Chicago 2016’s new slogan: Words, words, words

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Please tell me the folks at Chicago 2016 did not pay someone for new slogan.

After all, in this tight economy, the Olympics bid committee cannot afford to be wasting money on sloganeering, especially if the result is as bad as ‘Let Friendship Shine.’’

First of all, the words don’t go together. The verb ‘shine’’ does not fit with the noun ‘friendship.’’ While I will leave it to a deconstructionist to parse the possible meanings of this word combination, I believe almost anyone would agree that the concept of friendships shining is nonsensical. It reminds me of Hamlet’s riposte when Polonius asked what he was reading: ‘Words, words, words,’’ Hamlet said, clearly implying the words were meaningless.

Second, it replaced a perfectly beautiful slogan, ‘Stir the Soul,’’ which linked Chicago’s Summer Olympics project to the city’s seminal urban planning project by using the words of its mastermind, Daniel Burnham, who said, ‘Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized.’’

Third, the idea that ‘Stir the Soul’’ had to be dumped because it didn’t translate well to other languages, as professed by Chicago 2016 marketing director Valerie Barker Waller, is a red herring. The truth is someone at Chicago 2016 fell in love with the idea of selling friendship after then President-elect Barack Obama expressed it so eloquently in a video presentation to the annual meeting of the European Olympic Committees in November. Obama called a Chicago Olympics an opportunity for the country ‘to reach out, welcome the world to our shores and strengthen our friendships across the globe.’’

The new slogan is the second marketing misstep Chicago 2016 has made. The first involved its logo, which violated International Olympic Committee rules by using an image of the Olympic torch, which is allowed only after a city is selected to host the Games. The original logo was as brilliant and striking as the current one is bland. If Chicago wins, maybe it can be revived.

The good thing (at least so far), is Chicago 2016 has not chosen to give the new slogan any exposure on the home page of its website.

Because ‘Let Friendship Shine’’ is too dull for words.

-- Philip Hersch