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12 Reasons Why I Love The New Nebraska Slogan
You know how it goes in life.
There is a goal you want to obtain. Be it lose weight, find Mr. Right, or get a job.
You work so hard at it but always end up short.
Then, you quit trying. And suddenly, out of nowhere, when it rains it pours! (Go figure)
This happened with a Meme I created on my WellTraveledNebraskan Facebook Page. You see, after trying for a while to make social media work for the blog, I decided I’d rather just spend my time creating really awesome blog posts that inspired local Nebraskans instead.
But then, my sister sent a picture of her husband shoveling after our recent Omaha blizzard and I just new the new Nebraska tourism slogan “Nebraska…Honestly, it’s not for everyone” would be perfect for it.
And then it went viral! (Go figure.)
See the viral meme on Facebook here
And just like the meme, it seems like the new Nebraska state slogan had the same thing happen. When they stopped trying so hard, it took off!
But, was it in a good or a bad way?
^Want Others To Know How Great Nebraska Is? Pin This So They Can See!^
In fact, there was a wide mix of emotions from people’s comments on that meme. Everywhere from,
“What a horrible slogan” to
“Can you believe this is our new slogan!”as well as the positive and lighthearted responses such as:
“I’d never want to live anywhere else” or
“Nebraska is my homestate. I never knew how much I’d miss it until I left”
In fact, after that meme, I got a “bad page” recommendation from someone saying how despicable that slogan was. I’m not sure if she thought I had thought up the phrase myself (I WISH I was that creative!) or if she just hates it that much that she doesn’t appreciate other people spreading that phrase around???
But at the end of the day, I LOVE IT!!!! Like, I read it when they announced it and immediately went “YUP!!!!!” and my heart swooned.
1) I like it because it hits on exactly what this particular blog is ALL about!
Because here’s the deal.
We all know what Nebraska isn’t:
- Huge cities with skyscrapers
- Beaches overlooking teal oceanic waters
- Alpine peaks to ski down and hike up
But does that mean that Nebraska doesn’t have some redeeming qualities?
Well, some people seem to believe that.
But I don’t believe that.
So, I created WellTraveledNebraskan to encourage Nebraskans to travel right here in our own backyard….BEYOND the cornfields and quilt museums!!!
Does it take a bit of creativity or searching to find some of those gems? Sure, sometimes. But, that’s what this site is here for!
So, for those of you who hate our new slogan, here’s why I, a born and raised Nebraskan totally love it.
2) It’s Honest…Just Like Us
As mentioned above, we all know what Nebraska is. And what it isn’t.
Some are apparently more aware than others. I mean, on this site, I’m not going to try to convince you that a trip to Walt Disney World is inferior to a day at Fun Plex in Omaha.
I’m not here to make people outside of Nebraska think that the Cornhusker State is some magical state that they’ve never heard about and that it MUST be their next vacation ASAP!!!
I’m not going to tell you that looking at Chimney Rock is as awe-inspiring as The Grand Canyon.
But does that mean that there isn’t some pretty awesome stuff here? Heck no!!!
- I want this site to be for Nebraskans to say, “Wait, That’s in NEBRASKA!?”
- This site is to inspire us locals that if we can’t afford some grand vacation to NYC, why not find something right here in our own backyard to explore this year?
So yes, c’mon Cornhuskers….let’s just be honest with ourselves with what we’ve got (and what we don’t).
And THEN, let’s make the most out of what IS here. (but more on that in a bit…)
3) It Shows That We Don’t Take Ourselves Too Seriously
Us Nebraskans are some of the most down to earth, non-pretentious people you will ever meet.
I love that this slogan says, “We may not have famous national parks, big skyscrapers, or perfect weather year-round but we DO know how to laugh and have a great time!”
I mean, have you ever done an infamous Nebraska River Tanking Ride? Give any Nebraskan a beer and some good friends and we can make anything fun!
4) It’s Created More National Awareness Than Any Other Slogan
One of the points from a brand awareness perspective is that slogans are supposed to create awareness and “buzz”.
