Virginia is for Lovers
Encyclopedia
Virginia is for Lovers is the tourism and travel slogan of the Commonwealth of Virginia
. Used since 1969, it has become a well recognized and often imitated part of American jargon. For example, New York drew on its success to create the I Love New York
logo nearly a decade later in 1977. Maryland also parodied this phrase with its own "Maryland is for Crabs" slogan.
A team led by David N. Martin and George Woltz of Martin and Woltz Inc. of Richmond, Virginia
came up with the slogan after winning the Virginia State Travel account in 1968. Originally, they had come up with history ads, "Virginia is for History Lovers"; beach ads, "Virginia is for Beach Lovers"; and mountain ads, "Virginia is for Mountain Lovers". This approach was eventually discarded as too limiting, and the qualifiers were dropped. "Virginia is for Lovers" was born. Martin and Woltz Inc. eventually gained prominence and grew to become The Martin Agency
. The slogan was released with fanfare to all who wanted to use it to promote the state of Virginia. More recently, the Virginia Tourism Corp has dubiously trademarked the slogan, but the Commonwealth of Virginia effectively gave away its intellectual rights in 1969 when it released the slogan to the public.
The first year that the slogan was introduced, travelers spent $800 million in Virginia. By 2004, that number had increased to more than $14 billion, making Virginia the tenth most popular tourist destination of the fifty states.
Contrary to what some may think,the slogan is not a coy reference to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court civil rights case Loving v. Virginia
decided on June 12, 1967. That case overturned Virginia
's anti-miscegenation law, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924
and thus legalized inter-racial marriages in Virginia
. Richard and Mildred Loving were previously sentenced under Virginia Code for marriage between a white
and non-white person.
American Idol
winner Jordin Sparks
recorded a song called "Virginia is for Lovers" in 2007, which was featured as a bonus track on her eponymous debut album. It is also the name of the first single on Mat Kearney
's 2011 release Young Love. The slogan is referenced in The Hold Steady
song "Killer Parties
."
Will Adler, ESP Guitars
artist, has the slogan printed on the neck of his custom guitars.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Used since 1969, it has become a well recognized and often imitated part of American jargon. For example, New York drew on its success to create the I Love New York
I Love New York
I Love New York is both a logo and a song that are the basis of an advertising campaign and have been used since the mid-1970s to promote tourism in New York City, and later to promote New York State as well. The trademarked logo appears in souvenir shops and brochures throughout the state, some...
logo nearly a decade later in 1977. Maryland also parodied this phrase with its own "Maryland is for Crabs" slogan.
A team led by David N. Martin and George Woltz of Martin and Woltz Inc. of Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
came up with the slogan after winning the Virginia State Travel account in 1968. Originally, they had come up with history ads, "Virginia is for History Lovers"; beach ads, "Virginia is for Beach Lovers"; and mountain ads, "Virginia is for Mountain Lovers". This approach was eventually discarded as too limiting, and the qualifiers were dropped. "Virginia is for Lovers" was born. Martin and Woltz Inc. eventually gained prominence and grew to become The Martin Agency
The Martin Agency
The Martin Agency is an American advertising agency based in Richmond, Virginia that is now part of Interpublic Group of Companies.*Freecreditreport.com jingle since October 2007 starring Eric Violette.*"The money you could be saving with Geico"-Clients:...
. The slogan was released with fanfare to all who wanted to use it to promote the state of Virginia. More recently, the Virginia Tourism Corp has dubiously trademarked the slogan, but the Commonwealth of Virginia effectively gave away its intellectual rights in 1969 when it released the slogan to the public.
The first year that the slogan was introduced, travelers spent $800 million in Virginia. By 2004, that number had increased to more than $14 billion, making Virginia the tenth most popular tourist destination of the fifty states.
Contrary to what some may think,the slogan is not a coy reference to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court civil rights case Loving v. Virginia
Loving v. Virginia
Loving v. Virginia, , was a landmark civil rights case in which the United States Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, declared Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute, the "Racial Integrity Act of 1924", unconstitutional, thereby overturning Pace v...
decided on June 12, 1967. That case overturned Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
's anti-miscegenation law, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924
Racial Integrity Act of 1924
On March 20, 1924 the Virginia General Assembly passed two laws that had arisen out of contemporary concerns about eugenics and race: SB 219, entitled "The Racial Integrity Act" and SB 281, "An ACT to provide for the sexual sterilization of inmates of State institutions in certain cases",...
and thus legalized inter-racial marriages in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Richard and Mildred Loving were previously sentenced under Virginia Code for marriage between a white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
and non-white person.
American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
winner Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
recorded a song called "Virginia is for Lovers" in 2007, which was featured as a bonus track on her eponymous debut album. It is also the name of the first single on Mat Kearney
Mat Kearney
Mathew William "Mat" Kearney is an American musician born in Eugene, Oregon, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kearney has received critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his Columbia Records debut, Nothing Left to Lose. So far, he has a total of four top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40...
's 2011 release Young Love. The slogan is referenced in The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2004. The band consists of Craig Finn , Tad Kubler , Galen Polivka , Bobby Drake , and Steve Selvidge...
song "Killer Parties
Almost Killed Me
Almost Killed Me is the debut studio album by Brooklyn-based rock band The Hold Steady, released on March 16, 2004 on Frenchkiss Records. It is considered by many to be a concept album, with several recurring themes such as near-death experiences, parties and the fictional character Charlemagne...
."
Will Adler, ESP Guitars
ESP Guitars
, located in North Hollywood, California, is an American-based, Japanese-owned manufacturer of electric guitars and basses.- History :In 1975, Hisatake Shibuya opened a shop called Electric Sound Products in Tokyo. It provided custom replacement parts for guitars. In 1976, ESP gained a reputation...
artist, has the slogan printed on the neck of his custom guitars.