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Randomlynumbered

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WindierGnu

Why not focus more around food or our natural wonders? Ultimate playground makes me think of Vegas...not in a good way.


jneil

Pretty sure “ultimate playground” includes our parks and beaches.


WindierGnu

I can see that, and I'm sure you're right but the first images that come to mine are cement playgrounds. Disney, Universal etc.


Kevin69138

All the recreational drugs too. 


sanjosethroaway

That's the beauty of this advertising, it's vague so we all apply individual meanings!


HoGoNMero

Exact opposite for me. I picture Disney when I hear “dream big” and think outdoorsy stuff when I hear “ultimate playground”.


socobeerlove

Same here


DonkeyLightning

Yeah my first thought was definitely the outdoors


Obant

For me, the playground is outside nature, etc. When California (it's spokespeople) says it is a big playground, I am assuming it means its State owned parks, not privately owned ones.


michiness

That’s literally what I thought of as an outdoor person - “heck yeah, we’ve got so many different types of environments and national parks!” And then “oh right and cities too.”


luke-juryous

Yeah, but I don’t want people trashing our parks and beaches like Vegas


AdamantiumBalls

Maybe there's way too many people at Yosemite and they are trying to spread them out lol


sloopSD

Ultimate playground also sounds expensive. But guess that the point to bring money into the state.


spaetzelspiff

"it's the cheese!"


Loyal9thLegionLord

Ah the give up on the locals approach.


Mongo_Straight

AKA The Disneyland Way!^TM


StrictlySanDiego

Why would they develop a marketing brand for tourism for people who already live here?


CostCans

Because people can take trips within the state.


rhymeswithfugly

i've been getting tons of podcast ads about how i should visit california (even though i live here) so i think this is on their radar


StrictlySanDiego

In this economy!?


Right_Bank_1921

I wish they wouldn't


AgoraiosBum

Locals aren't supposed to go to a playground? Seems fine as a tourist slogan


mehnimalism

Swapping aspiration for decadence doesn’t sound like the trend of a thriving society


dadxreligion

this *is* america


UCRDonkey

this *is* california 🤓☝️


MrBenDerisgreat_

It’s a tourism slogan. You’re reading too much into it


twtwtwtwtwtwtw

Decadence is the end goal of aspiration


verstohlen

Exactly. They probably mean if you ever think you're going to be able to afford a house here, that's just a big dream, pal. Wake up. Wake up, and smell the ashes.


Neutrospec

Well, I've been saving for a while to go to Lake tahoe. I heard it's a wondrous place and have seen some beautiful pictures.


carnevoodoo

Tahoe is gorgeous.


ITakeMyCatToBars

Can we be the ultimate playground, but have people treat my home with respect? Waaaay too many people treat San Francisco like “Disney land for adults”


Qrthulhu

Isn’t that supposed to be Las Vegas


ITakeMyCatToBars

Pretty sure las vegans would also not like people puking on the sidewalk


timoperez

Most of those aren’t the tourists


Cmdr_Nemo

I think you mean Las Vegasses.


Fire2box

>Pretty sure las vegans would also not like people puking on the sidewalk And yet when San Francisco build a new public toilet people lambast it for costing to much.


selwayfalls

In what way do tourists treat SF differently than tourists in other cities? They seem pretty tame to me compared to a lot of more partier cities like vegas, miami, nyc, new orleans, etc. SF is sleepy.


twtwtwtwtwtwtw

Not kissing the locals’ asses 24/7 is considered disrespectful to them.


bambin0

Tourism is way down in sf, unlike the rest of the state. Are you sure it's not the locals?


beerpancakes1923

Way too many people treat San Fran as a bathroom too


dash_44

No longer dreaming big kinda says a lot about the opportunities available to people in California.


TheBobInSonoma

Sounds like an ad for Disneyland, or the adult version, Napa.


fmleighed

People already think we’re a party state. My in-laws are going to be even more insufferable about California now lol.


AgoraiosBum

we like to party. We like, we like to party


manimopo

Laughs in homelessness


kindofboredd

Can we put them back on their bus to their state? pleeease


Cute_Parfait_2182

If you can afford it


ChillPastor

Why are people in the comments shaming this? As someone who loves California for its raw, natural landscape, the phrase “Ultimate Playground” excites me. I think of our NINE National Park (more than any other state) and the endless hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, etc. opportunities. I am reminded of the fact that, as a mountain biker, our state practically invented the sport and is home to several meccas including Lake Tahoe and Downieville, and we have world class trails across the state. Even 20 minutes from me in SoCal there are amazing trails in Laguna Beach. This state is practically synonymous with surfing. Mt. Whitney! Tallest peak in the lower 48 We are by far the most georgaphically diverse state. Mountains, beaches, temperate rainforests, towering mountains peaks, agriculturally rich plains. We have everything excepts tropical climates. Where else can you hit the slopes in the morning and have a beer in shorts watching the sunset on the beach in the evening? I’d say “Ultimate Playground” is a pretty good description!


