JUST A THOUGHT COLUMN:No jingle so catchy can take you so far
By Nate Bloomquist
It bounces through my head like a sing-a-long bouncy ball. In the middle of the night I wake up hearing it. Sometimes it occurs in my dreams. "No place so close can take you so far." This addicting little diddy is IVCC’s advertising slogan.
It is hardly just a coincidence that the same year IVCC flaunts a catchy radio diddy, enrollment sky-rockets. The jingle has taken its toll on me and if it weren’t for the catchy jingle, I’m not sure I would’ve attended IVCC. What does this slogan mean? Where did it come from? Will it ever go away?
According to Fran Brolley, director of public information, the jingle isn’t original. The original slogan came from the American Community College Conference which two members of IVCC’s faculty attended. IVCC asked permission to use the slogan and the rest is… stuck in my head.
The music wasn’t produced locally either. The sly sounding saxophone and catchy drum beat were derived from a musician in Wisconsin. In other words, no jingle that is heard so close was produced so far…away.
When interpreted literally, "No place so close can take you so far" means a place that is nearby can’t take you far. But that’s not how Brolley sees it.
"A lot of people attend IVCC because of its location," says Brolley. "By attending IVCC you can go very far."
The Brolley brain trust has now adopted a new, less catchy slogan that is plastered all over billboards throughout the district. This slogan is, "Resources for life."
That slogan sounds more like something from the world of professional wrestling than a slogan for a respectable educational institution.
The new slogan will only be found on billboards around the district; the jingle is here to stay. If enrollment continues to go straight up maybe they should change IVCC’s slogan to, "No place so crammed can take you so far."