Branding the Stimulus
The stimulus has a new logo! Pres. Obama said at the Dept. of Transportation yesterday that the administration will begin stamping an emblem on stimulus projects to clearly denote that they are being funded by the recovery program.
"We’re also making it easier for Americans to see what projects are being funded with their money as part of our recovery. So in the weeks to come, the signs denoting these projects are going to bear the new emblem of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” Obama said. “These emblems are symbols of our commitment to you, the American people -- a commitment to investing your tax dollars wisely, to put Americans to work doing the work that needs to be done. So when you see them on projects that your tax dollars made possible, let it be a reminder that our government -- your government -- is doing its part to put the economy back on the road of recovery.”
Now I'm not entirely sure how you can put an emblem on a project -- does it go on a sign outside the construction site? on the contract itself? just on the websites? -- but it's clear someone put a lot of time and thought into the emblem's imagery. What do you think of it? A good transparency measure? Gimmicky? A little of both?
(Hat tip: ABC News, The Cato Institute)
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Government Executive Staff Correspondent Alyssa Rosenberg takes a look at news affecting the management and operations of the massive federal bureaucracy.
Would you rather have the analogous imagery of the bread line photos from the Depression to remember this period? I like the idea of putting forth a positive symbol to get people thinking about recovery. It is gimmicky, but compared to what private industry does this is so yesterday. Now if Obama pays $500 to have relevant government employees shave their heads and get a temporary tattoo of the logo, like Virgin Airlines did, then we have something to talk about!
Dave B. Posted Thursday, March 5, 2009 8:50 AMThis is nothing new. There were posters in every window and wall of every store, factory, and job site during the National Recovery Act (NRA) days of the 1930s. And the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had their own, too.
I think the new logo is much less militaristic than the NRA eagle with shield.
Michelle Posted Thursday, March 5, 2009 10:33 AMHow about a big toilet bowl and our $$$ being flushed
dan ketter Posted Thursday, March 5, 2009 12:31 PM