In October, the State Tourism Commission unveiled its new slogan, “Nebraska. Honestly, it’s not for everyone.”
“Like Stonehenge, but a newer model,” says this example of a new Nebraska tourism ad that shows Carhenge near Alliance. The first ads of the new campaign will roll out in January.
NEBRASKA CITY — Nebraska’s new tourism marketing campaign concedes that the state is a bit boring, yet it hopes to lure travelers by highlighting that you can escape noisy cities and create your own fun.
“Nebraska Nice” is out. “Nebraska. Honestly, it’s not for everyone” is the new tagline in ads.
The new ad pitch, which leans on self-deprecating humor, was developed by a Colorado-based advertising agency, Vladimir Jones, after testing with out-of-staters likely to visit Nebraska.
“Lucky for you, there’s nothing to do here,” is the headline on one print advertisement that displays a smiling band of partygoers, floating down a Sand Hills stream in livestock tanks in the Nebraska-invented sport of “tanking.”
“Famous for our flat, boring landscape,” proclaims another ad, which shows a couple leaping between rock formations in northwest Nebraska’s Toadstool Geologic Park.
Another ad, which was popular with focus groups in Minneapolis, Kansas City and Denver, was titled “Festivals for everything from mud to testicles.” The latter refers to a Father’s Day weekend Testicle Festival, at the Round the Bend Steakhouse east of Ashland, that features deep-fried sheep and beef testicles.
State Tourism Director John Ricks said that because Nebraska has consistently ranked as the “least likely state” tourists plan to visit, the marketing campaign needed to be different.
“To make people listen, you have to hook them somehow,” Ricks said. “We had to shake people up.”
The process began last year when the Tourism Commission hired Brand Lever, a brand consultant specializing in destination marketing, to gauge awareness of Nebraska. This spring, the campaign was pretested in one-on-one interviews.
The research showed that people weren’t aware of Nebraska’s destinations, and even the state’s residents often say “there’s nothing to do here.”
“I call bunk on that,” said Ricks, who came from Colorado two years ago. “There’s a lot of cool, fun stuff to do here.”
When asked, Ricks said he didn’t think the new campaign reinforced negative stereotypes about the state, but instead provided an honest and different marketing pitch from those of other states.
The focus groups liked the self-deprecating humor, he said, and appreciated the honesty of the approach.
The new campaign, which debuted Wednesday afternoon at the annual state tourism convention at the Lied Lodge & Conference Center, got a mostly positive reception.
“It’s probably more edgy than we’re used to,” said Lori Paulsen, executive director of the Nebraska Winery and Grape Growers Association. She said she hated the old slogan, “Nebraska Nice.”
“No one goes somewhere because it’s nice,” Paulsen said.
State Sen. John Stinner of Gering called the new ad pitch “wonderful.”
“It’s a different approach, but I think it’s going to be very effective,” the senator said.
Brand Lever, out of Milwaukee, was paid nearly $74,000 for its work a year ago. Vladimir Jones, based in Denver, was selected as the state’s tourism ad firm last year. Tourism officials estimated the cost of developing the campaign at $450,000.
The first ads from the new campaign will roll out in January and will focus on the sandhill crane migration in central Nebraska, touted as a world-class wildlife event. “How can 500,000 cranes be wrong?” is the likely theme of those ads, Ricks said.
“Visit Nebraska. Visit Nice.” was rolled out as the state’s tourism pitch in 2014 to mixed reviews. Many still believe, incorrectly, that “Nebraska: The Good Life” is the state’s tourism motto. That tagline has been used on highway signs at the state’s borders since the 1960s by the Nebraska Department of Transportation, formerly the Nebraska Department of Roads.
Edgy marketing campaigns in Nebraska have generated buzz in the past. In 2001, the then-struggling Nebraska State Fair rolled out a humorous group of ads including one that boldly stated: “See bands you thought were dead.” While the ads drew criticism — and offense from some bands that performed — they also won a top statewide advertising award.
