Ohio bringing back familiar tagline

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Governor Mike DeWine, First Lady Fran DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik announced last week that the state will resume use of the popular “Ohio, The Heart of it All” tagline to promote Ohio not only as a place to visit, but also as a great place to live, learn, work, and raise a family.

“The Heart of it All” tagline was the state’s tourism slogan between 1984 and 2001.

“As Ohio evolves into a powerhouse for technology and innovation, we’re looking at the classic ‘Ohio, The Heart of it All’ tagline in a new way,” DeWine said. “Our state is thriving, and we want the world to know that Ohio is the heart of technology, the heart of opportunity, the heart of adventure, and the heart of family. This is a brand for all of Ohio, uniting everything we love about our great state under one powerful phrase.”

The new logo and refreshed brand will be promoted through social media posts, radio, and brand videos running on broadcast, Connected TV, and YouTube set to the song “Must be the Love” by Wesley Bright & The Honeytones, a soul band from Akron. The logo was designed by Columbus-based Ron Foth Advertising.

The state’s new marketing strategy will encompass the message that Ohio offers job opportunities, family-friendly communities, and a great quality of life in addition to incredible tourism-related events, destinations and attractions.

“Tourism is big business in Ohio, but it’s only part of the puzzle,” Husted said. “We want to be champions for the state of Ohio. Moving forward, we’re going to be more intentional about attracting not only visitors, but also people who want to live, learn, and work here.”

“The tourism and economic development messages can’t be separated anymore,” Mihalik said. “The ‘Ohio, The Heart of it All’ theme reinforces the idea that people can have amazing adventures and memorable moments by visiting here, but they also can build their careers, their homes, and their families here.”

Tourism is big business in Ohio, as evidenced by the 2022 economic impact numbers. In addition to announcing the return of the “Ohio, The Heart of it All” tagline, TourismOhio, which is a division of the Ohio Department of Development, also released figures showing the importance of the tourism industry to the state’s economy.

In 2022, Ohio’s tourism industry captured a record $53 billion in visitor spending and welcomed 233 million visitors from Ohio and other states. The industry also supported 424,339 seasonal, part-time, and full-time jobs. These are solid increases over 2021’s numbers, when Ohio’s tourism industry generated $46.9 billion in visitor spending, welcomed 219 million visitors, and supported 411,000 seasonal, part-time, and full-time jobs.

TourismOhio also reported the return on investment from marketing efforts in 2022. For every $1 the state invested in tourism marketing in 2022, it generated $73 in direct visitor spending and $5 in taxes inside the state.