A candidate’s logo looks like Wawa's, and Wawa sent a cease-and-desist
Plus: New York’s mayor said Kansas doesn’t have a brand. Explain this.
Hello, in this issue we’ll look at…
A candidate’s logo looks like Wawa's, and Wawa sent a cease-and-desist
New York’s mayor said Kansas doesn’t have a brand. Explain this.
Amy Sherald: “In that portrait, everything mattered, like every little detail mattered”
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A candidate’s logo looks like Wawa's, and Wawa sent a cease-and-desist
The logo for a U.S. House candidate might be cooked after the candidate tweeted that he was inspired by Wawa.
Matt Jenkins, a New Jersey Democrat, tweeted last week that the bird outlines in his campaign logo were familiar on purpose.
“For a lot of people in our district, Wawa represents them,” Jenkins wrote. “When we launched this race to replace Chris Smith, I wanted our logo to feel instantly familiar.”
Later in the day, Jenkins said the similarity was “only a coincidence.” “Anyone who has been to my district has seen geese and seagulls,” he tweeted. “They are a ‘familiar’ sight. My elementary school’s was similar.”
Now those tweets are in a cease-and-desist letter from attorneys representing the parent company of Wawa asking Jenkins to stop using the logo immediately. In the letter, dated last Wednesday and obtained by Politico, Wawa’s attorneys wrote that the logo gives the impression the gas station convenience store brand is associated with or sponsors his campaign.
“It has come to our attention that your congressional campaign is using a logo highly similar to and likely to be confused with Wawa’s well-known goose logo,” attorneys for Wild Goose Holdings Co., Inc., wrote. “In fact, it appears that the geese used in your campaign’s logo are identical to Wawa’s earlier goose logo,” used from 1990 to 2004.
“While we appreciate your affinity for Wawa and your recognition of its special relationship with the people of New Jersey, failure of Wawa to enforce the exclusivity of its marks could have a diluting effect on the value of our client’s mark,” attorneys wrote.
So far, Jenkins hasn’t removed the geese on his campaign website or social media graphics, but his Republican opponent, incumbent Rep. Chris Smith, called him out over the controversy.
“To plagiarize a corporate symbol is seriously wrong,” Smith told NJ Advance Media. “Everything he has emblazoned with that corporate symbol ought to be shredded. P.S.: I stop at Wawa all the time.”
New York’s mayor said Kansas doesn’t have a brand. Explain this.
While touting the power of New York City’s brand last week, Mayor Eric Adams picked a fight with Kansas for no reason.
“We have a brand,” Adams said at a press conference following a visit to survey hurricane damage in Puerto Rico. “New York has a brand and when people see it, it means something. Kansas doesn’t have a brand.”
Actually, it does, and here’s its brand guide.
Adams, a noted Midwest hater, upset Kansans like Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican who tweeted that Kansas was wheat, Jayhawk basketball, beef, and “The Wizard of Oz.” “Modern Family” actor Eric Stonestreet tweeted a Travel Kansas tourism commercial and said he found beauty in both New York and Kansas. “Too bad NYC’s elected leader can’t say the same thing.”
The ad Stonestreet shared was from Travel Kansas’ “To The Stars” marketing campaign, which launched in 2020. The slogan is a reference to Kansas’ state motto, “ad astra per aspera,” or “to the stars through difficulty” in Latin.
The visual identity uses an all caps, sans-serif Kansas wordmark; a primary color palette of dark blue and yellow from the state flag; and light blue, red, and off-white as secondary colors.
“To The Stars” replaced Kansas’ previous tourism campaign, “There’s No Place Like Kansas,” which launched in 2014. Kansas Tourism director Bridgette Jobe described “To The Stars” as a “salute to the free-spirited,” and the agency said it emphasized Kansas history, including the fight against slavery in the state and famous Kansans like Amelia Earhart and Dwight Eisenhower.
Before the pandemic, tourism was the ninth largest employer in Kansas, and 36.5 million visitors spent $7.3 billion in the state in 2019, according to a report prepared for Kansas Tourism.
Amy Sherald: “In that portrait, everything mattered, like every little detail mattered”
Ahead of her first European show in London in two weeks, Amy Sherald is opening up about her process. The artist said she sometimes holds onto clothes for years before finding the right model for them, and she said she shoots more than 150 photos per person for her paintings. Yes, including former first lady Michelle Obama.