Westchester County Office of Economic Development secures trademark protection for tagline, "New York's Intellectual Capital"

The Westchester County Office of Economic Development's award-winning branding campaign, "Westchester County: New York's Intellectual Capital" is now officially trademarked and protected by a service mark issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. "The tagline 'New York's Intellectual Capital' reflects the fact that Westchester's highly educated workforce is the foundation and future of economic development for our county," said director of economic development Laurence Gottlieb. "We wanted to take the necessary steps to insure that this intellectual property was protected as we continue our campaign." Last September, in a concerted effort to re-energize Westchester County's business climate, the Westchester County Office of Economic Development launched a multi-year advertising and digital branding campaign focused on what makes Westchester unique-its intellectual capital. The campaign's tagline plays off the double meaning of the word "capital" as an asset and a center of activity. It has been used in a series of print and online ads in area media including The Journal News, Wall Street Journal, Westchester Business Journal and Westchester Magazine's new business publication 914INC. The campaign is funded by the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency (IDA). Since launching the campaign last fall, the Office of Economic Development has successfully retained, expanded or attracted numerous companies to Westchester, including Pepsi Beverages, Atlas Air, Sabra Dipping, Dannon, Amkai Solutions, Accorda Therapeutics, with more coming within the next several months. "This campaign defines Westchester as business-friendly, so the trademark solidifies the message that we are serious about establishing a new identity for the county, which will help us achieve even greater success in the future," Gottlieb said. The campaign has been well received throughout the county, and won top honors at both the New York State Economic Development Council's (NYSEDC) annual meeting in May, and the Advertising Club of Westchester's 40th Annual Big W Awards program in June. The County Office of Economic Development won the top prize in its class for each of the three categories in which it was entered at the NYSEDC meeting, including Best Development Brochure, Best Printed Advertising Material and Best Website. The now-trademarked tagline was at the center of each entry. At the Big W Awards, the County Office of Economic Development and its advertising agency - Thompson & Bender - won seven awards plus the Best of Show Award, the top award of the program. Again, the entries were developed around the "Westchester County - 'New York's Intellectual Capital'" tagline. Gottlieb said that Westchester's claim as "New York's Intellectual Capital" is supported by a wealth of facts. He said surveys show that 45% of Westchester residents over the age of 25 have a bachelor's degree, with half holding postgraduate degrees. This puts Westchester among the smartest regions in the nation. He noted a survey of the ten "smartest" cities in America by Money Magazine which had Washington D.C. metro area ranked number one with 47% of residents over 25 holding a graduate or post graduate degree. "If Westchester County were included in the survey it would rank number two nationally, above New York City, Seattle, Boston and even Silicon Valley." Other interesting facts to bolster the county's reputation as "New York's Intellectual Capital" are: * More than 10% of the nation's patents originate from companies based in Westchester. * 20% of New York State's biotechnology workforce is employed by Westchester firms. * Westchester is home to some 30 biotechnology firms and 900 technology-related firms. "Clearly, Westchester's claim as "New York's Intellectual Capital' is more than an idle boast. It's grounded in reality and positions Westchester as a very attractive location for companies looking to move here as well as existing firms seeking to expand their operations," Mr.Gottlieb said.