It should describe Utah's "emotional core." It will emote "Utah." It should summarize, symbolize and synergize the entire state, highlighting Utah's attributes to outsiders far and wide.

Oh, and it should be pithy. Three to five words would be fine, please.

Just remember that tens of millions of dollars are riding on it.

That's the kind of challenge coming up with a new state tourism brand is, and it's being handled by tourism officials and advertising experts. Soon to be unveiled, the simple phrase will be the linchpin of a subsequent marketing and advertising campaign designed to prompt outsiders to pack up the family and spend some tourist bucks in the Beehive State.

But picking the right brand is a tricky business. It's as close to gambling as the state allows, a high-risk, high-reward game where even the slightest nuances can pay off in tourism riches but also can be fraught with potential pitfalls if it makes locals roll their eyes or it becomes the butt of jokes.

"From all I've read, brands are really important, especially in the Internet Age," said Susan Rugh, an associate professor of history at Brigham Young University who has researched and written about Utah's branding history and is writing a book about the post-World War II family vacation.

"Price is often not as big a determinant as you might think when people are planning their travel, and with people doing their investigations online, it (a good brand) is more critical than it ever was. . . . Since the '50s, there has been industrial tourism — the selling of a product, which is the state. For many states, tourism is one of the top three sectors of the economy, so it's important to get the brand right."

This won't be the state's first crack at branding. In the 1940s and 1950s, the state used slogans such as "Utah, the Friendly State," "Utah, Land of Color" and "Utah, the Unique." More recently, "Ski Utah," "A Pretty, Great State" and "The Greatest Snow on Earth" emerged, although not all were official state brands. Utah's current brand, "Utah! Where Ideas Connect," was unveiled in August 2001 by then-Gov. Mike Leavitt. But it's not getting much use nowadays.

This year's brand selection is different, because it has a lot of taxpayer money riding on it. Backed by $10 million in tourism promotion money this fiscal year and additional millions expected after that, the Utah Office of Tourism is working with Salt Lake advertising agency W Communications and others to pick a brand that W Communications President Mark Hurst has said will reveal "the look of Utah," "the soul of Utah" and "the sound of Utah," all composing the "emotional core of Utah."