Where did the phrase ‘Virginia is For Lovers’ originate?

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The slogan “Virginia is For Lovers” was created more than 50 years ago, but how did this popular phrase come to be?

According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation , the phrase “Virginia is For Lovers” was adopted by the corporation in 1969. At that time, the Virginia Tourism Corporation was known as the Virginia State Travel Service.

However, the phrase reportedly originated from a creative team headed by the Richmond advertising agency George Woltz of Martin & Woltz Inc., where a copywriter named Robin McLaughlin came up with an advertising concept that read, “Virginia is for history lovers.”

According to the corporation, the concept would also advertise beaches with “Virginia is for beach lovers” or mountains with “Virginia is for mountain lovers,” and so on.

However, company leaders thought the approach might be too limiting, and the agency dropped the modifiers to simply say “Virginia is For Lovers.” The new slogan then debuted in a 1969 issue of “Modern Bride.”

According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the phrase was inducted into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame in New York City by popular vote on Sept. 21, 2009.

The slogan was also included in the Advertising Icon Museum alongside fellow 2009 inductees, such as the AOL Running Man, the Budweiser Clydesdales and State Farm’s “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There.”

According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the recognition came just as Forbes named “Virginia is For Lovers” as one of the top ten tourism marketing campaigns of all time.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRIC ABC 8News.