‘Diagnosis’: The Big Apple has a Worm... I ♥ NEW YORK

NEW YORK - May 13, 2015 - PRLog -- GOLDEN OpportUNITY FOR UNITY, Inc.,
Contact: Regi Taylor  443.453.4420
regi@eyeluvthebigapple.com

‘Diagnosis’: The Big Apple has a  Worm… I ♥ NEW YORK?

“‘I ♥ NEW YORK’ does not LUV the Big Apple!  For those of us who love City life, it’s EYE LUV THE BIG APPLE!”  These are the sentiments of Artist Regi Taylor regarding his new souvenir venture.  Two decades ago Taylor  answered a Request For Proposals (RFP) during the mayoralty of Rudolph W. Giuliani for vendors to create a collection of ‘official’ New York City merchandise.

The City rescinded the RFP before it could come to fruition leaving nearly three dozen vendors, including Mr. Taylor, with some great ideas, most between the drawing board and the production line.  Regi has taken his designs out of mothballs to compete with other New York City-themed collectibles, including I ♥ NEW YORK.

I ♥ NEW YORK is 100% owned by the New York Empire State Development Corporation.  The City of New York has no proprietary interest in I ♥ NEW YORK which has earned untold billions in profit since its 1977 inception. There is no comparable universally recognized logo that symbolizes New York City.

“Know your history,” says Taylor.  “It’s not a coincidence that the Giuliani administration’s point man on  the ‘official merchandise’ RFP was deputy mayor for economic development, John S. Dyson, former State of New York commerce commissioner, whose then deputy, William S. Doyle, is credited with launching the I ♥ NEW YORK campaign.”  In the late 1970’s, television ads for I ♥ NEW YORK featured Dyson.

“It’s incredible in our logo-conscious, brand-driven culture that in 2015 the City of New York has not established a graphic promotional identity to represent the Big Apple in the marketplace,” said Taylor.  When Giuliani’s office proposed official merchandise as a potential municipal breadwinner, in lieu of increased taxation, their decision was based on a 1995 market combined from 16.7 million New York-regional residents and 28.5 million visitors.

According to Regi Taylor, an official – or unofficial – New York City merchandising venture would be even more viable in 2015.  New York City’s aggregate resident and tourist population in 2014 reached a record 75.1 million persons; 20.1 million citizens in the metropolitan region, and an estimated 55 million visitors.

“Of course, the full potential of an EYE LUV THE BIG APPLE merchandising campaign would be realized if it were ‘official’ “, offered Taylor.  “Only the City of New York has the muscle to leverage a promotion, featuring The Big Apple, to its critical mass, but when you’ve got over 75 million people with a demonstrated affinity for New York City…you simply cannot lose.”  “The mentality that ‘If it ain’t broke after 38 years, don’t fix it’ is costing the City of New York billions of dollars,” Taylor laments.  Go to http://eyeluvthebigapple.com/ for more information.