The underwhelming tagline on the city’s marketing campaign has been given the boot by councillors.
At yesterday’s economic development committee, councillors unanimously opted to continue the campaign without the tagline "It’s just Dunedin" — using only the Dunedin brand logo instead.
Cr Brent Weatherall said the change addressed concerns he had with the tagline since it was launched in December 2023.
"The Dunedin logo has longevity and is a very strong brand, and I do not want it damaged by negative connotations that ‘just’ brings," Cr Weatherall said.
"This is simply a no-brainer vote.
Council staff said if the offending tagline was dropped the $450,000 campaign would be better received by Australians, noting international flights were returning to Dunedin Airport in June.
The percentage of New Zealanders considering a Dunedin trip increased by 1% since "It’s Just Dunedin" launched, despite a 6% decline in the overall tourism market, staff said.
The tagline has been panned by locals who had concerns about a "perceived self-deprecating tone", a report to councillors said.
Cr David Benson-Pope said he had enjoyed the "piss-take" tagline, but agreed it had to go.
"I think that was great and I think we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously."
"I'm not surprised that Australians can't understand quirky advertising."
Cr Sophie Barker said Dunedin’s residents and visitor industry had not liked the tone of "It’s Just Dunedin".
"They see Dunedin as a really strong destination ... and they think we should be yelling our attractions from the rooftops," she said.
"I don't think we can argue with the [Dunedin] brand, but I do think that the tagline for this campaign does need a change, because the self-deprecating is just not working for us."
Cr Christine Garey disagreed the tagline was negative and said she was a great fan of it.
However, she agreed dropping the tagline would improve the longevity of the campaign.
Cr Jim O’Malley said he was glad the tagline was going — it represented Dunedin’s, and New Zealand’s, culture of negative self-talk.
