Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

It's Not What You Say

A few weeks ago Terri and I had the chance to hang with the amazing Frank Luntz and his posse in Myrtle Beach (that’s him with Hannity backstage at the Republican Presidential Debate). I hadn’t yet had the chance to read his latest book, “Win”...but quickly devoured it on my next couple flights. And, for anybody that depends on influencing others (which would be, ummm, everybody), the book is a must.

Throughout “Win” (as well as Frank’s earlier works), he stresses that it is rarely what you say...but what people hear. Thus, those who win are those who craft their messages to resonate with what’s important to their audience.

I thought of Frank and had to chuckle the other day as I prepared to depart Omaha. The flight attendant apologized to the first class cabin that she wouldn’t be able to serve a pre-flight cocktail because they were running late...and that she knew we all wanted the airline to maintain its on-time record.

Actually...no, I don’t care about your on-time record.

I want a drink.

Brains on Fire

I've been a fan of their work and irreverent culture for a while now, this creative agency (called Brains on Fire) based in way cool Greenville SC. Their blog is always thought provoking. But, for whatever reason, I just never got around to reading the book their CEO and a few of her partners in crime released last summer.

That kind of changes when you have dinner with said CEO and she hands you a signed copy. I read it cover to cover the next day.

"Brains on Fire," from Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church and Spike Jones is a fast-paced treatise on the state of marketing today that offers a challenging view of the world ahead. While there's a heavy dose of examples from the agency's compelling body of work, there are just as many bold directives for how organizations need to view and interact with their customers that will exhaust most highlighters.

Cool book...thanks, Robbin.

Fiction Turns to Reality

It's been 5 or 6 years ago (at least) that I wrote these words next to a link to a book I've been recommending in the Resources section of our website:

"OK, many of us read this in or around our college years. Thought it to be akin to science fiction. Read it again! Our growing understanding of the world around us coupled with the increasing "entitlement culture" being espoused in much of North America makes for a wholly different canvas on which (this) story will unfold. This time around, it doesn't read like fiction!"

The Book: "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand

Great opinion piece in this past weekend's Wall Street Journal by Steven Moore that so reinforces my initial thought.

All the more reason to read this classic...

Don't Go There!

My friend Peter Greenberg's new book drops today...and "Don't Go There" is sure to rankle Destination Marketing Pros everywhere.

The description from his website: We’ve all suffered through bad vacations: tourist traps, terrible package deals, high-rise hotels, revolting food, and the worst airports on earth. The world abounds in dismal destinations, and it’s just as important to know the hellholes to avoid as it is to be familiar with the most idyllic spots (especially when some of these idyllic places don’t deserve their reputations!).

And, there is a companion website where consumers can blast away at destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions...anonymously, of course.

Just one more site to which Destination Marketers need to subscribe to the RSS feed...

Thanks to Fargo-Moorhead's Cole Carley for the catch...

Saving Black America

During my decade as a DMO CEO, I had the opportunity to work with close to 100 Board members. Some were good, some great. Some were, as someone once said, nothing more than “earthworms in suits.”

And then, there was John Odom. We were lucky enough to land John to serve on the Greater Madison CVB Board in the early 90s...and from his first meeting, it was clear to everyone in the room that they were going to have to step up their game if they wanted to keep up with this guy. For, as a management consultant, John didn’t suffer fools, wasted time or unnecessary drama lightly. John was a man that wanted to see results (and, still does).

When I jumped into consulting a few years later, he served as a mentor, coaching me on the nuances of being a lone agent (and chastising me for charging too little). As my business began to catch fire, we lost touch (my bad).

That is, until a few weeks ago when we quite serendipitously bumped into each other at the same gym, working unbeknownst with the same trainers for some months now. And the decade lost seemed like a few months.

Hoping he’d be proud of some of the lessons I learned from his time on my Board, I sent him a copy of my book on Board Governance. He reciprocated by sending me his book...one that I hadn’t realized he had written.

And one that you should read.

Saving Black America: An Economic Plan for Civil Rights is about as straight-forward as shots across the bow get. John nails the issues plaguing Black America, including once well-meant policies now sadly irrelevant. And this isn’t just a “blame the establishment” exercise, as he also takes aim at those that purport to be leaders of Black America that work to continue the victimization cycle in a sick Machiavellian dance.

And then, John suggests a no-nonsense economic development solution that is so radically refreshing that you catch yourself thinking, “why not?” I won’t spoil the magic by revealing it here...but, it wouldn’t take much to see his concept take root in cities across this country.

Just people with the entrepreneurial spirit...and a passion for the human condition.

