Alisa Bailey is president and chief executive officer of Virginia Tourism Corp. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the ubiquitous “Virginia is for lovers” slogan, which was just named one of the top 10 travel campaigns of all time by Forbes.com. Bailey discusses the phrase’s history.
What’s the story behind the slogan?
The office, which is now the Virginia Tourism Corporation, was called Virginia State Travel Service at the time in 1969. They’d done some research that indicated that Virginia was not capturing this market of a large segment of the population, a younger demographic which we now call the baby boomers. … They had a team with an ad agency called Martin & Woltz; they came up with “Virginia is for history lovers,” “Virginia is for music lovers,” and then they just branded it as “Virginia is for lovers.”
How was it received?
It just caught on. At the time it was very provocative. We’re talking about 1969 — love-ins, “Love Story,” Woodstock and those kinds of things. It was a chance, it was risky, very risky, but it just really caught on. And it has continued to resonate with travelers. Through the years — we continue to do research on it — it is one of those brands that everybody just attaches to. They know that “Virginia is for lovers” means Virginia travel vacation, and they’re going to have a good time.
What is it about the slogan that speaks to people?
I just think it makes them feel good. It’s about togethering with your family, togethering if you’re a couple. It’s about the love of life and passion for travel. It just makes people feel good. For us, it’s a brand promise; it promises the person that whatever you love in a vacation, you can find it in Virginia. I can’t even put a financial value on the recognition of the brand — particularly in this day and age when we’re bombarded with messages at all levels, from phone to Internet and TV.
