Dive Brief:

• New York City launched a civic campaign, “We Love NYC,” that plays on the well-known “I Love New York” slogan that has been around since 1977, according to a press release from the city.
• The goal of the effort is to mobilize citizens from across the five boroughs to engage in volunteer opportunities. It places the emphasis on the city itself — rather than the entire state — and rallies residents for the post-pandemic era.
• The campaign includes a new logo with a heart standing in for the word “love,” stylized as “We ❤ NYC.” The rollout has so far seen mixed reviews, with many expressing disappointment with the design on social media.

Dive Insight:

As they look to reinvigorate the city following years of pandemic-related disruptions, New York City officials are taking some inspiration from an iconic marketing campaign first launched in the ‘70s. While the original “I Love New York” was made to encourage tourism across the state, “We Love NYC” emphasizes community togetherness specific to the metropolitan area. It was unveiled Monday by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

The campaign serves as an obvious nod to the original “I Love NY,” which has made its way onto countless shirts, bags and other items over the years. The new logo places an emphasis on New York City, separating it from New York state.

The push around civic duty arrives at a time when cities, in general, are trying to move past a variety of challenges. In New York City, restaurants and clubs continue to deal with staffing shortages, putting the city's reputation as a "24-hour town" in jeopardy. Additionally, economic woes along with crime and quality of life issues have been major discussion points. 

While local civic leaders may have been hoping to unite the city’s residents around a common goal, the launch so far hasn’t been going as well as they may have hoped. Many on social media expressed disapproval with the new logo design. The original “I Love New York,” designed by Milton Glaser, has long been praised for its simplicity. Key differences in the “We Love NYC” logo include that it is not symmetrical, not as compact and not a square, some critics say.

Others have come to the defense of the new logo, pointing out that it is not a replacement for the original, but has a completely different goal focused on civic engagement. For example, the new campaign contains an element called Spread Love NYC, a nine-month-long initiative meant to engage NYC citizens in both long and short-term volunteer opportunities. The city is also planning an Earth Day celebration centered around the city’s parks.

I’m going to defend the design but this logo is not a replacement for Milton Glaser’s “I Love NY” tourism campaign, it’s a completely different campaign for a program looking for resident volunteers to improve the city. @welovenyc_ pic.twitter.com/xVQuiqg2JN

— How Bowers (@GoAwayGreen) March 21, 2023

Most notably, the new campaign is meant to celebrate the city’s pandemic recovery, along with celebrating the potential of a united New York.