Local
Has NY no love for CC?
Local effort to stir city pride overcame protest from home state of the famed heart logo
Not even mighty New York could keep Corpus Christi from loving itself.
That state holds the trademark for the instantly recognizable "I NY" logo and picked a brief copyright fight with an "
I Love My Corpus Christi
" campaign.
The local version was the brainchild of Leadership Corpus Christi Class XXXIV sponsored by the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. The campaign lost some steam after several months, partly because the leadership class was concluded and partly because of the legal discussion with Empire State Development, the state of New York's economic development arm that oversees the "I NY" trademark.
http://ilovemycc.blogspot.com/
Now, the legality of "I My CC" no longer is in question and a company has bought licensing rights from the Chamber of Commerce Foundation to bring the logo back.
The leadership class, which met in 2005-06, wanted to foster a sense of pride in a community that tends to suffer low self-esteem. Mayor Henry Garrett declared Valentine's Day 2006 (and all subsequent Valentine's Days) I Love My Corpus Christi Day.
Among other aims, the campaign "seeks to encourage all the citizens of Corpus Christi to act as ambassadors for the city, sharing positive information with potential visitors, family and friends," the proclamation states.
Soon after, the now-familiar "I My CC" logo began popping up all around Corpus Christi -- bumper stickers, billboards, banners on light posts and television commercials. Full-page ads ran in April, May and June 2006 in the Caller-Times, sponsored by the newspaper's marketing department. Some carried testimonials from prominent residents touting the area's health care, career opportunities and recreation.
One example is this endorsement from Realtor Kim Erwin: "I love MY Corpus Christi because there's no better place in the world to relax and enjoy laid-back island living in such a pristine setting."
But in May 2006, the Chamber of Commerce Foundation received a letter from CMG Worldwide, a trademark protection firm, on behalf of Empire State Development. The letter demanded the chamber cease and desist from using the logo.
Local attorney John Bell responded for the chamber, and the two firms traded several letters, which the Caller-Times obtained under the New York Freedom of Information Law.
"There is no reasonable debate but that the (chamber) built its campaign around the 'I NY' mark," the firm wrote.
Bell responded that many cities use the heart. "If the design trademark originally obtained ever had such distinctiveness, it obviously has been lost," he wrote.
After several months, New York decided to drop its claim, which never progressed as far as a lawsuit. The Corpus Christi logo's font (it's more script than New York's block letters) and the word "my" apparently made all the difference.
"The decision eventually was that it was different enough not to pursue our trademark claim," said A.J. Carter, senior vice president of communications for Empire State Development.
Ken Treviño, chamber executive vice president, said the chamber wanted to carry on the campaign but needed an outside company. It would be difficult for the chamber staff to take on the project, plus a business with experience could build a stronger Web presence.
"We were looking for a company that had the same vision," Treviño said.
Chad Magill, who owns a local identity theft protection business, was in the leadership class that started the campaign. He and his business partner, Cecil Johnson, decided to take it on, hoping to build on the community pride fostered in the first campaign.
"It seems like everybody outside Corpus Christi knows how great it is," Johnson said.
They formed a company, CCLS Marketing LLC, and bought the licensing rights from the chamber foundation for an undisclosed amount. The chamber still owns the trademark and receives a cut of profits to benefit future Leadership Corpus Christi classes, Treviño said.
To regain some of the momentum lost during the lull, CCLS hosted a "kickoff" party at House of Rock downtown. The party was Sept. 20, more than a year and a half after the original "I My CC" kickoff Feb. 13, 2006.
The company sells T-shirts, mugs, Koozies and bumper stickers on its Web site, ilovemycc.com, at the Omni hotels and Corpus Christi Visitor's Center on Chaparral Street. Johnson and Magill said sales have been steady on the Web site.
That's not the case at the Omni Bayfront, which has a table full of "I My CC" merchandise on sale.
"They're not selling," said Sylvia Silva, a gift shop sales clerk at the hotel. "That's why they're 30 percent off."
Contact Denise Malan at 886-4334 or at maland@caller.com
