"Korea, Sparkling!"

OK, the cat's officially out of the bag and I don't have to hold my tongue anymore, even though it had been leaked already by others. But not even wild horses got it out of me, a fact of which I am very proud.

So, Korea's official tourism brand is fresh out the box from the Korean Tourism Organization, and ready for your comments.

A key excerpt from the press release:

For the first time in its history, Korea has officially adopted national a tourism brand to nurture the tourism industry. Many countries, in fact, have already developed tourism brands to promote various aspects of their tourism resources and leverage them effectively to entice global tourists. Examples include, 100% Pure New Zealand (New Zealand), Yokoso Japan (Japan), Visit Britain (the U.K) Keep Exploring (Canada), Uniquely Singapore (Singapore), Truly Asia (Malaysia). It is expected that “Korea, Sparkling” will similarly serve Korea’s tourism industry in communicating the country’s redefined image around the world.

Okie dokie. To explain the logo:

The word “Sparkling” is synonymous with shining and dazzling. Additionally, it conveys a sense of revitalizing energy and freshness. In sum, “Korea, Sparkling” intends to denote the concept of “vital refreshment,” – a unique experience available to tourists traveling to Korea and being exposed to the incredible passion of both Koreans and Korean culture. The brand also delivers the message that experiencing Korea offers unique emotional rewards unlike any other.

I'm gonna leave it at that. So, what do you all think? Chime in with your comments.

ADDENDUM: Here's the guy who masterminded the campaign, info about which was on the Korea ESL Cafe, and linked in from Dogbertt at the Marmot.

He seems none too "sparkling" himself. Kind of somber looking for a publicity shot. In any case, his bio reads:

Simon Anholt is an independent policy advisor to the governments of numerous countries, cities and regions on the branding aspects of public diplomacy, economic development, public affairs, cultural relations and trade, tourism and export promotion.

He has written many books, papers and articles on the image and reputation of places and is a well-known public speaker, editor and broadcaster.

He is Editor of the quarterly journal, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, published by Palgrave Macmillan Journals.

He is the founder and author of three major global surveys of the reputations of places - the Anholt Nation Brands Index, City Brands Index and State Brands Index. These surveys are carried out quarterly on his behalf by Global Market Insite, Inc., in Seattle and are used by many national and city governments to monitor their international standing.

He's an expert, I guess. And apparently, really expensive. Apparently, he didn't spend so much on his 1998-era web site.