You are supposed to see or hear something and, without a blink of an eye, know exactly what it’s related to.
Think of the “Golden Arches”
I didn’t even say McDonald’s but chances are, you immediately thought that….because of brand awareness.
Whether it’s for the good or the bad, this slogan has created NATIONAL buzz and news!!! The Washington Post wrote about it. It’s been on several tv segments. Here’s my favorite one from Live With Kelly and Ryan
People who never knew where Nebraska was or find themselves asking “So what’s IN Nebraska?” are surely to look it up after these tv segments.
Sooo yeah, I’d say that slogan did it’s job to create some buzz!
Who knows, MAYBE just a few of those people will take the challenge and make a trip or vacation to Nebraska one day, meaning more tourism and tax dollars to locals….which is EXACTLY what the slogan is supposed to do! If that’s not winning for the Nebraska State Slogan, I’m not sure what is.
Fun Fact
Did you know that the search term “Nebraska is in Which State” actually gets 5400 searches? No, not in a year….A MONTH!!!! (I’m still not sure how this is possible, but that’s what the tool “Keysearch” says!)
Followed closely by “Is Nebraska a state” which gets almost EQUAL searches!!
I’d say we need some major awareness!!!
5) It’s Way Better Than “Nebraska Nice”
Circling back around to our first point, can we be honest here?
WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HECK WAS “NEBRASKA NICE!?!?”
I mean, is it saying
- “Nebraska IS Nice?”
- “Nebraska is a nice place to visit”
- “Nebraska people are nice”??
And c’mon! “Nice.” That’s the best adjective we could think of for our Nebraska?
Talk about Lukewarm!!!! If you want people coming to our state, saying it’s just “nice” isn’t exactly convincing or inspiring!!!
6) Reverse Psychology
Who knows? Maybe the people who created the new Nebraska slogan were wanting to do some reverse pshycologogy on people???
I know for myself, if someone tells me I can’t do something in life, I immediately say “Oh yeah? Watch me!”
Maybe the creators thought the same thing?
Nebraska: “Hey all you travelers! There’s some stuff to do here in Nebraska buuuuut, I don’t know if you REALLY want to do it or if you could handle it.”
Traveler: “Uuum, did you just tell me that I may not like visiting Nebraska? How dare you. WATCH ME enjoy the vineyards, a top 10 US rated scenic byway, one of the world’s biggest animal migrations…all while I eat a delicious Omaha steak!!!!”
7) It’s Challenging the Stereotypes
In addition to Nebraskans being an honest group, we are also FIERCELY proud!!!!
What is Nebraska Known For? Sure, there are plenty of stereotypes in Nebraska:
- Everyone in Nebraska is a farmer
- We all live in Cornfields
- We see cows every day
- Nebraska is only flat prairies
- There is nothing to do for those who love adventure or travel
- We eat a ton of beef (oh wait….that one is true)
Afterall…. THIS is In Nebraska
And So Is This
So, when this slogan came out, I loved all the people getting their panties in a twist shouting from the rooftops about all the AMAZING things we do have here. All of the surprising gems we have that a lot of others don’t know about.
People started clapping back that we ARE an awesome state! (Rightly so, mind you!) So, is there to do in Nebraska?
People were quick to point out things like,
“Did you know that Nebraska has canyons!?” (we do)
“Did you know that our state is home to the city with the most millionaires per capita!” (we are)
We aren’t ONLY the flat, monotonous prairies you see if you stay stuck on 1-80 (yes, there are plenty of those, too though), which is what most travelers driving through the state do.
Nebraska Tourism
So What Some Things Nebraska Has Besides Corn? What IS In Nebraska?
- The US’s largest man made forest
- Canyons (yes, you read that correct)
- White Sand Beaches (yup, that too!)
- Ancient fossil beds
- The largest indoor waterfall in the US
Oh, you know….Just to name a few.
And what about EXPERIENCES to be had in Nebraska.
There are so many that I even have my own Bucketlist of EXPERIENCES (not just things to do) in Nebraska!
