Love NY, an icon of almost 50 years that was changed and generated a lot of noise (from "I ♥ NY" to "We ♥ NYC")

(By Marcelo Maurizio and Juan Maqueda, from Miami) In 1977, the city of New York was going through a difficult financial situation and an alarming crime rate. In this context, Milton Glaser was commissioned to design a symbol that would promote tourism in the city. Thus was born the famous I Love NY, a clean, friendly, and simple emblem that quickly became a pop and casual icon. Why change it? What great lesson does this brave change generate, what learnings, and what does it say about the advertising and graphic design cluster and its great criticisms?

Almost 50 years later, this logo remains one of the best examples of a city brand existing today. It has been the symbol of the city for decades, loved by both New Yorkers and foreign visitors. So why change it?

New York authorities have decided to carry out a new campaign that seeks to promote tourism in the city after three complicated years of the pandemic. And for this, they have had to replace the iconic emblem designed by Milton Glaser, I Love NY.

But in reality, it is not a radical change. Rather, it is an evolution of Glaser's original logo, a modification that goes from the individual - "I" - to the collective - "we." Thus, the emblematic I Love NY logo is replaced by We Love NYC.

The main objective of the campaign is to mobilize all those who love New York to showcase what makes this city unique and revitalize it in every way. To this end, various activations have been developed in digital outdoor advertising in emblematic places such as Times Square, Madison Square Garden, and the Yankees stadium. There are also activations in the press, in the most relevant headers: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and New York Magazine.

All the pieces of We Love NYC try to encapsulate the essence of New York and what it means to be part of the city. For example, the graphic communication of the campaign is supported by the use of emojis, international symbols that are understood in any culture. Therefore, the independent agency Founders Agency has developed a collection of emojis representative of the city, an open process that allows for creating new emojis according to citizens' requests.

In addition, one of the campaign's objectives has been to involve citizens in promoting the city. To this end, the help of different artists from By The New York, a network of independent agencies that have created a series of posters representing what New York means to them, has been requested. This initiative invites other artists from the city to create their posters, which will be shown on the campaign's official website and social networks.

 

In addition, the campaign also includes a 30-second spot that highlights the most outstanding tourist aspects of the city, such as nightlife, street food, and theatrical shows. This ad has a Spanish version and is being spread through various digital and television platforms.

Despite all the efforts made in the new campaign, it seems that it is not giving the expected results. In fact, the headline of The New York Times reflects the negative criticisms that the new 'We ❤️ NYC' logo has received: "These New Yorkers don't ❤️ the 'We ❤️ NYC' logo." Many people have criticized the typographic adaptation of Glaser's new logo, which has generated some controversy.

In this situation, artist Ryan McGinness has offered his own version of the logo to improve its typographic adaptation and, hopefully, improve the public's perception of the new logo. Additionally, other artists in the city have been called upon to join in creating posters and advertising that reflect what New York means to them.

From "I ♥︎ NY" to "We ♥︎ NYC." The author finds it curious that the shift from individual to collective, as well as the appearance of the new logo. "I ♥︎ NY" is a personal, proud, and defiant statement, and the author believes it perfectly reflects the mood of New York. In contrast, "We ♥︎ NYC" seems to have been written by a committee, and the author finds it lacks the same strength and personality. Furthermore, the author notes that Glaser's original work was based on his own memories and experiences, while "We ♥︎ NYC" seems to be a mere echo without solid foundations.

The author highlights that defining the brand of a city is not a trivial task, especially in the case of New York, a tough and complex city. Glaser's original design has been imitated and ripped off in recent years, demonstrating its impact and quality in the city. The author doubts that the new logo will have the same relevance and recognition in the future, and bets that "I ♥︎ NY" will continue to be a reference in popular culture, even in 50 years.

What did this campaign show?... that it is not enough to simply do what a plan dictates by optimizing costs and coordinating relevant actions, nor is it enough to generate a concept with a suitable campaign and a good media mix. Today and always, it is necessary to do everything necessary for a campaign to be successful, and that typically involves much more than what is being invested in every sense. In teams, time, media, experiences, investment, events, co-creation, we are falling terribly short...

The boom of doing everything quickly, online, by target, by Google, "focused" has disconnected us terribly from human reality, from anthropological, emotional, morphological, sociological, psychological knowledge of communication. Advertising needs much more advertising. The media needs much more media, events, and experiences.

Creation is equal to investing more time, more listening, and more tact than the new accelerated media planning is recommending. The first thing to do is to work much more on the physical, sensory, activities, really make a cross of experiences. Work on public relations.

The advertising medium and designers, as many media declare, are a very critical, very egocentric, very closed cluster paradoxically. But isn't art also like this? Isn't the world of theater and cinema the same? Isn't the world of classical music similar? It is clear that this creative environment is destroying all the logo change, and this sector feels the need to defend symbols, personalities, more artisanal, bohemian forms that were part of a glorious culture seeking natural and deserved revaluation, and in many cases had a mystique of talent for their time and "freedom" that today is not respected, not valued, and clearly lost the common sense criterion against the hyper-speed of all the implementation imprint driven by the dynamics of apps and the online world.

