Today was launch day for the re-launch of the I Love NY brand. I guess I’m sort of trying to get a feel for how things are going. Here’s a selection of items for your re-branding pleasure:

We Love NY Because of the Adirondacks
“And that’s another reason I LOVE NEW YORK” – Here’s my preview post.

N.Y. shows heart in defending its brand
“We have stepped up our protection of the brand as we get ready to relaunch the next campaign. It generates real economic value for New York state and needs to be protected as an asset.” – It’s a branding war out there.

Calling on Tourists to Come for New York City, but Stay for the State
Well, here we go with Launch Day. One of the ladies here told me they saw some kind of giant mobile banner thing on the Northway yesterday. Plattsburgh was TBD as a location for some buzz marketing.

I LOVE NEW YORK
It’s a new look! Obviously, I like the whitespace. Everyone should give the custom brochure thing a whirl. Look for a major information architecture change come Fall.

‘We’re Just As Good As NYC,’ Lies Rest Of New York
“I say that from a position of ignorance, because I’ve never bothered to explore upstate NY much.” – The pesky Gawkers are in full snark mode. I think they are actually scared of leaving their womb-city.

“I Love New York” Gets Makeover
“If we can just capture some of those folks to either stay in New York or to come across the border this summer, that can be a huge win for New York’s economy.” – It really is as simple as that.

Eastman students to perform at state tourism event today
“Music from the Miles Brown Trio, composed of graduate students Miles Brown, playing the bass, Sam Farley, on the piano, and Eastman alumnus Brady Miller, playing drums, will greet media guests as they enter the venue.” – Sounds like a sweet party they’ve got going on. I should have gone.

PATERSON ANNOUNCES MAKEOVER FOR ICONIC “I LOVE NY” CAMPAIGN
“New Campaign Expected to Increase Tourism by Nearly 30 % by 2020” – Well, that’s easy for them to say. Who makes a 12 year prediction these days? Will anyone remember? Who’s benchmarking tourism right now? Anyway, this is the best article so far.

The campaign, executed by the award-winning Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency, currently employs a multi-faceted media approach incorporating advertisements in key market newspapers, billboards, direct response, magazines, guerilla marketing and viral and digital marketing. It also introduces progressive brand partnerships with industry partners such as JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Travelocity and Orbitz, as well as an updated ILoveNY.com web site, innovative custom brochures and a distinctive new, non-traditional getaway guide.

That’s pretty much the whole thing there. There’s a Google-Orbitz-Travelocity thing at the GTC next week which should be interesting. They got some guy who claims to be some kind of internet expert introducing the panel. (Who could that be?)

The new campaign incorporates elements of both New York City and the State into its creative messaging, with artistic imagery that blends familiar city sights with different facets of the State’s landscape.

“Our logo is already easily one of the most recognized in the world,” said Governor Paterson. “We hope to leverage that recognition by making small distinctive alterations to our logo. By putting our logo in New York’s surroundings we will tell a new story about what New York has to offer.”

I can see people getting the shirt that matches their interests. I like the climbers. These were drafts, so maybe not all will be used.

“I Love NY” going beyond Big Apple
“State officials unveiled a $17 million tourism campaign designed to promote upstate New York and other non-city areas.” – Seems like a lot of money, but really it is just peanuts compared to our competitive set.

I Heart NY
“I knew downstaters thought upstaters were just a bunch of squirrels, but now here’s proof. And is it just me, or is the grass growing up the letters in “NY” horrifyingly post-apocalyptic?” – Don’t blame it on me, I was not the only one claiming to be a squirrel-hater. Do NYC people think squirrels are cute? Or do they consider them vermin?

New York Gunning for Cash-Strapped Tourists
We want all the tourists, the rich and the poor. And yeah, a most excellent Google Map would be cool, it would be a mashup of epic size.

Upstate to get more attention with new tourism focus
“And while the “I Love” folks are at it, they might ask the Thruway Authority to improve its signage, which does too little to promote upstate.” – The Thruway is a huge captive audience, probably more and better promotion to that market may be useful, but it certainly won’t be that solution for Rochester.

Newsflash! New York Has This Thing Called ‘Upstate’
Who knew? For those who don’t venture outside the five burroughs very often, it might come as a surprise that the entire state of New York isn’t covered with black top. – Adrants has copies of the print creative – I Love New York Campaign

Saatchi New York Loves It
Apparently, the AgencySpy is still trying to be relevant.