SANTA FE — For a place that bills itself as “The Land of Enchantment,” a recent effort to tinker with New Mexico’s image is stirring up lots of angst.
For weeks now, a contentious debate has raged among tourism officials over a new state-financed advertising campaign aimed at attracting vacationers. Instead of highlighting New Mexico’s picturesque desert landscapes, art galleries or centuries-old culture, the ads feature drooling, grotesque office workers from outer space chatting about their personal lives.
To some, the 30-second TV spots — which lead in roundabout fashion to the tag line that New Mexico may be “the best place in the Universe” — are provocative, funny and bold.
But to increasingly vocal critics, the ad campaign is strategically clumsy and a possible threat to the well- being of the state’s $5.1 billion tourism industry. In other words, while the ads may yield a chuckle or two, the joke is on New Mexico.
Among the critics’ main targets is the appearance of the less-than-cuddly, reptilian spacemen, who they claim are more apt to baffle or frighten away a tourist than reel one in.
