Click photo to enlarge
The I am Dunedin slogan is launched in this 2001 file
photo. Photo by Jane Dawber
"I am Dunedin" is to be dropped as Dunedin's slogan and a
nationwide search is now on for a new slogan and promotional
strategy.
Dunedin City Council city marketing team leader Jennifer
Hooker said the current slogan dated back to 2001 and
although it had "aged gracefully" it was time for a revamp.
The council is combining with other major organisations in
the city to develop a new strategy that will promote commerce
and a higher tourism profile.
Ms Hooker said they were asking for expressions of
interest from creative agencies throughout Dunedin and the rest
of the country.
"We're fortunate to have some great talent here in Dunedin
but, because we want the best for this assignment, we will be
spreading the recruiting net wide to attract both local and
national agencies. That way we could well end up with some
kind of local/national collaboration as the outcome."
My reality check
Calc: Complainer? No. Criticiser? Yes. There is a difference.
While you champion the council's spend, spend, spend policies, perhaps you might want to take a little time thinking about the poor of this city who would love to have a voice on the council or even run for office, rather than having to worry about how they are going to afford the massive increase to this and subsequent years' rates (totalling 63%), all to pay for projects they will have little if any opportunity to enjoy. That’s the reality.
Run for council is your retort. Unfortunately, I have to work for a living and can ill-afford the time and certainly not the financial commitment such an undertaking merits.
That is why a very small number of people end up representing the majority, making decisions they know will have little effect on them.
I look forward to the next elections and your inclusion to the list of prospective candidates though.
This is truly a great and beautiful city.
In the future it will have to face up to and deal with the spendthrift policies this council will leave in its wake.
Death is not only an end, but a beginning, returning the spent body to be recycled into a new being, a new start for Dunedin.
New slogan
Golden Past Shining future
funkie01
Maybe people like me will be thinking "what were these clowns thinking? Look what they've done. They built something we all ready had when maybe what they really needed was a big top."
But I guess these clowns just seem to know how it will be in two years. I'm already planning were I will be sitting for the world cup games at the brook
Do cheer up
"Clowns" eh? Well, its good job you aren't involved in anything of note in marketing then isn't it, otherwise I imagine, your slogan might be " Dunedin - don't bother, I don't" or perhaps "Dunedin - leave it in the 1950's where I'm happy".
You will be rather lonely in the old park though, I think.
Dunedin - it's all right here.
You are so right. It was an excellent slogan. It takes many years for such slogans to take hold, so why dump it? It should be brought back.
Perhaps ...
Perhaps because for a lot of people it isn't all right here. Trying to paper over the council's recent incompetence with a feel-good slogan only works if you can persuade everyone one that they do feel good about the council - otherwise one just pastes it up on the internal Tui billboard, sighs and mutters "yeah right".
I suggest the council start by doing some good and fixing up the mess they've gotten the city into
Alright here
The problem with that one was that it sounded too much like 'Dunedin: It's alright here'.
Was all right here
It's a real case of back to the future here. Once upon a time we had suburban trains and clean green trolley buses (like those Wellington retained and updated, windy city of wisdom).
We have a sewer pipe that was recently upgraded to third world status, and part of South Dunedin still can't flush their loos when it rains.
But - wait for it (Drum roll and "parpity parp parp parrrp!") - we have a new rugby stadium with a roof.
Why did we change?
Why did we change from 'Dunedin, Its all right here'?
Some silly advertising executive spun a story it was old, ignoring how good it was.
Still here Pukeko
What happened to leaving the city in disgust? Hope to see you at opening of our Stadium of Hope. The song you should be listening to is "You can't always get what you want" or "Stop your Crying".
The Dunedinite's of the future will look back and praise this project.
Working on it
Ha ha funkie01, you are almost funny. I’m working on it, can’t always move overnight, (be nice if we could).
I might just stick around until October and see the Council of Corruption off on a slide. People go on about Auckland, but it’s better than Dunedin - vibrant, and sensible enough to reject it’s waterfront stadium.
Stadium of hope? "The Dunedinite's of the future will look back and praise this project." Ahh, yes, of course, like most of the Queenslanders know about their loss-making stadia. Clearly you didn’t do the Google search to see the news item I mentioned. Too much an inconvenient truth, proving some are living in denial.
A stadium to save this city? I’ve never heard anything so… yes, well... it beggars belief.
But, since I see reality, the only way I’d be at the opening would be from above in a helicopter, dropping a few eggs - a nice thought, anyway.
By then many of the incumbents that railroaded it onto us will already have egg on their faces in the landslide vote come next October.
The song you and your cult should be listening too is ‘The Logical song’ or ‘Dreamer,’ by Supertramp.
