• by Tanya Gazdik , 2 hours ago

MapQuest hit the number-one spot on the Apple App Store after refusing to follow an executive order by President Trump to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America.”

Following the Aug. 27 executive order, Google Maps and Apple Maps updated the name to Lake America for U.S. users, but MapQuest posted on social media that it was sticking with Lake Ontario.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Lake Ontario is much older than the Declaration of Independence, and ‘naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario,’” according to CBS News. 

In a follow-up post the same day, MapQuest invited users to name the lake whatever they want, according to USA Today.

“MapQuest, which was openly dismissive of the president’s 27 August executive order directing federal agencies to refer to the smallest of the Great Lakes as ‘Lake America’ amid a trade spat with Canada, leapfrogged rivals Google Maps and Apple Maps to top the most-downloaded list,” according to The Guardian. 

The 30-year-old navigation app has gained over 2.5 million new downloads, shooting past major apps to claim the top free spot on the App Store, according to TechCrunch.

"We're not changing the name of Lake Ontario," the service said. "Name it whatever you want at your leisure: https://gulfof.mapquest.com/lakeontario."

The company followed up with physical billboards and print-style directional ads in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York featuring the slogan: "It's still Lake Ontario. And we're still here.”

The campaign, created by Quality Meats, has started to roll out across the country. 

Developed from concept to execution in a matter of days, the campaign has started to appear in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Washington, D.C.. The six-foot-tall wild postings recreate MapQuest’s classic printed directions, with each mapping a real route from its exact location to Lake Ontario, original name included.

The location strategy adds another layer, notes the agency: near MapQuest’s Los Angeles headquarters; close to major tech hubs in San Francisco; near Grand Central and the Canadian Consulate in New York; in the Great Lakes city of Chicago; practically on Lake Ontario in Toronto; and in the heart of Washington, D.C.

“People rely on maps to make the world feel navigable and familiar. While keeping the names that people know and trust, this campaign brings our commitment to life while tapping into 30 years of nostalgia, and puts it all right back on the map,” said Doug Berger, MapQuest’s general manager.