Creatives and designers are the validated influencers in this matter. It is also obvious that ordinary people cling to traditional things, which are always perceived as better, except when very "clever" industries like music have really managed to impose current products and developments with a decrease in elemental quality components, based only on rhythm and aesthetics, minimizing melody and harmony, pillars of quality and creativity in that art.

Miami vuelve a ser la capital del “traje de baño” (cada vez con más experiencias, glamour, belleza y también sostenibilidad)

(Por Vera) En un mundo donde la moda y el emprendimiento se encuentran en constante evolución, Miami Swim Week 2025 se presenta como un evento pionero en la confluencia de la sostenibilidad y la innovación en la industria de la moda. Con un enfoque en la creatividad, la tecnología y la inclusión, este evento busca redefinir la forma en que pensamos sobre la moda y su impacto en el mundo.

(Contenido estratégico. Micro nota 2 minutos de lectura, Nota Expandida 3 minutos adicionales)

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(Por Vera con la colaboración de Maurizio) La Granja de Zenón, el show infantil más convocante en países como Argentina, España y gran parte de Latinoamérica, anuncia su llegada a Estados Unidos con una gira histórica que incluirá más de 100 funciones confirmadas en territorio estadounidense. El estreno será el 23 de agosto en el emblemático James L. Knight Center de Miami, lo que marca un nuevo hito en el entretenimiento familiar en español.

(Contenido valor: 3 minutos de lectura)

La Comunidad Argentina en Miami: la distintiva Gala Anual que une cultura, negocios, nostalgia y futuro

(Por Maqueda y Maurizio) En un Miami que nunca deja de latir, la comunidad argentina vuelve a protagonizar uno de los eventos más esperados del calendario cultural y empresarial. La Gala anual de la AACC (Asociación de Argentinos en Florida) se ha convertido en una cita imperdible, completamente sold out y con una convocatoria que refleja la fuerza, la unidad y la influencia de los argentinos en la Florida. 

(Contenido valor: micro nota 2 minutos de lectura. Nota expandida: 3 minutos de lectura)

¿La IA de Mark Zuckerberg revolucionará la publicidad digital? (el error de las agencias que solo apostaron al online y sus consecuencias)

(Por Maqueda, Otero, Taylor y Maurizio) La industria publicitaria está a punto de experimentar una revolución sin precedentes. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO de Meta, ha revelado una visión innovadora que podría cambiar la forma en que se crea y se ejecuta la publicidad en Miami y en todo el mundo. Lo más importante de esta noticia es lo relevante, vital y estratégico de hacer un sistema integral - crossing marketing, branding y cultura de marca hoy, y no solo enfocarse en marketing digital.

(Contenido estratégico. Micro nota 2 minutos de lectura, Nota Expandida 3 minutos adicionales)

BeneCasa Open: el torneo de dominó de US$100 000 que encenderá Miami en 2025

(Por Otero y Maqueda) ¿Puede un juego de mesa convertirse en el pivote de negocios, turismo y cultura latina del año? El 6 y 7 de junio de 2025 la respuesta se medirá ficha a ficha en el JW Marriott de Brickell, cuando el BeneCasa Open International Domino Challenge —con el premio más alto en la historia del dominó, US$ 100 000— aterrice en la Magic City. No es solo un campeonato: es un caso práctico de economía naranja, marketing experiencial y orgullo pan-hispano que aspirará a trending topic global. 

(Micro nota 2 minutos de lectura, Nota Expandida 3 minutos adicionales)

Zuckerberg: “Facebook ya no cumple con su propósito original; ahora se centra en videos de tendencia, problemas globales y una interacción masiva, dejando atrás la interacción social íntima”

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(Contenido valor: 4 minutos de lectura)

Sincronía perfecta de marca: TAG Heuer en Mónaco ejemplifica la integración total en marketing, branding y experiencia phydigital

(Por Otero-Maqueda-Maurizio) TAG Heuer, ícono del automovilismo y la alta relojería, ha entendido que la clave del éxito hoy radica en la sincronía total: fusionar marketing, branding, experiencias phydigital, activaciones de alto impacto y alianzas estratégicas en un solo movimiento armónico. La marca suiza no solo demuestra cómo hacerlo, sino que da cátedra de cómo convertirse en referente, siendo distinta, innovadora y líder. Un ejemplo a seguir para todo tipo de marca en todas categorías.

(Contenido de alto valor estratégico: micro nota 2 minutos de lectura. Nota expandida: 3 minutos de lectura)

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(Contenido estratégico. Micro nota 2 minutos de lectura, Nota Expandida 4 minutos adicionales)

22 Infoluencers (así se escribe, aprendelo) que están cambiando el periodismo y el conocimiento anglolatino

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(Contenido estratégico. Nota Expandida 4 minutos)