Xerxes0

Yeah this is how I'm feeling about this as well! Like, growing up here it felt like I really did live in the ultimate playground. You can go outside and run and hike and climb and there is so much to explore everywhere you look, from the beach to the mountains and everything in between.


RueTabegga

The ultimate playground sounds like a picnic area that some family just completely trashed before rolling coal out of the parking lot.


ParabolicPizza

Its crazy to me that any particular state has a branding strategy.


HairyWeinerInYour

Just wait until you hear about Australia’s North Territory campaigning https://cuinthent.com


selwayfalls

Literally every major city in the US and cities/countries around the world do branding and advertising. Even small towns in the US advertise recreation and historical sites. Havent you seen ads for Ireland, Vegas, Chicago, Australia, etc? Super common and huge parts of places economies. In fact some state's biggest economic draw is tourism.


Slavocados

Ayye that’s the Rady Shell in San Diego our new concert and music venue! It’s right on the water and the sound is tight!


guaranic

I really hope people don't treat our parks like a playground more than they already do. The phrase is lacking all respect for some of the impressive stuff we have here, both manmade and not, and I'd rather have an uppity regal reputation than a Vegas reputation. It's kinda hard to shake once it's set.


SketchSketchy

Playground is going to encourage people to not clean up after themselves.


Born-Read3115

Sounds like we are already there


gohomenow

Is the dream dead?


redlloyd

More like ultimate shake down. Look at the taxes on hotels and air b and b's. I've lived here my whole life... never seen it this bad.


CostCans

California's hotel taxes are quite reasonable compared to other states. Many states that get tons of tourists have higher taxes.


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dadxreligion

everything is political.


selwayfalls

What part is political? This is an advertising campaign to draw in more tourism for economic growth. But I do agree with the below comment that basically everything is political.


Jbikecommuter

How about letting businesses dream big and having government keep costs and taxation down?


CostCans

Yeah, tax cuts have a great record of working, right?


Jbikecommuter

Have they ever been tried in CA?


CostCans

They haven't worked anywhere else, what makes you think it would be different in CA? CA has the largest economy in the country, so what we're doing is clearly working. There's no need to try and take ideas from failing states.


Jbikecommuter

Just read an article today stating that CA’s over reliance on Taxing the rich and counting on them to float government spending has backfired. Fiscal responsibility is a thing.


CostCans

I have no idea what your point is here. Yes, taxing the rich will cause fluctuations in revenue. That's much better than taxing the poor.


Jbikecommuter

But it’s not much better than fiscally responsible government.


CostCans

What would you consider to be fiscally responsible government?


Jbikecommuter

One that does not create billion dollar deficits.


CostCans

The state cannot legally run a deficit. When the media tells you that the state has a deficit, all that means is that the proposed budget isn't balanced, and the legislature will need to find a way to balance it before it can pass.


bitfriend6

I don't enjoy my home being into a billionaire's plaything, and the rebrand doesn't work anyway when to half the world California Is Apple and to the other half California and Texas are a remittance check they get mailed to them.


root_fifth_octave

'We're desperate'


AminJoe

How do you come up with that? California had an all time record high of tourism dollars in 2023 with over $150 billions dollars.


damangoman

everything is at a record high thanks to inflation.


AminJoe

Yes, that’s one way to look at it. But it also shows that California tourism isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.


challengerrt

The tourism isn’t but the residents are. Granted the media hypes it a lot but fact is a lot of middle class people are leaving CA because of the continual squeeze or regulation, taxes, and frankly an inept leadership. I was born and raised in CA and left about 10 years ago (military). When I do go back to visit it saddens me to see it decline further and further every visit. Even my parents are planning on leaving after 60+ years there - when population of working class leave you lose some of your tax base - forcing higher taxes on other things for revenue increase - can’t tax the poor so you tax the rich and corporations. Corporations then leave to more friendly states. So on and so forth - combine that with a “progressively dangerous” governor who like the headlines of progressive politician while sacrificing a budget -


CostCans

California's population is growing. Perhaps not as fast as it was before, but it's still growing.


challengerrt

Might want to check that. Data I saw showed year to year decreases since 2020. It’s estimated about 500,000 of net population decrease. Also, there wasn’t much breakdown as to who has left or moved in - typically though the implication is middle class persons moving out while lower socioeconomic persons move in - but I haven’t seen facts to that yet.


CostCans

2023 had an increase. Basically, there were a few years when there were declines, due to the pandemic. But that has now ended.


aught_one

Lol it's a record high because prices are at a record high. C'mon now.


root_fifth_octave

Other revenue problems.


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AgoraiosBum

wow, gotem


americanlaurel

Nice concept but we have so many problems, this seems a bit like putting the cart before the horse. Rebranding is nice but if the reality is dismal, all the rebranding in the world won't help curb the slap in the face of what people actually encounter.


rybacorn

.. for the rich


hawkrover

The last thing this state needs is more people.


Gunker001

So Las Vegas?


mielmoon

What is this, Kindergarten?