Ricks, who has been involved in developing marketing campaigns for four states, said Nebraska’s was the most difficult, because of the lack of awareness about the state. But the positive response by focus groups, he said, gives him confidence the campaign will change attitudes about the state.
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Rain clouds and a bit of a rainbow roll over the sky in Millard on Aug. 16, 2016.
Wheat, ready for the combine, is silhouetted by the setting sun as the wheat harvest on the Lagler farm near Grant, Nebraska, was in full swing on July 7, 2005.
The moon rises over the northern cross of the St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha on Feb. 10, 2017. On this night, there was a full moon, a lunar eclipse and comet 45P passed by the earth.
2008: As the sun sets, sandhill cranes arrive to roost in the Platte River at the Rowe Sanctuary and Iain Nicholson Audubon Center south of Gibbon, Nebraska.
A pair of sandhill cranes pass in front of the moon shortly after sunrise at the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon, Nebraska, on March 13, 2012. Sandhill cranes, which mate for life, can live between 20 and 40 years.
An early November storm system rolls through the Great Plains, but Omaha only receives rain, which collected on freshly-fallen leaves on Nov. 11, 2015.
Cattle head up to a well to get a drink at the end of the day near Sparks, Nebraska, on Aug. 21, 2015. Smoke from the wildfires in the western states created a haze.
Two riders help round up part of the 750 head of cattle branded at the Lute Family Ranch, located south of Hyannis, Nebraska, on May 12, 2005. Mick Knott, who runs the ranch, owns about half the cattle, and the Lute Foundation owns the rest. The work started about dawn and finished about noon.
The rising sun illuminates a tree and a windmill in a snow-covered field located on U.S. Highway 20 between Rushville and Chadron, Nebraska, on March 1, 2017.
The College Home Run Derby was held at TD Ameritrade Park and was highlighted by The World-Herald's annual Independence Day fireworks display on July 2, 2015.
Nearly 45 minutes after sunset, an orange and blue glow is seen setting behind the Omaha skyline flanked between trees in Council Bluffs on Jan. 11, 2018.
Ralph Kohler, 94, keeps his eyes to the sky for ducks and geese as the sun rises over his hunting pond east of Tekamah, Nebraska, on Nov. 30, 2011. Kohler has been a professional guide for most of his life, and he is preparing for the spring season.
Members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association hold their hats as 2013 Miss Burwell Rodeo Olivia Hunsperger passes by during the opening ceremonies on July 27, 2013, in Burwell, Nebraska. "This may be a small town, but it's got a big rodeo, and it's got a really big heart," Hunsperger said.
A break in the clouds highlights downtown Omaha as seen from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, as severe storms passed through the Omaha Metro area on June 5, 2014.
A red-tailed hawk perches on a light stanchion backed by the moon and overlooking the property near the Indian Creek development in Omaha on Feb. 27, 2018.
As the sun sets, cattails and trees are highlighted at Island Lake, a popular hunting area at the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Garden County, Nebraska, on Nov. 17, 2013.
A lone vehicle works its way through the Sand Hills as the warm, fiery light of sunset paints the frozen snow-covered terrain along U.S. Highway 20 east of Valentine, Nebraska, on Jan. 25, 2007.
Raquel Feist, 10, from Westminster, Colorado, uses the last remnants of daylight to search the shallow water for minnows after a rainstorm passed over Lake McConaughy, Nebraska, on July 24, 2006.
The sun makes an exclamation point as ice crystals in the sky creates a Sun Pillar above the rising traffic on Interstate 80 west of Omaha on Dec. 8, 2005.
A statue of St. Mary looks over the graves of Daniel and Barbara Jordan at the Montrose Catholic Church and Cemetery, which is located in the Oglala National Grassland.
Check out some of the most beautiful images of Nebraska.
Rain clouds and a bit of a rainbow roll over the sky in Millard on Aug. 16, 2016.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun sets behind a center pivot located north of Red Cloud, Nebraska, on Thursday, July 27, 2006.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Storm clouds hide the sun as it sets over Nebraska's Sand Hills on July 7, 2009, near Thedord, Nebraska.
JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A summer storm passes north of Rose, Nebraska, on Sunday, June 10, 2007.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
A rainbow forms over U.S. Highway 12, just east of Valentine, Nebraska, as storms roll over the area on July 25, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun sets behind an approaching storm as a car heads west on U.S. Highway 34 near Union, Nebraska, on April 24, 2016.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Icicles form on vines in downtown Omaha on Feb. 24, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Railroad tracks are illuminated by the setting sun on May 3, 2017, east of Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun sets behind Chimney Rock on May 3, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Members of the Boats, Bikes, Boots & Brews group head to shore as the sun sets after an evening out on Lake Zorinsky on April 22, 2015.
REBECCA S. GRATZ/THE WORLD-HERALD
Icicles hang from the horse carriage parking sign in the Old Market on Jan. 15, 2017.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Wheat, ready for the combine, is silhouetted by the setting sun as the wheat harvest on the Lagler farm near Grant, Nebraska, was in full swing on July 7, 2005.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
A layer of fog covers the Missouri River near the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge on Feb. 5, 2015.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A setting sun creates a pink haze on a windmill and the Sand Hills southwest of Rushville, Nebraska, on Sept. 22, 2007.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Pigeons scatter at sunset as the St. John's steeple is silhouetted against the Woodmen tower in downtown Omaha on Oct. 3, 2014.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun bursts behind the clouds over the North Platte River east of Bridgeport, Nebraska, on July 26, 2006.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Steve Jobman, a farmer south of Minatare, Nebraska, cuts alfalfa after sunset on June 2, 2004.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Wheat waves in the wind in a field west of Dalton, Nebraska, on July 18, 2001.
JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The moon rises over the northern cross of the St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha on Feb. 10, 2017. On this night, there was a full moon, a lunar eclipse and comet 45P passed by the earth.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
As the wind speed picks up, a woman holds onto her hood while crossing 16th Street along Dodge Street in Omaha on Feb. 24, 2017.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
From left: Melody Borcherding, Kseniya Burgoon and Michael Beltz scoop out a vehicle on Jan. 23, 2018, in Norfolk.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Jeff Bachman harvests soybeans and prepares to transfer them as the sun sets on a field near Ayr, Nebraska, on Oct. 19, 2008.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD
2008: As the sun sets, sandhill cranes arrive to roost in the Platte River at the Rowe Sanctuary and Iain Nicholson Audubon Center south of Gibbon, Nebraska.
JEFF BEIERMANN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A pair of sandhill cranes pass in front of the moon shortly after sunrise at the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon, Nebraska, on March 13, 2012. Sandhill cranes, which mate for life, can live between 20 and 40 years.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR, THE WORLD-HERALD
A windmill is dwarfed by storm clouds near Crawford, Nebraska, on May 3, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
An early November storm system rolls through the Great Plains, but Omaha only receives rain, which collected on freshly-fallen leaves on Nov. 11, 2015.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Cattle head up to a well to get a drink at the end of the day near Sparks, Nebraska, on Aug. 21, 2015. Smoke from the wildfires in the western states created a haze.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
The moon rises above the corn as farmers harvest the last of their fields in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa on Nov. 5, 2014.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Two riders help round up part of the 750 head of cattle branded at the Lute Family Ranch, located south of Hyannis, Nebraska, on May 12, 2005. Mick Knott, who runs the ranch, owns about half the cattle, and the Lute Foundation owns the rest. The work started about dawn and finished about noon.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
The rising sun illuminates a tree and a windmill in a snow-covered field located on U.S. Highway 20 between Rushville and Chadron, Nebraska, on March 1, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The College Home Run Derby was held at TD Ameritrade Park and was highlighted by The World-Herald's annual Independence Day fireworks display on July 2, 2015.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Fog rises from the Missouri River and covers the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge on Jan. 5, 2010.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD HERALD
The weekend's perfect weather colored the clouds at sunset south of Wymore, Nebraska, on Oct. 23, 2004.
