Beachcombing -- Vibe City

Here we go again. The city has introduced “Vibe City” as its latest branding attempt, demonstrating why amateurs should be banned from image management.

During the 2026 U.S. Conference of Mayors, hosted in Long Beach in June, Mayor Rex Richardson and conference attendees repeatedly referred to Long Beach as “Vibe City.” Social media posts from the mayor’s office, visiting mayors and conference organizers used phrases such as “Welcome to Long Beach Vibe City” and “Day 3 at USCM in Vibe City.”

A June 4 feature in the Los Angeles Times reported that Long Beach has “recently started branding itself as ‘Vibe City.’” The article quoted Richardson explaining the rationale: “Long Beach is special, but it’s hard to explain why if you haven’t been here … the best way to describe it is that it’s a vibe.”

Social media videos promoting recent events – including the new waterfront amphitheater and the debut of the Long Beach Coast baseball team – have incorporated “Vibe City” branding.

At this point, “Vibe City” does not appear to be an official city slogan adopted by the Long Beach City Council. Instead, it functions more as a marketing tagline championed by the mayor’s office and tourism partners to capture Long Beach’s eclectic, experiential identity. I could not find evidence of a formal vote, resolution or branding campaign approval by the city.

“Vibe” is trendy but imprecise. People may ask, “What does that actually mean?” Critics see it as marketing jargon without a clear promise or identity. Some residents calling it “corny” or “tacky,” while others simply see it as harmless civic marketing.

How do you feel about replacing – or supplementing – established nicknames such as “The LBC,” “International City,” or the historic “Iowa by the Sea”? Go to our website, www.beachcomber.news and participate in our latest poll question: “Do you like or dislike the ‘Vibe City’ tagline being used on marketing materials?”

This discussion takes me back to the turn of the 21st century when city management introduced its “poker chips and sperm logo, “ a sarcastic description of city branding first appearing on trash cans (where it belonged) and city vehicles.

The logo itself replaced sole reliance on the city’s traditional seal with a more contemporary branding mark intended to convey motion, diversity and a coastal identity. It featured a series of colorful circular and curved elements that some residents said resembled stacked poker chips, while others joked that the elongated swooshes looked like sperm cells.

The city wisely moved away from that logo, replacing it with the city seal and using modern fonts on signage and printed materials.

In recent years CSULB has destroyed its Forty-Niner and Prospector Pete identities by introducing a shark. This action followed research conducted by marketing students, who are ill prepared to engage in professional branding activity.

The justification for the change, according to then President Jane Conoley, was that the 49er namesake of the 1849 Gold Rush “was a time in history when the indigenous peoples of California endured subjugation, violence and threats of genocide.”

Never mind the fact that, in 1949, Prospector Pete evolved from Founding President Pete Peterson’s common references to having struck the gold of education by establishing Long Beach State College.

Those of us who attended the college in the late 1960s maintain that anyone who attempts to re-write history is a moron. Like I said at the beginning: “amateurs should be banned from image management.” This applies at both the city and state levels.

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