Bumper stickers with a prospective tourism tagline for the state were passed out at last week’s meeting of the Nevada Tourism Commission.

They read, “Nevada: California’s Man Cave.”

Don’t worry, it’s a joke. No one is seriously considering that line.

The bumper stickers were sent to the state by author Jim Gilmore, who made a presentation at the Tourism Commission’s “Rural Roundup” event in April at Lake Tahoe. He noted the state’s efforts to brand itself — a difficult task, considering the diverse nature of Nevada.

As all of us who live here know, Nevada is many things to many people.

It is mountain vistas and desert landscapes. Glitzy entertainment extravaganzas and ghost towns. Pampering spa experiences and extreme sports adventures. Cruising casinos and road-tripping to wide-open spaces.

It’s a monumental task for someone to develop a catchphrase that incorporates that personality without stepping on someone else’s copyrights. But Seattle-based GreenRubino was contracted by the state to try.

Last month, the Tourism Commission’s marketing committee met and talked about some of the finalists under consideration. Predictably, the public response was less than glowing.

Among the taglines being considered: “ReiNVent,” with the state’s NV postal code in it; “All in Nevada,” playing off poker terminology with the phrase that means being fully engaged (stated differently, it could refer to the variety of things to see and do here); and “Nevada is for Doers,” playing off the GreenRubino team’s early research that indicated people like the state because there’s so much to do.

Marketing committee members wanted to have the conversation among themselves so they could bounce the ideas off each other without hearing the inevitable public criticism that would emerge over concepts that are not fully developed. But they couldn’t because the open-meeting law requires them to meet in public.

The critics didn’t disappoint.

When I reported on the marketing committee’s session, readers tore into the taglines, ignoring Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki’s cautionary statement that work on the phrases wasn’t finished.

It was hard to tell whether people were madder about the fact that a Nevada company didn’t get the contract (GreenRubino won it in an adjudicated request for proposals) or that the company’s work was going to cost nearly $250,000.

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