Bland Okotoks tourism slogan mocked on social media
Twitterverse offers Alberta town humorous rebranding suggestions
A tourism ad for the Town of Okotoks is getting a lot of attention on social media, and not because it's exciting.
The slogan — "There are a number of things to do in Okotoks" — was spotted and photographed on a Calgary C-Train this week.
The picture has been furiously circulating on Twitter, along with lots of sarcastic suggestions on how the town could better rebrand itself.
"Okotoks: quicker to visit than it is to spell!" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OkotoksSlogans?src=hash">#OkotoksSlogans</a>
—@CJAY92<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Okotoks?src=hash">#Okotoks</a>: Our Costco line is half the size of Calgary's <a href="http://t.co/pYTqYMIt9I">pic.twitter.com/pYTqYMIt9I</a>
—@PlannerColton. <a href="https://twitter.com/CBCEyeopener">@CBCEyeopener</a> Okotoks: "OUR Oilers actually win hockey games."
—@chrisjurewicz"Okotoks: Twice as OK as the Okanagan," wrote Roger Dunkley in an email to the Calgary Eyeopener.
Instead of fighting it, the Town of Okotoks is embracing all the attention its getting on social media.
"Like it or not, it has people out there talking about Okotoks, which is exactly what we were trying to do," said Shane Olson, economic development manager for the town.
What a funny meme! Share ur fun slogans to win a gift basket with 'things to do in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Okotoks?src=hash">#Okotoks</a>'! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thingstodoinokotoks?src=hash">#thingstodoinokotoks</a> <a href="http://t.co/n3iRjSu3Va">pic.twitter.com/n3iRjSu3Va</a>
—@townofokotoksResidents of Okotoks, meanwhile, had some fun in responding to all the media attention their town's slogan had garnered in Calgary.
Here are some excerpts of what they had to say about the number of things to do in Okotoks.
Olson was also quick to point out that viral photo of the bland Okotoks tourism slogan was taken out of context.
Okotoks: Twice as OK as the Okanagan!- Roger Dunkley, Calgary
"What's happened is somebody has taken a picture of one part of the ad, so the full ad is actually not showing here," said Olson.
The actual tagline for the ad is "Let your summer unfold in Okotoks," which Olson said beat out the slogan, "Hip, happening, historic Okotoks: your weekend destination."
- Do you have a better tourism slogan for Okotoks? Leave your suggestions in the comments section.