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Omahans urged to have some fun with O!
BY C. DAVID KOTOK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
The O! has landed.
Glen Burns of Burns & Sons Painting in Omaha puts the finishing touches
on the new Omaha logo developed through the Omaha Chamber of Commerce
to promote the city. The red O! will be painted on sidewalks around
downtown. This one is at 20th and Farnam Streets.
From the intersection at 20th and Farnam Streets, a stylized O! will
spread across the city this weekend in the latest attempt to give
Omaha's image some pop.
"I've got to be playful with the O!," said Sonny Mares, executive
director of the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We want it to
say Omaha, say fun, say excitement."
Whether O!, as the city's logo or icon, can do what "Omaha: Rare, Well
Done" and other slogans failed to do may depend on the creativity of
its use.
O! is the culmination of an effort by corporations, advertising
agencies, promotion groups, the city and foundations to come up with an
all-purpose symbol to inspire local pride and stimulate outside
interest.
The new city logo was rolled out - literally - on a downtown
intersection Friday. Paint crews plan to go to other major street
intersections Sunday.
Businesses and organizations are urged to "be creative" with the O!,
said Sharon Brodkey, spokeswoman for the Greater Omaha Chamber of
Commerce. A One Pacific Place business owner was encouraged to
incorporate O! in Christmas wreath displays.
The logo has been copyrighted to protect against any inappropriate or
obscene commercial uses.
The icon won out over another slogan because it is "somewhat uniform
but flexible," Brodkey said.
Mares, for example, wants advertising agencies to come up with ways to
use it for tourism, perhaps with a happy family looking out from the
middle of the O!
Omahans also are targets, Mares and Brodkey said, since they are the
city's ambassadors.
The in-town promotions over the next week are designed to get companies
and organizations to adopt the O!
"Keep your eyes and ears open," organizers urge. Finding a hidden O!
could win you prizes.
Among those who helped select the logo were the Chamber of Commerce,
Mayor's Office, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Metropolitan
Entertainment and Convention Authority, Gallup Organization, Discover
Why, Bozell and Jacobs, Anderson Partners, Cox Communications, Waitt
Media, Lovgren Marketing Group and the Peter Kiewit Foundation.
The O! should not be confused with the giant Q that is used to identify
the Omaha Convention Center and Arena, Brodkey said.
Now that we know what the O! logo looks like, the only remaining
question is how to enunciate it.
Uh-oh. Seems no one has determined the official sound.
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