Dunedin slogan
Dunedin - Brad Thorn
New name for Dunedin or it's obituary
Rather than a new name for the city would it not be more apt to write it's obituary. Dunedin, A beautiful city from cradle to grave, in later life endured the cancer of an inept and greedy Council with dignity, she finally sucame to the illness after being sucked dry of all her wealth, burdening her family with massive debt she passed away quietly, the funeral and memorial service will be held at Awatea Street 2011.
Spoken like a true anti-stadium complainer
Spoken like a true anti-stadium complainer. The city is better of without that sort of attitude and the people that espouse it. Dunedin is a wonderful place. Politicians come and go, but if your attitude to the city is based on who is running it at the moment then it's time for a reality check.
You should run for council and put your attitudes to the test. I have your slogan already "Dunedin is dead, its all over ..... vote for me"
Spoken like a true anti, anti-stadium realist
Spoken like a true anti, anti-stadium realist (perhaps they know about the facts about the Queensland stadiums running losses by the tens of millions).
The city is better off without that sort of radical attitude and the few people that espouse it. Dunedin was a wonderful place. Politicians come and go (this lot leaving their legacy), but if your attitude to the city is based on a rugby stadium sucking all the coffers, it's time for a reality check.
Ditching those rose-tinted glasses wouldn’t go astray either.
I have your slogan already "Dunedin, few buses, financially-ailing hospital with a huge waiting list, third world sewer, one stadium." It’ll be a laugh in Rough Guides to come.
Many parodies have already been made over the current DCC, that will spread over the years.
We can be blown away, not only by the wind, but the crass folly of the few that took the rest of the city to ransom for their wanting to call the place rugby city.
The scenery or heritage that brings in those cruise ships currently visiting etc seems to have nothing to do with what makes the city tick, according to some. They only bring in a few million dollars to the local economy at a time.
And the welcome 'i' booth at the wharf is still a converted container.
All this while rugbyheads get way, way more than their fair share, more than words in spoken English can aptly describe.
Dunedin slogan
DUNEDIN - JEWEL OF THE SOUTH
New slogan
Dunedin - dramatically different.
Let's be 'open and transparent'
So, how about - 'Dunedin - it's all rort here!'
Try not to repeat the mistakes made with the last slogan...
Is Amsterdam threatening to sue?
The last slogan "I am Dunedin" was stolen from Amsterdam which has used it for years and still cost more than I care to remember.
How about follow the lead of Paris and hold a competition to name it?
Should have done that with Farry's Folly too.
Dunedin, My Eden
Simple clean and reflective of a lot of what makes the city great.
Vote Calc
I want to work for 'Calc', if he would pay $45k per year to a tour guide at Tairoa Head then he's the guy to work for.
Average salary range
You clearly believe that $45,000 p.a. is somehow a lot of money to be paid as a salary if you're an adult. I would have thought it would be a minimum for an educated and experienced adult doing a valued and rewarding job. It's kind of sad you are so impressed by an average range salary rather than the point of the calculations shown.
Why the slogan hunt?
It's interesting that this has come up now aside from the comments above.
Maybe it's a recognition that the mood in the city is very downcast given the divisiveness over the years under the Chin Council.
Is this a 'feel good' campaign in the run up to the local body elections in October?
Trouble is slogans are not the solution to bring a community together again.
Your place in the south
Your Place in the South.
'Branding' Dunedin
Until such times as the incumbent Council gets its long-overdue bums'-rush, how about:- 'DUNEDIN - Paradise Lost'
Twitter went crazy with this article
Middle of yesterday afternoon I used a hashtag (a tool twitter uses so that posts are searchable) #NewDunedinSlogan when I first posted a tweet about this article, and boy did it take off on twitter.
By early evening there were hundreds of slogans, many from the soft cynical north, but many were very funny indeed.
You can see the hundred upon hundreds of suggestion on twitter (even if you don't have an account). This is quite rare for New Zealand and caught the imagination of many.
Yesterday in the ODT
Yesterday in the ODT you mentioned you even tweet while on the toilet.
How many more tweets have you now made beyond the 14,000 already done?
Hope you cleaned your hands afterwards.
What's in a name?
It's got a name: "DUNEDIN" Always has been, always will be, end of story. But hey - if you haven't got a proper job, but authority to spend thousands of dollars why not go for it? After all, that's what bureaucracy is all about.
Home of the disaffected
Why the heck do people come here like Calvin if all they have to do in every single post is moan about this city.
My grandmother (as did many grannies) used to have a saying, "If you've got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all".
Shame this isn't adhered to on a more regular basis.
Nice-ties
That's not a nice thing to say about Calvin, so why are you saying that? Shouldn't you be listening to grandma as well? Naughty boy.