Pointing the Finger in Washington

You immediately thought of Washington, D.C. when you read the title of the post, didn't you? It's exactly this reaction that gives Washington State a complex. Natives always have to emphasize Washington STATE when they say where they're from. And until Seattle became a big deal, no one really gave much thought to Washington. But I can just imagine the brainstorming session at the Washington State Advertising Commission decades ago when they determined that postcards should be produced to showcase the beauty of Washington State and entice people to visit.

The commissioners all agreed that the postcards were a good idea, but some were worried that  people might be unable to identify the scenic attractions in the photos. After all, people from other states might not recognize nature when they saw it. The group then discussed superimposing big red arrows on the cards to highlight the Columbia River and surrounding scenic vistas, but after much brainstorming they decided that human subjects pointing at the scenic attractions would be equally effective and much more subtle. Brilliant.

Since marketing people know all about human preferences though, they also realized that some people just don't like nature all that much. Trees, water - so what! What could they do to attract the urban nature haters? They considered adding a bunch of girls in bikinis or a stock photo of a woman eating asparagus, a popular local crop. But since they were also trying to be family friendly, they all agreed that a young woman leaning on a car was a much better choice and something that both men and women could relate to.

These cards make me want to go to Washington and lean on a car right now!