason, although often with a more humorous

take, like Gas Kansas, where the slogan is, don't pass gas, stop and enjoy it. Or San Andreas

California where they remind you it's not our fault. Another reason for the tagline really is

to create visibility and so you you would probably easily forget that city but that tagline is

something that stays with you because it's so humorous and unusual and so you will remember

the tagline and therefore remember the city. Then there's Santa Claus Georgia for example

Their two taglines keep in the holiday spirit with the city that loves children and believe

We have some banners that we have on our light poles or whatever in the city

In fact, we just had some made this year and we're incorporating both of those sands

For Straight Air News, I'm Dan Levin. For more unbiased fact-driven news, download the Straight Air News mobile app today or go to san.com