CRAIG CHANDLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Deer chill out at Chalco Hills Recreation Area on Feb. 22, 2018.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A leaf is covered in a dusting of snow near 138th and Hickory Streets on Dec. 18, 2014, in Millard.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A runner emerges from the edge of the rising sun on Sept. 11, 2015, at Zorinsky Lake Park and Recreation Area in Omaha.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nearly 45 minutes after sunset, an orange and blue glow is seen setting behind the Omaha skyline flanked between trees in Council Bluffs on Jan. 11, 2018.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Rain drops collect on a flower following early showers on May 10, 2017, in Millard.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The promise of rain is fleeting for the seven windmills on the Watson Ranch north of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, on U.S. 71 on May 16, 2004.
JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A crescent moon sets behind the UNO bell tower.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Ralph Remmert is depicted in the mural "Fertile Ground" near 13th and Mike Fahey Streets in north downtown Omaha on June 19, 2017.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Ralph Kohler, 94, keeps his eyes to the sky for ducks and geese as the sun rises over his hunting pond east of Tekamah, Nebraska, on Nov. 30, 2011. Kohler has been a professional guide for most of his life, and he is preparing for the spring season.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun rises over St. Paul Lutheran Church, located three miles north of Republican City, Nebraska, in March of 2004.
JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Geese are silhouetted in the color and clouds as the sun sets at Zorinsky Lake on Feb. 21, 2016.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun rises on Chimney Rock on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014, near McGrew, Nebraska.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A bespangled vest awaits a rider during Nebraska's Big Rodeo on July 25, 2013, in Burwell, Nebraska.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD
Horses stand in the snow on Feb. 22, 2018.
SARAH HOFFMAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Residents of the Nebraska Panhandle enjoyed unseasonably mild temperatures and cloud cover on Aug. 12, 2004.
MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association hold their hats as 2013 Miss Burwell Rodeo Olivia Hunsperger passes by during the opening ceremonies on July 27, 2013, in Burwell, Nebraska. "This may be a small town, but it's got a big rodeo, and it's got a really big heart," Hunsperger said.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD
A break in the clouds highlights downtown Omaha as seen from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, as severe storms passed through the Omaha Metro area on June 5, 2014.
MARK DAVIS/THE WORLD-HERALD
John Wanief waits for the bus in a shelter at 120th Street and West Center Road as cold rain pours down in Millard on Nov. 11, 2015.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Flocks of waterfowl fill the sky as the sun rises over Ponca, Nebraska, on March 3, 2018.
REBECCA S. GRATZ, THE WORLD-HERALD
A red-tailed hawk perches on a light stanchion backed by the moon and overlooking the property near the Indian Creek development in Omaha on Feb. 27, 2018.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
A woman walks with two dogs in Memorial Park near Dodge Street as many sledders go down the hill in Omaha on Feb. 2, 2016.
MATT MILLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun sets over Sidney, Nebraska, on June 2, 2015.
SARAH HOFFMAN, OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
The rising sun shines on a snow-covered hill north of Chadron, Nebraska, on March 1, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Storm clouds are illuminated by the setting sun as people exit a football camp in Lincoln on Friday, June 16, 2017.
MATT DIXON, THE WORLD-HERALD
Sharon Vencil walks her dogs, Blackie and Whitie, along the Field Club Trail on March 6, 2018, in Omaha.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
The morning sun burns off a layer of fog just north of the Chimney Rock.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun rises behind one of seven wind generators as a windmill pumps water for cattle just northwest of Kimball, Nebraska, on Sept. 17, 2002.
BILL BATSON, THE WORLD-HERALD
A slightly less than full moon known as a waning gibbous is seen near the colorful Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge on June 22, 2016.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A combine fills a truck with corn during harvest near Wahoo, Nebraska, on Oct. 22, 2015.
MATT MILLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
Birds take flight at Ponca State Park on March 3, 2018.