Saving Black America is a great book from a great man. A man for whom I wouldn’t have thought I could ever have more respect...but now do.

Thanks, John...and I can’t wait to get my hands on your next book.

Shosholoza.

Decision '08: Online or Off?

techPresident recently noted Kathleen Parker's contrarian view on the widely held belief that the next President will be the one whose campaign best utilizes Web 2.0 strategies and techniques.

Parker believes that the vast majority of Americans simply don't know or care about social networking or Hillary's Sopranos video. Naturally, techPresident counters with the fact that, at least right now, the campaigns must focus on the engaged and true believers (who are consuming online product voraciously). To do anything else would be a massive waste of time, effort and resources. In marketing, you talk to those that are listening.

And, I'll take it a step further. The candidates are really using the internet to sway the "Gang of 500" (so named by Mark Halperin and John Harris in the fabulous book The Way to Win).

"The Gang" are the 500 or so members of the media, consultants and staff hands who "serve as a sort of Federal Reserve Bank of conventional wisdom" that will decide FOR us who the final combatants will be. From the book:

"Gang members believe that it is crucial, before real votes get cast, that someone - specifically 500 someones - probe deeply and pass judgment on a candidate's intellectual timbre, applicable ambitions, philosophical journey and telling life choices."

In other words...which ones look "electable." And, guess who the old media members of the Gang are increasingly being influenced by? The new online media, to which only a few Americans (if you believe Parker) are paying attention.

Thus, the online blogosphere and new media have way more clout than anyone is giving them credit for...except the smarter campaign organizations. They know that the way to the White House is through the Gang of 500 (and they're watching us).

"

This is Going to Get Confusing

As if it isn't confusing enough that both Bill Geists are authors, speakers and TV personalities (I enjoyed a ten year run as a weekend events guru at WISC-TV in the '90s)...

Now the "other" Bill Geist has moved into "my territory" with his new book Way Off the Road...a travelogue of the unique places he's visited in his twenty years on CBS Sunday Morning.

But, maybe there's a marketing opportunity here. For State and Provincial Tourism Conference planners, there's now the opportunity to have two keynotes from Bill Geist (one from each of us). He could be the funny story guy and I could be the content guy.

And, if they can't afford both of us, ummm, they could just pick me :)

Hey Bill...all the best for the new book.

And thanks to Tom McMahon and Kelly Amabile for alerting me to it.

A New Performance Measure?

Devoured a new book on an old-topic on my flight to Lansing last week (and thanks to Lee Hladki and his Board and Staff for their hospitality).

The book is "Word of Mouth Marketing" by Andy Sernovitz...and even Andy is somewhat self-depricating within the pages of the book regarding the fact that this isn't really new ground. But, it's incredibly important ground...as the traditional marketing systems disintegrate around us.

Obviously, if I could polish this book off in two hops to Lansing, it's a quick read. But, don't mistake that for "not worth the price." It is. As Andy promises, I can't imagine anyone not being able to utilize at least a few of the ideas tomorrow to increase their WOM.

And, here's the opportunity I gleaned for DMOs: We measure lots of stuff. Mostly the measures developed by DMAI. I'm on record as saying that these are fabulous...but that I think they need to go further.

Andy advocates a completely new way of analyzing ROI by taking all those soft word of mouth measures you probably didn't know what to do with and combine them into one WOM measure. Then, have somebody on staff begin to proactively work the web to see what people are saying about you (because they are). Thank those that talk you up...and interact with those that are trashing you.

Because, if you don't, your image (and that "brand" you're working so hard on) will begin to take on water.

Get the book...consider the opportunities.

A Campaign that Connects

On my way down and back from the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association Conference last week, I was reading (the soon to be added to my website's "Recomended Reading" page) "Creating Customer Evangelists" by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba.

Louisiana's current campaign features a bevy of celebrities (John Goodman, Emeril Lagasse, Patricia Clarkson, Wynton Marsalis, Tim McGraw, Allen Toussaint and others), encouraging Americans to fall in love with Louisiana "all over again." The video (click here and then scroll to TV) is warm, engaging and down right effective.

And dead on. In their powerful treatise, McConnell and Huba make a valuable point: Yahoo's "Buzz Index" (the most popular searches) is almost always filled with people. Famous people. And, as they point out, this "underscores the idea that people are fascinated with, and love to talk about, other people."

Duh. Pretty pictures of your destination are (usually) a dime a dozen. Having somebody famous gush about you? Priceless.

Here's a Book I Gotta Read

...as reviewed by Guy Kawasaki.