Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ripped the heart out of the state’s iconic tourism logo in a new $5 million tourism campaign that focuses largely on travel spots outside the city, according to the
New York Daily News.
The new logo, designed by ad firm BBDO North America, would replace the heart with images like a pizza, a hot air balloon, a beach ball, and a stock car using sketches made by New Yorkers and tourists.
“You still have the icon but you have to bring it back to New York,” Cuomo said. “You have to reimagine, you have to re-energize it.”
Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of BBDO David Lubars said the original logo, created by Milton Glaser in the 1970s, was “the most iconic tourism icon ever” — but it has lost its luster.
The campaign, which promotes summer driving destinations in New York State such as Long Island Beaches and the Adirondacks, will run for seven weeks on network and local TV stations and in New York City taxi cabs.
“This is a competition, states are competing for tourism dollars,” Cuomo said. “Other states have been more aggressive in attracting and pursuing tourism dollars than New York State.”
In a separate campaign that starts this summer, ads will be shown at ballparks and on baseball broadcasts featuring drawings of Mets and Yankees players. A winter ad campaign is also planned.
Tourism brings over $53 billion into New York State and supports nearly 500,000 jobs. New York City hit a record of more than 50 million visitors in 2011.
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