Capital of the Border (El Paso slogan)

The city of El Paso is on the border with Mexico, just across from Ciudad Juárez. In May 2008, the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau began a campaign to label El Paso as the “Capital of the Border.” Billboards featuring the slogan were put up in Southern New Mexico and in West Texas.
   
Some El Paso residents have been critical of the campaign to advertise the border because of increasing violence along the border.
 
   
Wikipedia: El Paso, Texas
El Paso is the seat of El Paso County in the U.S. state of Texas and part of the American Southwest. According to the 2006 U.S. Census population estimates, the city had a population of 609,415. It is the sixth-largest city in Texas and the 21st-largest city in the United States, as well as the 7th fastest growing large city in the nation from 2000-2006. Its metropolitan area covers all of El Paso County, a portion of Hudspeth County and part of southern Doña Ana County, New Mexico. The metropolitan area has a population of 736,310.
 
It stands on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte), across the border from Ciudad Juárez.
 
El Paso is part of the Greater Ciudad Juarez - El Paso Metropolitan Area with a population of 2,380,785.
 
El Paso is home to the University of Texas at El Paso (founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy). Fort Bliss, a major United States Army installation, lies to the east and northeast of the city, extending north up to the White Sands Missile Range. The Franklin Mountains extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections, with downtown connecting the two sections at the south end of the mountain range.
 
Newspaper Tree El Paso
From: Morris Pittle [mailto:mpittle@twotoncreativity.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 12:15 AM
Subject: TWO TON NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!
 
Dearest Friends, Associates and Fellow El Pasoans,
 
A great task lies before us at Two Ton, and we are coming to you, our most trusted and valued friends to help us conquer this challenge and move forward in our ongoing quest to bring big ideas and generally cool stuff to El Paso.
 
You see, for the past year, we have had the honor of working with our city government to develop a unified and relevant brand identity to the city of El Paso. Based on all of our feedback, it has been met with great excitement, enthusiasm and approval.
 
In case you have not seen or heard, El Paso is from now on to be known as the “Capital of the Border” and here are links to the TV spots we produced to prove it:
 
http://www.elpasotexas.gov/econdev/TVSpots/CULTURE_06CVB339.2.mov
http://www.elpasotexas.gov/econdev/TVSpots/OUTDOORS_06CVB339.1.mov
 
El Paso Convention & Visitors Bureau (May 22, 2008)
Four new billboards marketing El Paso as
“Capital of the Border” go up in NM, TX
El Paso, Texas – The El Paso Convention & Visitors Bureau has taken initial steps in implementing the City of El Paso’s “Capital of the Border” branding campaign by replacing artwork on four
billboards in Southern New Mexico and West Texas with the new slogan on them. The billboards, currently being installed, are located in Las Cruces, Belen, Lordsburg and Van Horn.
 
The 12’x40’ bright yellow boards, created by local ad agency Sanders\Wingo, invite tourists driving through El Paso on Interstate 10 and Interstate 25 to “Discover El Paso! Capital of the Border.” Two of the billboards deliver the message “Siesta or Fiesta!” and two proclaim “Shopping worth Stopping!” All four billboards display the CVB’s website (visitelpaso.com).
 
Bill Blaziek, General Manager of the El Paso CVB, said the billboards are strategically placed to persuade motorists to stop and stay in El Paso. Once here, they will ‘discover’ our great lodging, our shopping, the authentic Mexican food our area is known for and the many attractions they can experience in our city.”
 
Another reason for the selected locations is their high vehicular traffic. Combined, the four billboard locations have a potential viewership of 62,000 passing vehicles per day, as measured by the Daily Effective Circulation count provided by Sanders\Wingo.     
 
23 May 2008, El Paso (TX) Times, “El Paso launches new tourism campaign” by David Burge:
Four billboards in Southern New Mexico and West Texas are proclaiming El Paso to be the “Capital of the Border,” the first steps in implementing the city’s new branding campaign, the El Paso Convention & Visitors Bureau announced. The 12-foot-by-40-foot signs invite drivers along interstates 10 and 25 to “Discover El Paso! Capital of the Border.” The signs were created by El Paso ad agency SandersWingo and are located in…
 
Newspaper Tree El Paso
Capital of the Border
By Rich Wright
Posted on May 25, 2008
A move is underway at City Hall to re-brand El Paso with the tag-line “Capital of the Border.” You may have read about it here, like I did. I like the line. It captures El Paso’s essential differentiating quality, our Unique Selling Proposition, as the place where two cultures meet and mingle, collide and mesh.
 
El Paso (TX) Times
Bordering on Fear: Violence has El Paso on edge
By Ramon Bracamontes / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/08/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
(...)
While El Paso’s name may not be synonymous with the negatives in Juárez right now, El Paso businessman Steven Silver said, the city must be prepared to distance itself from Juárez in the future.
 
Silver is concerned that El Paso’s tourism and economic development entities are using the slogan “The Capital of the Border” throughout the United States to sell El Paso.
 
“I think we need to at least be re-evaluating how we market ourselves,” said Silver. “We are calling ourselves the Capital of the Border, but if the violence continues over there, is that what we want to sell ourselves as?”