Stir an uproar over brand? Can do!

It may be a lime, says Maxine Nietz, of Carson City. Or it could be a green balloon. She stares down at the new regional business brand for Northern Nevada on the inside of a black pamphlet. A green circle encloses the words "can do."

"Is it a sun turned green?"

I'm sure this isn't the question the designers of the "Welcome to can do" brand wanted to hear.

The brand is part of a $400,000 effort headed by the Northern Nevada Development Authority and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. The new name they're marketing for the area is Greater Reno-Tahoe.

I wonder if the Northern Nevada Development Authority will be changing its name?

The brand was released this week with much fanfare. They distributed a "branding kit" at the Tuesday unveiling in Reno that contained a temporary tattoo (Is it really that hip to brand yourself?) and a window sticker for your car.

With this brand, economic officials hope to attract skilled professionals and high-paying businesses to Northern Nevada, oops, Greater Reno-Tahoe.

"And if you figure out what it is, (the green circle) what does it mean to the area?" asks Nietz, who runs a local event-planning business.

According to the creative director of R&R Partners, of Reno, the green circle enclosing the slogan "can do" represents unity.

It has created anything but that.

"I think they missed the boat on the concept," said local builder Bill Miles. He attended the Tuesday event, heard the spiel and wasn't impressed.

He asked me not to print the extent of his distaste.

I've heard it from several people: "Can do" reminds them of 1970s drug vernacular.

Since I'm a child of the '90s, I hearken it to Rob Schneider yelling "You can do it!" as a running gag in Adam Sandler movies.

"They picked an out-of-date idiom to attract modern business," says Kelly Brant, who works in marketing at the Nugget. "It's not the choice I would've made."

Kristy Servati, a marketer for the Carson HorseShoe Club, ran the phrase by some of her friends who speak English as a second language. To their credit, she says, they didn't grasp this American slang.

"Grammatically, they couldn't get it," she said.

"'Can do' is a hokey expression. I think we should get away from that. We should be more sophisticated to attract business."

Dave Campbell, of Carson City, a former marketing professor, says this: "It's the weakest claim because it requires the listener to trust us. They can't back that up without testing it for themselves, spending money first to come here."

Most of these people I've quoted so far happened to have spent the day talking about branding with a national expert. But their workshop was to promote Carson City tourism, not to attract regional business, to be fair.

Julie Ardito, spokeswoman for EDAWN, one of the economic organizations that headed the branding effort, says the logo is getting buzz.

Translation: raising ire; embroiling the masses; confusing the natives.

"It makes me mad," said Margaret Reed, 76, a reader who called me up on Wednesday. "I believe it should be Greater Carson City."

Her response was expected, which is why the executive director of Northern Nevada Development Authority is selling the "can do" brand to the rural counties, not the "Greater Reno-Tahoe" part of it.

His goal is sincere: attract business to the whole region, not just Reno-Tahoe, but use that international recognition to get their interest.

Nietz made a valid point to me. The "Greater Reno-Tahoe" is understandable, as long as it's followed up with action on behalf of the other counties.

NNDA pledges to do that with $65,000 of "can do" marketing for the seven rural Northern Nevada counties.

All of us natives can still use Northern Nevada, after all, it's our community.

Want to see a great marketing hook? Check out www.divinenine.com, which markets Sierra Nevada golf courses. The Web site now offers bookings online. The site includes nine courses from the Eagle Valley,CarsonValley and Dayton Valley with the power of group presentation and individual attention.

Now that's unity.



• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.