In about 1979 Miami thought a good PR campaign would be to center an ad with sex appeal around the slogan, "Miami. See it like a native". I think they kept the slogan but had to change the graphics.
They printed a bunch of the posters but were immediately slammed by feminist groups who called it sexist, degrading, etc. I guess the critics were not women who enjoy scuba diving topless.
Lately, I keep wondering if they think it is sexist that only men have to register for selective service--the draft, should they decide to enforce that. Few heed the warning, but I still believe that those who have pushed the military to cover all groups will wonder what happened when the mood swings and they start forcing people into military service.
Many will pine for the days of don't ask, don't tell. I say that not because I care who serves sbut because I am not a fan of the draft and hope those who are not on board with whatever war comes up can find a way out which doesn't involve hiding out in another country. I'm a fan of having the choice and taking advantage of any loophole to secure that choice.
Anyway, I was thinking of untapped markets, and the idea of travel tours to Benghazi came to mind. I'll bet no one is doing it.
Imagine the new poster: Benghazi. See It Like An Infidel. Or, if you want to see it like a native, we'll issue rifles and grenade launchers to our tourist group and maybe bomb some buildings. It will be a whole new genre in the travel world. I doubt the eco-tourist will find much to do in that part of the world, but that's just a small part of the tourism market. Adventurous thrill seekers will love these outings.
We'll definitely have waivers signed which confirm the client's understanding that this may be a trip of no return. Like they do the disclaimers on most prescription medication, people will probably ignore the unpleasant possibilities.
Always looking for a new angle to enter an interesting business venture. Maybe the Libyan government will hire me to do PR and help change their image so they can bring in tourist dollars.
There may be a few details that need ironing out before we actually market the tour. It would definitely be a ballistic tour. Of that I am certain. "Try not to lose your head" will be a little sub-slogan.
There was a take-off on the 'see it like a native' effort in Miami, which was more visible on the streets of South Florida than the official version. That may have been due in part to the fact that after the feminist outrage, the city actually shredded all the posters. 23000, I believe.
But, for a time, the most ubiquitous bumper sticker in Miami had the words "Miami. See It Like A Native" with a picture of a gun aiming at you. It was done so that you were facing the business end of a .38 or some common pistol of the time. I can't find a picture of that but wish I could. It was the most appropriate symbol of S.Fl. during the early '80s.
I think some version of that might serve my Libyan tourist enterprise very well.
All that is left is to deal with the minor details involved in getting this thing rolling.
I think I could put together a few different tours: Benghazi. See It Like A Jihadist, as well as the one for infidels. Whatever we settle on is sure to be a big hit.
hmmm....what about Green Jihadist Libyan Tours? We'll go in with bow and arrows made of recycled materials. Not sure what we'll do for explosives---maybe do that thing with smashing paper bags full of air.
