Homegrown taglines - not so yummy

The other day I saw this article and immediately wanted to bury my roots in a new backyard.  Tracy (the city next door to my hometown) is a city surrounded on three sides by interstate highways and has decided to use “Think inside the triangle” for its new town motto – I mean, yes, it’s catchy and that is important.  But what else is it saying?  As you whiz by on your way to somewhere much more interesting (almost guaranteed), don’t forget to think about us here in Tracy!   We’re the best place that these 3 freeways intersect!  We’ve got lots to offer, like gas stations and fast food!  Don’t forget to “think inside the triangle!”  Taglines should tell people something positive about what you have to offer and be believable – not just catchy.  “Think inside the triangle” definitely has staying power/stickiness, I’ll give it that (although I’d prefer it to be a tagline for a Pie Shop), but it’s just not telling passersby anything about why they should care about Tracy.  At least not to me.  Of course, my hometown, now the foreclosure capital of the world, has its own motto debacle – “Stockton is great!  Take a look!” painted proudly on the water tower as you drive by --- maybe by now they’ve switched it to something more appropriate like “Asparagus capital of the world!”  Which I think is at least mostly true and definitely believable (as you drive by all the fields on the way in), and also somewhat interesting, or at least notable.  Remember, taglines are supposed to inspire your brand identity, not let people poke fun at you!  Worse?  The little town of Tracy paid a consultant $25K for the tag.  Well, while you’re thinking inside the triangle on all that, check out this logo, tag, etc. we just did for a client – and ABSOLTUELY NOT for anything even remotely in the neighborhood of $25K.  Not even down the freeway from it.