New York: “I ❤ NY”, “The city that never sleeps”
Dublin: “A breath of fresh air”
Amsterdam: “I amsterdam”
Abilene, Texas: “A whole lotta Texas goin’ on”
Austin, Texas: “Keep Austin weird”
Chicago: “Second to none”
Hong Kong: “Asia’s world city”
Las Vegas: “What happens here, stays here”
Us: “be. berlin.”… .and now: “365/24”.
You read correctly. “365/24” is Berlin’s new official advertising slogan. And yes, even if you’re speaking German, says Burkhard Kieker, the Don Draper who heads the Visit Berlin tourism agency, you have to say it in English: “Three Sixty Five Twenty Four Berlin.”
Bit of a mouthful. Nine syllables. Made of numbers. Difficult to say for people who actually speak English. Not to mention that in 2016, a leap year, it’s not even technically accurate.
It’s a little soulless, too, wouldn’t you say? Mathematical. Plug it into Google and you get the answer to life, the universe and everything: 15.2083333333333.
I get the idea behind the slogan: Berlin’s open for business and pleasure 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Like 24/7, but the days and hours in the wrong order. But it’s a lie. Try getting a loaf of bread on Christmas Day. Or breakfast at three in the morning on a Tuesday. Okay, there is one place you can get that, Schwarzes Café, but let’s face it, the city that never sleeps we are not.
I guess they’re trying to say there’s always something fun to do in Berlin, not that everything’s open all the time. But again, there’s something soulless, timid, sterile and dull about it. Where’s the weirdness, the naughtiness, the transgressive fun people (still, but maybe not much longer) associated with Berlin? Something like ex-mayor Wowereit’s spontaneous “Poor but sexy”, which, repeated ad nauseum by journalists, did more for the city than any agency brainstorming ever did or will.
A decade later, we could just update that motto to something like “Fucking cold, but still sexy” – and just leave it at that.
But what do you think? Got a better idea for Berlin’s new catchphrase? Leave it below in the comments for a chance to win a one-year subscription to Exberliner! Deadline is 11pm, March 1.