State tourism officials want out-of-staters to get high on Utah.
To wit: "Life Elevated."
Those two words are Utah's new tourism brand, announced Friday by state officials. "Life Elevated" will serve as the basis for advertising the state to potential tourists from outside Utah — to the tune of $10 million this fiscal year and $11 million next year in taxpayer dollars.
"Life Elevated" replaces "Utah! Where Ideas Connect" as the official state brand. The latter was unveiled in 2001.
"The new slogan embodies the heart and soul of our state," Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said in a prepared statement. "It captures the essence of life in America's greatest state."
Huntsman also said the phrase is applicable for use in travel, tourism and economic development.
Salt Lake advertising agency W Communications, office staff and the state Board of Tourism Development worked since last September on the brand. Their work included a "branding tour" to get suggestions from people throughout Utah and focus groups from across the country and at the World Travel Market in London.
But they encountered some potholes along the way. They first selected "Seek Higher Ground," but it was deemed too similar to the Colorado Ski Association's "Enter a Higher State."
Then last Friday, during a public meeting, the board approved the new brand but used only code words when referring to it. That prompted The Salt Lake Tribune to file a request for the information under the Government Records Access and Management Act. The governor's office then released the brand on Thursday to the Tribune — nearly four weeks earlier than planned.
The early release stole much of the thunder expected April 5, when the new brand was to be unveiled with great pomp. Instead, that get-together will include advertisements, colors and other components of the brand.
Tourism officials have said "The Greatest Snow on Earth" will continue to be used to promote Utah skiing.
Utah's first official brands were developed in the 1940s and '50s with "Utah, the Friendly State," "Utah, Land of Color" and "Utah the Unique." "The Greatest Snow on Earth" came later. "A Pretty, Great State," while commonly believed to be a sanctioned state slogan, was produced by a Salt Lake ad agency and used for a time by the Economic Development Corp. of Utah.
Contributing: Associated Press