Do You 'Heart' New York's New Advertising Campaign?

Love for New York comes in many forms, and now the state wants to hear yours.

As part of a summer tourism advertising push, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and tourism officials are asking New Yorkers and visitors to submit ideas for other symbols that could appear in place of the iconic heart within the logo.

"Tourism is vital to the economy of our state, supporting nearly 500,000 jobs and generating tens of billions of dollars in revenues for the state and businesses," Cuomo said in a news release.

"This campaign reinvents one of our state's great assets - the 'I Love NY' icon - which is known the world over as one of the most successful advertising symbols ever. This campaign brings that icon to life in order to highlight all of the things people love about New York."

The new campaign, which will run for seven weeks and be shown in areas within a five- to six-hour driving range to New York, will consist of TV and radio spots, as well as appearances on NYC Taxi TV.

Anyone can suggest a replacement to the heart icon online at iloveny.com, or by e-mail at submit@followyourheartny.com. Submissions will be shown in an online gallery. Examples on the news release's website included a beach ball, pizza slice and fishing rod.

The logo has not been used in state tourism TV advertising for over three years.

The original version was created by designer Milton Glaser and first used in 1977. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Glaser created a version with a bruised heart and the words "…more than ever" at the end.

David Lubars, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO, the company that designed the new campaign, told the Daily News that he belived the "I [heart] NY" logo to be "the most iconic tourism icon ever." But he  said it has lost its cachet since it's "been co-opted by literally the rest of the world."  

But other advertising professionals said tinkering with the logo could go the way of New Coke, the short-lived new formula for Coca-Cola introduced in the 1980s.

“You should mess with an icon at your own risk,” Brian Sheehan, an advertising professor at Syracuse University, told the News.

So what do you think? Is the campaign a good idea? And let us know in the comments what you would replace the heart with to advertise Prospect Heights.