They say the only thing you have after losing everything is your name. Not so, says the Izumisano City officials who in the dying moments of their failing economy are considering a plan to sell their naming rights off amongst other ideas.
Residents of the Osaka Prefecture city will be pleased to know that they wouldn’t be selling it to just anyone with money, so the threat of the name becoming Poopiehead City is minimal. From June till the end of November they will be accepting proposals from both foreign and domestic businesses interested in unique ways to advertise using their city’s government and resources.
One idea they are thinking about is negotiating a one to five year lease of naming rights to government offices and streets around the city. They are also open to the possibility of the winning candidate using public workers’ uniforms for advertising space for the selected candidate.
Rather than simply selling the name, Izumisano officials are hoping that the endeavor will draw the attention of various businesses to the city as a place to operate, bringing jobs and tax revenue to the area.
With the full plan still undecided, opposition from the citizens is likely. The possibility of having the name decided by a corporation can be dangerous. Imagine having to live in Sanico’s Tampon Town on the corner of Hemorrhoid Cream Lane and Fungicide Street. Until a more concrete plan is laid out all they can do is imagine, which is a dangerous thing.
In an effort to calm potential public blowback, city officials reassure residents that if anything it would only likely be a temporary nickname, much like how Kagawa Prefecture is called “Udon Prefecture” after their deliciously prepared thick noodle soup called Sanuki Udon.
The only difference being that Kagawa Prefecture earned that name by its people working hard to develop a great dish, whereas Izumisano is, for lack of a better word, potentially prostituting their name.
When asked about Izumisano’s plans to rent their name for advertising, a spokesperson for Japan’s Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications released a statement saying “Huh, never seen that before.”
Source: Yomiuri Online (Japanese)
Google Maps: Izumisano city,Osaka