Staff Report
After receiving a significant number of Letters to the Editor expressing opposition to the new tagline adopted for the town – “Los Alamos County…Live Exponentially” – the Los Alamos Daily Post launched a survey to provide readers an opportunity to vote yes or no for the tagline, submit comments and offer their own suggestions.
The survey ran May 8-15, drew 522 voters and many offered comments or suggestions as well. Quite a few voters expressed a desire to keep the tagline “Where Discoveries Are Made.”
Los Alamos Daily Post Survey Results:
- Voting yes for “Los Alamos County…Live Exponentially” 43 or 8.24 percent;
- Voting no for “Los Alamos County…Live Exponentially” 379 or 72.61 percent; and
- Offering tagline suggestions or comments 100 or 19.16 percent.
Tagline Suggestions and Comments:
High Energy Living, So Easy a High Priced PR Firm Could Do It!!
5/15/2014 3:17 PM
Current one – Where Discoveries Are Made seems to work well
5/14/2014 3:17 PM
anything but…
5/13/2014 4:43 PM
Los Alamos: Where Wonders Unfold
5/10/2014 8:48 PM
Keep “Where Discoveries are Made”
5/10/2014 9:16 AM
Bombsville, Isotopia, Lost Almost, and House of Cones
5/9/2014 2:47 PM
I don’t understand what’s wrong with “Where Discoveries Are Made.” I also think sourcing from the community of people that live here to come up with a “brand” would have served our people much better. I find it ludicrous that $55K was spent on this and that we are planning to spend another $150K to implement it.
5/9/2014 2:46 PM
Where Discoveries Are Made was and is good. Live Exponentially is pretentious and without meaning.
5/9/2014 1:28 PM
Why do we need a “brand”? Seems like a waste of money to me.
5/9/2014 12:13 PM
Live, Love, Los Alamos
5/9/2014 11:34 AM
Like a commenter said “Where wonders unfold” is pretty good–referring to both scientific advancements and as a gateway to the outdoor natural beauty in almost all directions.
5/9/2014 11:30 AM
I thought “Where Discoveries Are Made” was the first community brand I’d seen that I actually liked when I moved here two years ago, and one very uniquely suited to Los Alamos. “Live exponentially” is complete nonsense and mostly brings negative thoughts to mind – bacterial colony growth, epidemics, etc. Maybe a marketing campaign to promote the other aspects of “Where Discoveries Are Made” like nature would be beneficial.
5/9/2014 11:05 AM
Discover Our Secrets 5/9/2014 9:52 AM
Gate To Discovery; Where Discoveries Are Made
5/9/2014 9:50 AM
applying science to protect the environment
5/9/2014 9:49 AM
Live Hypercritically
5/9/2014 9:37 AM
The atomic city
5/9/2014 9:23 AM
We have to get back to the island!
5/9/2014 9:17 AM
local citizen contest
5/9/2014 8:51 AM
A brand for town is absolutely the most rediculous waste of money the county council could have approved. We need to vote in new members for sure!
5/9/2014 8:50 AM
Stick with Where Discoveries are Made.
5/9/2014 8:39 AM
Keep the old logo…where discoveries are made
5/9/2014 8:26 AM
I liked “where discoveries are made” a whole lot better than this one!
5/9/2014 8:18 AM
Give the community a couple of months to spark ideas. I think we don’t need “live exponentially”.
5/9/2014 8:01 AM
Where discoveries are made
5/9/2014 7:57 AM
Darn Near Paradise
5/9/2014 7:47 AM
Los alamos, aim high
5/9/2014 7:25 AM
Embrace Life
5/9/2014 6:29 AM
Atomic City, Atomic Power
5/9/2014 6:10 AM
Peacefully
5/9/2014 5:26 AM
No, will you pay me $50,000 for my suggestion?
5/9/2014 12:14 AM
We don’t need a “brand.” Stop wasting money.
5/8/2014 10:31 PM
I like it…but many people will not know what “exponentially” means.
5/8/2014 9:58 PM
Live dangeously
5/8/2014 9:40 PM
Where Discoveries are made.
5/8/2014 8:53 PM
Los Alamos — Live Creatively (The Council can direct deposit the check)
5/8/2014 8:32 PM
We have Enchantment down to a Science.
5/8/2014 8:10 PM
Los Alamos, it’s only 45 miles from Santa Fe, follow me!
5/8/2014 7:52 PM
Get a half-life
5/8/2014 7:49 PM
Explore and discover
5/8/2014 7:18 PM
Innovative thinkers
5/8/2014 7:09 PM
Wander aimlessly
5/8/2014 6:56 PM
where wonders unfold
5/8/2014 6:52 PM
Something for Everyone
5/8/2014 6:31 PM
It’s Da Bomb! or go back to “The Atomic City”. Don’t try to hide the past!
Keep: Where Discoveries Are Made!
We waste money faster than the federal government does.
Please leave the current tagline in place, “Los Alamos….where discoveries are made!”
Where discoveries are made. Two standard deviations above the norm. It’s a blast!
Stop spending money on worthless endeavors. Support local small business initiatives instead.
