In 2007, New York’s Central Upstate Regional Alliance chose a green apple as its symbol—in part because New York City is known as “the Big Apple.” Its slogan is: “New York’s Creative Core.”
   
   
Suracuse Post-Standard
Upstate slogan promoted
Central Upstate Regional Alliance works to create a brand identity for the area.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
By Rick Moriarty
Staff writer
 
The Beatles use one. Apple Computer Inc. does, too.
 
Now, so does the central Upstate region.
 
The Central Upstate Regional Alliance has quietly adopted an apple as part of a marketing slogan for the 12-county area represented by the coalition.
 
More than 50 colleges, businesses, cities, economic development groups and other organizations have signed up to use the slogan, “New York’s Creative Core. Real. Smart. Easy.” Next to the slogan is a whole, green apple.
 
It has popped up on Web sites and advertisements for some of the organizations, including the Metropolitan Development Association, which assembled the coalition two years ago as part of its Vision 2010 plan for boosting the region’s economy and reversing its population decline.
 
The slogan is the result of a nearly two-year effort by the alliance to come up with a regional “brand” that can be used to promote the area to potential employers and skilled labor.
 
Linda Dickerson Hartsock, who was co-chair of the alliance committee that worked on the effort, said the apple taps into New York City’s “big apple” nickname, which many people associate with the entire state. And the green color conjures up images not only of the region’s agricultural industry, but also of its growing expertise in green energy technologies, she said.
 
The words “creative core” relate to the region’s core of creative people, both in industry and in its many colleges and universities, she said.
 
NYCO’s Blog
Oh. My. God.
Posted by NYCO on Mar 15 | Tagged as: Uncategorized, News
 
You know, I thought the whole idea of “branding” central New York was silly, but never in my wildest dreams did I think the Central Upstate Regional Alliance would come up with something so lame. Their new brand slogan for CNY is…
 
New York’s Creative Core. Real. Smart. Easy.

It took them two years to come up with something cribbed from Wegmans’ Menu magazine?!?
 
The green apple part of it seems the dumbest idea. According to the co-chair of the committee, says the Post-Standard, “the apple taps into New York City’s ‘big apple’ nickname which many people associate with the entire state.”
 
WTF??? What planet are these people living on? First of all, nobody associates “The Big Apple” with New York State. That is always, and has only ever been, New York City’s nickname. Secondly, why on earth would we want to submerge Central New York’s identity in New York City’s? For the love of God!