The Associated Press | Posted: Friday, March 10, 2006 11:00 pm
SALT LAKE CITY -- The state's secret new slogan is "Life Elevated."
"This statement embodies the heart and soul of our state -- it is also the essence of life in America's greatest state," Gov. Jon Huntsman said in a statement as his office released the slogan Thursday in response to an open-records request by The Salt Lake Tribune.
The slogan is to be used in a $14 million campaign to attract visitors to Utah.
Huntsman said it would "help encapsulate Utah in the minds of people around the world."
Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Tourism Office, said " 'Life Elevated' can be taken in a variety of ways. (We're) about attitude, not altitude."
The state's first choice for a new slogan, as disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, was "Seek Higher Ground," which was deemed too close to Colorado's "Enter a Higher State."
The new slogan was approved last week by the governor's Tourism Board in a public meeting. The board members kept the slogan secret during the discussion by using code words to refer to it.
Media attorney David Reymann said that defeated the purpose of the Open Meetings Law.
Assistant Attorney General Jerrold Jensen said the law provided for protection of intellectual property. He also said the slogan would be announced at a news conference April 5.
The Tribune then filed the request for the information under the Government Records Access and Management Act, and Huntsman released it earlier than planned.
Huntsman's spokesman, Mike Mower, said, "Gov. Huntsman is focused on making sure government activities are open and carried out in compliance with the law. This is why that when we were asked, we released it early."
Mower said the governor had not condoned the board's use of code words.
The new slogan is not to replace the "Greatest Snow on Earth" slogan used since 1988 but will replace the "Utah! Where Ideas Converge" slogan approved by former Gov. Mike Leavitt in 2001.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.