Big wild life motto reflects anchorage's uniqueness.

• Author: Begich, Mark
• Position: From the Publisher

Ask your average Anchorage resident, visitor or business operator their image of Alaska's largest city and their responses are as numerous as Anchorage's moose.

A wild frontier where you can experience animals up close and personal. An ideal location with superb recreational opportunities. A place of great opportunity with a refreshingly independent spirit.

Those of us who live, work and raise families here know each of these, and many more, to be true. Yet, that was precisely the challenge when we decided to embark on a new Anchorage "brand."

The Municipality, Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau and Anchorage Economic Development Corp. wanted a unified strategy for three purposes: better market our community to new visitors, attract new business investment and inspire pride among residents.

We believe the colorful new snowflake/ sunburst logo shown here, which incorporates the hooves of the community's wildlife, reflects our modern, growing city and innovatively complements the new motto: Anchorage. Big Wild Life." When taken together, the two become Anchorage's new brandmark.

Criticism has been fast, furious, frequently misinformed and expected. We're grateful to the Alaska Business Monthly for space to set the record straight.

Our city is subject to inaccurate misconceptions: too dark, cold, expensive, hard to get to. Old slogans are confusing or only speak to select audiences.

"Crossroads of the World" may be meaningful to air cargo carriers, but suggest to others a place to pass through. Remember "Wild About Anchorage" was dissed as "Mild About Anchorage" when introduced more than 20 years ago.

We listened to locals. The Nerland Agency, in partnership with a Colorado-based branding expert, spent months interviewing...