Finding the "true brand of Wisconsin'' proves a tricky exercise

By Brian E. Clark WisBusiness.com

MADISON – For more than six years, Rep. Steve Wieckert has been pushing legislation to brand the state and come up with a short phrase to describe why Wisconsin is a good place to visit, relocate, go to school or expand a business.

He’s still at it, and predicts his bill (Assembly Bill 265) will make it through the Legislature and be signed by Gov. Jim Doyle next year.

But that doesn’t mean Wieckert (R-Appleton) isn’t supporting a new effort by Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble to come up with a brand that would boost travel and improve the state’s overall image.

Trumble says it's her goal to “unearth, once and for all, the true brand of Wisconsin.” “I compliment [the Department of] Tourism for doing this,” he said last week. “They’ve had some good slogans in the past because we have so much to offer. “But a brand is more than a bumper sticker,” he said. “It’s a whole cognitive emotional thing. I would like a brand that not only brings travelers here, but encourages economic development, too."

Wieckert estimated the state's many agencies will spend about $20 million annually to market various aspects of Wisconsin. “With a unified brand, there could be a synergy to support each other,” he said.

Kathi Seifert, a former Kimberly-Clark executive who now heads Appleton-based Pinnacle Perspectives, said she was unaware of the Tourism effort. However, she still supports the idea.

Seifert is a co-chair of New North, which promotes northeast Wisconsin and has as its own brand, “North of What You Expect.” More here.