posted by Ellen Perlman
Baltimore wants us to believe. It's just that I'm not sure in what. In God? In country? In ourselves? In a chicken in every pot? During a recent visit to the city, I first saw one of the black-and-white "BELIEVE" signs stuck in the dirt in a vacant lot.
I had a hunch that the sign pertained to more than that particular corner. That was confirmed when I began to see BELIEVE signs scattered throughout the neighborhoods. It got me wondering so when I returned home, I searched the Web.
A Christian Science Monitor story explains that every few years the city seems compelled to search for a new identifying word, phrase or logo. The latest, the BELIEVE slogan, is meant to make Baltimore residents feel better about themselves. The campaign cost $2 million.
In the past, Baltimore has been called Charm City, Queen City of the Patapsco and Nickel Town. All of which are better than the "Mobtown" moniker of the 19th century and better too, in my mind, than the 20th century Crabtown. I'm thinking "The City that Reads" didn't do all that much for tourism, and apparently got changed by vandals to "The City that Breeds."
It seems the "BELIEVE" signs haven't held up that well against vandalism either, getting changed to "BEHAVE." But there's a new mayor in town. I BELIEVE that any day now, there could be new signs with a new slogan.
Image via Flickr, from orderof_istari. Some more pics of Baltimore's BELIEVE campaign here, here, here and here.
Well, it's better than the much-ridiculed and quickly abandoned Washington state slogan, SayWA. And who knows, maybe like NPR's "This I Believe" series, it will give people pause to consider what it is they hold dear by way of beliefs. Gee, I wish I could make a coupla million off a snazzy slogan. Maybe I'll use the word "think."
Posted by: Deborah Johnson | Friday, January 12, 2007 at 02:18 PM
Think! It's brilliant!
Go for it, and feel free to shower me with a small percentage of your riches.
Posted by: Ellen Perlman | Friday, January 12, 2007 at 02:47 PM
"Think" was IBM's slogan for a long time. Check it out:
http://www.computerhistory.org/exhibits/highlights/think.shtml
Posted by: Christopher Swope | Friday, January 12, 2007 at 03:43 PM
Sorry, Kansas City just cornered the market on the "Think" slogan with "think KC." Think KC, Think Eastern Jackson County, Think, Think, Think... It's a dual slogan with "OneKC." Acutally, it's been fairly well received. See more here: http://www.thinkkc.com/
Posted by: Scott | Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 11:03 AM
How about BEHAVE?? And as long as Baltimore uses the black & white theme they could use a picture of a nun with a ruler in-hand as an enforcer.
Posted by: Art Ross | Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 12:31 PM