Northeast Indiana apparently was one of the first areas of the state to receive the new welcome signs that greet visitors and residents alike who are traveling here via major highways (think Interstate 69).
While it’s nice to have a fresh look when entering a state, it’s also nice to have something that is worth viewing.
If you were to believe all of the noise on social media, the signs aren’t much of a hit.
Here’s what the signs say: “More to Discover IN INDIANA Est: 1816.”
The signs are a dark blue, almost navy blue. Then below the “More To Discover” sign is a smaller, blue sign that informs motorists that Indiana Benjamin Harrison was America’s Hoosier President and that this is Lincoln’s Boyhood Home.
Some might say: TMI, too much information. You can’t read that many words when driving at 75 mph, let alone if you drove the speed limit of 65 mph.
For some reason, Indiana has had trouble when it comes to welcoming people with signs, just like the state has had a difficult time with license plate designs.
One only needs to look north for a better example of how marketing can be done.
Michigan has for years had a great slogan that’s short and to the point: “Pure Michigan.” It implies many things, particularly the great outdoors (something northeast Indiana can boast). When you think of Pure Michigan you don’t necessarily think of the mean streets of Detroit (they’re getting less mean, we’re told) or the militia groups that dot the state, threatening its governor and other nefarious pass times.
Michigan once had a slogan that was: Say Yes to Michigan. It had a jingle for television advertising. Those old enough to remember that campaign might remember the swoosh of snow or the abundance of water in those TV ads.
Indiana is on the right path with one thing it is trying to incorporate in its messaging, the IN emphasis in a variety of marketing and branding efforts. (If you haven’t seen it, the IN usually appears in all caps in a block arrow.
The IN is used everywhere now by state agencies. The destination people, who arguably get out spent by Michigan by millions of dollars, use IN Indiana in all of their messaging. Anytime a state agency distributes a new release that includes contact information with websites, it is now IN.gov, even though in.gov works just fine.
Indiana is improving its messaging by being more consistent. But those new welcome signs … they were probably better if they didn’t include the presidential clutter. Beyond that, we’ll leave the rest of the discussion for the experts on social media.
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