We already have one: Where Discoveries Are Made
How about saving money by letting citizens create the suggestions
The Atomic City
Anything else.
northern nm base camp
Keep Los Alamos where discoveries are made
Where Discoveries are made.
$55,000? Sure you can have it!
I like “where discoveries are made”; I don’t think we need to change it, just utilize it more.
We have more money than brains, and that’s a lot
The one we had was great! Another example of the council spending money unnecessarily!
I always liked “Atomic City”
Where discoveries are made
Los Alamos: No-growth zone
Home
Los Alamos, where we don’t pay our employees
The Atomic City
I’d have rather seen something that also promoted us as a great outdoor destination.
Discover Los Alamos
Los Alamos (Don’t tell our secret)
Why can’t we keep “Where Discoveries are Made”? so that we don’t have to spend money changing flags downtown, our signs at Entrada, our brochures at the visitor’s center, etc. This truly baffles me on spending money for something that is not needed. Our old slogan, which really isn’t all that old, is just fine.
Go back to the drawing board, wa$ted 55K on this
Discover Los Alamos
I don’t know off the top of my head, but I’ll bet if you put a dozen citizens together in a room for a couple of hours, they could come up with something MUCH better for MUCH less than $55,000!!! Shouldn’t you put this to a vote before implimenting it?
Where Discoveries are Made
Stick with “Where Discoveries Are Made.”
Less is More
prefer: “where discoveries are made”
Keep “Where Discoveries Are Made”
Explore Los Alamos, Explore the Universe; Expanding Horizons; Where Science Happens Every Day
“Los Alamos: Wishful. Thinking.”
Welcome
Living… Elevated
The Atomic City
The Destination City
Anything that doesn’t sound off putting to visitors. “Live Exponentially” is SOOOO arrogant, it sounds like an suggestion from a bunch of theoretical physicists and how enticing is that for a tourist!
Where Discoveries Are Made
Los Alamos: We spend money on literally anything
Where things are discovered! Beauty, peace, canyons, AND science!!
Where ideas take flight !!
where opportunities abound
What was wrong with: “Birth Place of the Atomic Age”.
Where Discoveries Are Made
“Spend exponentially” would be more accurate
almost anything else would be better
“Where Discoveries are Made” was PERFECT!!!
“The possibilities are endless!” (Although the probabiity is calculated to be much lower.)
We paid for this? Another reason to pay attention come election time.
Discover Our Secrets is great. Why are we changing it?
The “Live Exponentially,” tagline was approved by the Los Alamos County at its May 6 meeting following a presentation by branding consultant Adam Winstead of North Star Destination Strategies. The County paid North Star $50,000, plus $5,000 for expenses, to help brand Los Alamos.
In his May 6 presentation, Winstead explained that Los Alamos County…Live Exponentially is actually a “strapline,” like a tagline or slogan, but with a larger, long-lasting purpose. This strapline centers on the word, “exponentially,” he said, and is ideal for Los Alamos County because:
- “Exponentially” gives the feeling that life in the County is elevated and raised, that life is great, and the County is for those that want the most out of life;
- “Exponentially” is an element found in science, mathematics, and engineering. This word is onstrategy and will resonate with key target audiences;
- “Exponentially” allows for a visual mechanism in the brand to help this concept come to life;
- Residents and business people in Los Alamos County aren’t thrill seekers; however, they do push the status quo, he said. They never stop questioning the boundaries of science, the boundaries of their personal life, and the boundaries of health, activity, leisure, and time with family. It’s an innate desire to learn and to grow, and this strapline encompasses this sentiment;
- This concept does a nice job of capturing the essence of the Platform benefit statement, think bigger and live brighter; and
- Finally, this strapline is perfect for a community-wide branding effort because the word “live” can be substituted for various words to connect with all types of audiences, he said.
Winstead told Council that the strapline can be tweaked in different ways:
- For a workforce development message: Los Alamos County…“Work Exponentially.”
- For students in the local schools or for scientists at LANL: Los Alamos County…“Think Exponentially.”
- For outdoor fun: Los Alamos County…“Play Exponentially.”
- For trail runners: Los Alamos County…“Run Exponentially.”
- For a local brewery: Los Alamos County…“Brew Exponentially.”
- For local bands and music functions: Los Alamos County…“Jam Exponentially.”
- Or, for local painters and artists: Los Alamos County…“Create Exponentially” or “Imagine Exponentially.”
This strapline can be further tweaked, Winstead said, to connect with existing events and assets, for instance, the “Los Alamos ScienceFest” (formerly known as the “Next Big Idea Festival”) now has a tagline: “Unleash Your Creative Genius—Exponentially!”
Following his presentation, a motion was made by Councilor David Izraelevitz, seconded by Councilor Fran Berting, that Council accept the results of the North Star Branding Plan and direct County Administrator Harry Burgess to return to Council for approval of a County logo, as well as a branding implementation plan. There is a budget of $125,000 to accomplish this. Councilor Rick Reiss offered a Friendly Amendment that this be accomplished, scoped and completed within 12 months. It was accepted and the motion passed 7-0.