REBECCA S. GRATZ, THE WORLD-HERALD
Michael Martin of Chadron, Nebraska, fishes for pike at the Chadron Reservoir on May 2, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
The headlights and taillights on vehicles pass by water droplets on a windshield of a car as high winds, hail and rain hit Omaha on March 23, 2016.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun silhouettes St. Cecilia Cathedral as it shines through the rain clouds hanging around Omaha on Aug. 12, 2016.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A bird takes flight in the early morning fog at Zorinsky Lake on Feb. 6, 2017, in Omaha.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Three horses graze at sunset in a pasture east of Valentine, Nebraska, along U.S. Highway 12 on July 8, 2014.
MATT MILLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
As the sun sets, cattails and trees are highlighted at Island Lake, a popular hunting area at the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Garden County, Nebraska, on Nov. 17, 2013.
MARK DAVIS, THE WORLD-HERALD
Lightning strikes as the sun sets behind an approaching storm near Union, Nebraska, on April 24, 2016.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Heavy rain and thunderstorms give way to a setting sun Oct. 4, 2005, along U.S. Highway 20 in northeast Nebraska near Waterbury.
JEFF BEIERMANN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Sandhill cranes fly as the sun rises on March 15, 2014, at the Rowe Audubon Sanctuary near Gibbon, Nebraska.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A woman runs in a rainstorm as the sun turns the sky pink and purple at sunset near Rose Hill Elementary School in Omaha on May, 9, 2016.
MATT MILLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
Fog from the Missouri River obscures parts of downtown Omaha on Feb. 5, 2015, as seen from the Lewis and Clark National Monument in Council Bluffs.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Wheat stands in a field as the sun sets near Venango, Nebraska, on July 14, 2008.
JOSH BIRNBAUM, THE WORLD-HERALD
A heavy fog hangs over a windmill in a cattle pasture north of Ringgold, Nebraska, on Feb. 11, 2010.
MATT MILLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
A lone vehicle works its way through the Sand Hills as the warm, fiery light of sunset paints the frozen snow-covered terrain along U.S. Highway 20 east of Valentine, Nebraska, on Jan. 25, 2007.
MATT MILLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
A paraglider is piloted near sunset during the Nebraska Balloon and Wine Festival on the Coventry Campus on Aug. 12, 2011, in Omaha.
MARK DAVIS, THE WORLD-HERALD
Raquel Feist, 10, from Westminster, Colorado, uses the last remnants of daylight to search the shallow water for minnows after a rainstorm passed over Lake McConaughy, Nebraska, on July 24, 2006.
MATT MILLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
Sandhill cranes head for nearby farm fields at sunrise along the Platte River Valley in Buffalo County, Nebraska, on March 30, 2010.
MARK DAVIS, THE WORLD-HERALD
The afternoon sun shines through a tree's leaves as water pours over Smith Falls on July 23, 2017, east of Valentine, Nebraska.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun sets on Immanuel Lutheran Church, south of Louisville, Nebraska, on Dec. 21, 2011.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR, THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun makes an exclamation point as ice crystals in the sky creates a Sun Pillar above the rising traffic on Interstate 80 west of Omaha on Dec. 8, 2005.
CRAIG CHANDLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
A cross from the church steeple of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs is framed between the Omaha skyline.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A sandhill crane dances in a cornfield before heading to the Platte River to roost for the night near Alda, Nebraska, in this 2006 photo.
MATT MILLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun sets behind Chimney Rock near Bridgeport, Nebraska, on July 26, 2006.
MATT MILLER, THE WORLD-HERALD
Storm clouds pass the water tower at Murray, Nebraska, on April 19, 2017.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Windmills are silhouetted by the late afternoon sun on Feb. 27, 2017, in Merna, Nebraska.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A statue of St. Mary looks over the graves of Daniel and Barbara Jordan at the Montrose Catholic Church and Cemetery, which is located in the Oglala National Grassland.
“Like Stonehenge, but a newer model,” says this example of a new Nebraska tourism ad that shows Carhenge near Alliance. The first ads of the new campaign will roll out in January.