It seems that Vancouver (yes, the Couve) has a bit of a branding issue. Going beyond the problem of being the other Vancouver, located in the other Clark County, located inside the other Washington, Portland’s largest suburb is beginning a seven month effort to find a new brand.
As a lifelong resident of the area, I’ve got a few ideas — but I thought it might be more interesting to see what you could come up with. Let ‘er rip!
In the meantime, I’m going to be over here, pumping my own gas and buying real Sudafed… although it’s enjoyable, it’s probably not a brand.
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I saw this in today’s Columbian. I don’t know what the big deal is…
Have they not seen MY solution to the “identity crisis” we face?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-xjKJsXOYw
The name simply *must* change to make it completely distinct from Vancouver BC. Yeah you were there first, but so what? You got beat at the awesome game. Hard. My suggestion? Bill Gates, WA. That will stop the confusion with V/BC, end the “Couve” nickname, and still attract skads of random attention. You’re welcome.
I can’t think of anything. I’m busy trying to figure out how anyone can possibly pump their own gas.
Who said we (we I say that I speak for native born Vancouverites) have a branding problem? Has everyone gone crazy? Consider two facts:
1. Vancouver Washington existed before both Portland and Vancouver BC. So suck it. We were here first.
2. Not only were we here first, but the other city is Canadian. Don’t you realize that gives those who live in the land of the free a God-given right to force those cheese-eating surrender monkeys to change their name?
My horse lives just outside of Vancouver, and he likes it just fine, and doesn’t want it branded, because then all sorts of people will move in, and it’s enough just dealing with the donkey next door.
I bet branding is a sore subject for horses anyway. [ducks]
Um…yeah….branding is a very sore subject!
I don’t understand what all the fuss is about anyway. Seven months of navel-gazing?
Legal meth? Pumping gas? Just call it VanTucky and call it good…
(hiding behind Kathleen. Or else drawing all the flack. You decide…)
I laughed my ass off when I heard ‘couver’s mayor call it “America’s Vancouver” last year.
I lived in the Couve for 5 years. No one has mentioned the smell of the pulp mill in Camass nearby. Stankcouver should work fine, it’s not taken. Portland’s bitch is a good second choice.
I would like to offer some other renaming suggestions:
North-North Portland
Or simply:
Portland, WA. (My personal favorite. Imagine the fun!)
Then there is always the coat-tails:
Greater-Outer-Far Seattle, WA
West Spokane, WA
Walla Walla *Walla*, WA
Of course if you wanted to continue to benefit from the brand of another fine city you might also consider:
San Francisco, WA
Tokyo, WA
Abu Dhabi, WA
Jackson Hole, WA
Baton Rouge, WA
Malibu, WA
… well, you get the idea!
There is NO branding solution for Vancouver in the positive. Some things need to remain branding underdogs to demonstrate the power of branding. But on the counter positioning side of advertising:
1) not Portland.
2) The un-Portland.
With the tagline…
“For those who only want to visit Portland and/or Oregon fairly often”
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