- Go Skydiving
- Ride a Hot Air Balloon As the Sunsets
- Do Yoga With Alpacas
- See one of the world’s largest, most impressive animal migrations
- Sleep in An Authentic Covered Wagon
- Go Surfing
- Take a Romantic Gondola Ride
(Want to Prove To Others That Nebraska Has Some Awesome Stuff? Share This Page On Facebook)
Are you probably going to have to drive a long time to get between these things? Yes.
Does that mean that they aren’t worth the effort? No.
It’s as if this slogan was as if it meant to ruffle OUR OWN feathers so that we would want to protect what we Nebraskans already know is a pretty awesome state!
Looking For Our Complete List Of Things Every Nebraskan Should See and Do? Here You Go!
8) It Keeps The Hidden Gems Just For Us!
The Nebraska slogan is so tongue and cheek (which, if you know me personally, you know I have a dry sense of humor) that I love that it’s basically like
“Hey, if you don’t want to come here, we don’t really want you here”
(Ok, a Nebraskan would NEVER say that? Have you met us? We are “Nebraska Nice” (more on that below) But in all seriousness, everyone says that Nebraskans are some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.)
I will agree that some of the things on the above Bucketlist are hard to come by if you aren’t trying or willing to do a long road trip.
Some of the things on the list may take 10 hours to drive to (even for us Nebraskans…already IN Nebraska!)
But as someone who has traveled the world extensively, I can say that under-the-radar locations that “get discovered” are soon run over by tourists.
But I’ll admit, a bit more Nebraska tourism and tourist taxes wouldn’t hurt the state.
But shhh…..if we don’t let others in on the secrets, then we can keep them all to ourselves!!! Can you just imagine standing at Chimney Rock fighting off the crowds to take your own photo? No thank you.
9) People Only Know Of Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska
Since more people make up the population of Nebraska in Lincoln and Omaha than the rest of Nebraska combined, most out-of-staters (shoot, even us Nebraskans from Southeast Nebraska) often only view Nebraska as what is in this section of the state.
Which yes, is a lot of flat, dusty prairies.
But if you get off of I-80 and really start to explore Nebraska, there is SO much more.
Most people don’t think of anything beyond these cities and this interstate.
Which is why I love that this slogan encourages people to find things to do elsewhere!
10) It’s Unique
I think we all can agree that you can’t get much better than the Nebraska Motto,
“Nebraska The Good Life”
Photo By ShannonPatrick / CC BY
That slogan circles back to us Nebraskans being proud about where we live and who we are.
But I love that “Honestly, It’s not for everyone!” is creative and unique. Sure, it may not be for everyone (pun intended) but you got to give them credit…It sure is different as far as state slogans are concerned!!
11) We Can’t Get Much Worse Than Dead Last
Yup, that’s right. For four solid years straight, Nebraska has come in dead last of ALL the States for people wanting to travel.
LAST.
As in, out of 50 states, we were the LAST state that people would want to visit!
Yikes.
So why not throw a hail mary and try to ruffle up some talk and intrigue about our state by trying out a type of slogan that no other state would be willing to try.
What did we have to lose?
12) And Finally, because well…No, It’s Not For Everyone
- Not everyone loves long drives
- Some people prefer the big city life
- Not everyone could survive as a farmer (but PLEASE, don’t assume that ALL Nebraskans are farmers- we aren’t!)
- Not everyone enjoys or can appreciate nature
- Not everyone likes having to search and create their own adventures
- It is BRUTALLY cold in the winter- we’ve had almost 60 inches of snow in this record-breaking year!
- And then the blistering heat takes hold in the winter- but not just heat…HUMIDITY!
- Tornadoes (need I say more??)
So no, Nebraska isn’t for everyone.
And guess what? Because not everyone could handle what this state may have (and not have), is exactly why I’m proud that I can call myself a Nebraskan!
What about you?
Love or hate it?
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I LOVE to support local businesses and entrepreneurs! Thank you to both Karen Kader and Melissa Kinder for sharing some of their stunning photography of Nebraska to showcase just how beautiful our state can be!
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