KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD

'Keep Austin Weird' is the slogan adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin, Texas. The phrase arose from an offhand remark by Red Wassenich (a librarian at Austin Community College) in a phone call to a local radio station. He and his wife, Karen Pavelka, placed the slogan on bumper stickers, distributing them free to businesses in Austin; it was later trademarked by Outhouse Designs and used to market T-shirts, hats, and mugs.^[1]
The slogan refers to the many small businesses in Austin, and that it is these businesses that give Austin its unique cultural identity. This slogan is trying to prevent a rapid increase of major corporations, which would create a large city vibe and make the city of Austin "normal".
Austin's message of support for local businesses has inspired similar movements in other cities, including Portland, Oregon; Tampa, Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; Indianapolis, Indiana; Santa Cruz, California; and Boulder, Colorado.^[2]

Contents

Criticisms

Parodies

References

External links

Criticisms

"Keep Austin Weird" seemingly promotes an independent, anti-corporate Austin, yet Outhouse Designs trademarked the slogan in 2003 and has used it for \ever since. Andrew Allemann, host of a satirical "Keep Austin Normal" website asks, "How can you have a commercial slogan that screams anti-corporation?"

Parodies

A number of parodies of Keep Austin Weird have arisen in recent years, including t-shirts printed with the phrases "Keep Dallas Pretentious," "Keep College Station Normal", "Keep Round Rock Mildly Unusual," "Keep San Antonio Lame," "Keep Lubbock Flat" and "Keep Abilene Boring."

References

1. Keep Austin Weird? Alexis Kanter
2. So, how weird are we?

External links

★ Keep Austin Weird