Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Great American Lager

Hey Budweiser...

Not that anybody watches the All-Star Game (only 12 million Americans)...but isn't there just the slightest bit of brand incongruency of taking a lead advertising position and stressing that you are "The Great American Lager" over and over, less than 48 hours after selling the company to a Belgian conglomerate? Couldn't you have, like, delayed the deal until after the game? Or brought back the Lizards in the interim?

I guess $52 billion in your pocket means you don't have to care about your brand anymore. But one would think that InBev should have known better...

Brandworks University '08: Day Two

Another content and laughter rich day at LSB's annual Brandworks University. Roll the highlights:

Rex Briggs (CEO of Marketing Evolution, author of "What Sticks"...and pictured): The Old Marketing Model is B-to-C...the new Model is C-to-C. It's not about getting people to come to your website...it's about getting them to take something from your website. Because we still are using marketing effectiveness measures designed 30 years ago, we are often unable to capitalize on new technologies. It's a Catch-22: we can't spend money on a strategy because we can't prove it and we can't prove it unless we spend money on it. TV is great for building awareness. Print is best for creating "purchase intent"...But online and in-store is best for harvesting the sale.

Christopher Vollmer (VP of Booz & Company): 62% of marketers avoid new online strategies because of the difficulty in measuring effectiveness. Nike reduced reliance on traditional media from 40% to 33% from 2003-2006...but increased sales by 7% during the same time period.

Jason Weaver (CEO of Sway): Web 1.0 was about Commerce...Web 2.0 is about People (attributed to Ross Mayfield). eMarketer expects Podcast listeners to more than triple to 67 million by 2012...and half of the U.S. population will watch online video this year. To the notion that you can't brand online...Google is the 3rd most recognized brand in America (no ads). Owning a website without RSS is like owning a fast food restaurant without a drive-thru (guess I gotta get on that).

Ellen Brothers (President of American Girl): Our success is because we know what business we're in...and it's not the doll business. It's the "Girl Business."

Eric Erickson (VP/Creative Director of Target): Successful brands don't resort to half-priced sales. "Speed is Life." Words to live by....

And Gary Hirshberg (CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm): People want to be a part of a "mission-driven" team...and associate with companies that do good. And Stonyfield does just that. Not familiar with this coolest of brands? Check out their website AND their cause: ClimateCounts.org.

Day One Highlights are here. And a MUCH DEEPER accounting can be found here from Carlos Grande (World Advertising Research Center).

Marsha...thanks again for a sensational 2-day mindstorm of thought leaders.

Now, where am I gonna find the time to launch just one of the cool ideas that are exploding in my mind?

Brandworks University '08: Day One

Each year, Marsha Lindsay and her team at Lindsay, Stone & Briggs bring some of the biggest names in branding together on the shores of Madison's Lake Monona for an unbelievable two day conference called Brandworks University. A content-rich Day One is on the books...and here are the synopsized highlights:

Marsha Lindsay: Your best customer is not necessarily the one the buys the most from you. Your best customer could be the one that talks you up to the most people. The sun is a prerequisite for life...but we love it for the way it feels on our face. Don't create a shopping environment...create a buying environment. And that means making the decision process easy and empowering.

Mark-Hans Richer (CMO of Harley-Davidson, who made his entrance onto the stage on his V-Rod that he had just ridden from Milwaukee): Short-term sales versus long-term Branding is a false choice...you must have both. The "consideration" phase for owning a Harley can be up to 20 years for some. It's not just about this quarter's sales...but how we influence the sales of the next quarter century. Last year's Biker-Claus TV spot drove apparel sales in a generally soft market...but 75% that saw the ad said it "made me want to own a Harley." We aggressively enforce our trademark...except when it's in ink on somebody's body.

Dina Howell (GM of Global Marketing of Procter & Gamble): Mobile and Interactive are not emerging media in many parts of the world...it's already established. And, 70% of all product choice occurs at the shelf.

Bob Deutsch (Cognitive Anthropologist): Today, consumers are in control...but when were they not? Don't focus on being top-of-mind...focus on being primal. Don't focus on people's interests...focus on their identities.

Brian Haven (Senior Analyst of Forrester Research): The 4i's of the Brand process are Involvement, Interaction, Intimacy and Influence. Most marketing stops at Interaction...and forfeits the opportunity to mold advocacy for the product by the purchaser. You must think about the entire life-cycle...not just the sale.

Joel Rubinson (CRO of the Advertising Research Foundation): The recent ability to measure almost all performance metrics has sadly caused many to focus on the short-term sales aspects of a product/company at the expense of building brands. Those that say today's youth are not brand responsive aren't looking in the right places. Of course they don't show affinity for paper towels...but they do for products that are meaningful to them. Don't think brands are important? Try grocery shopping in a foreign country. Don't just look at trends...look at "Off-Trends." Was there anything more off-trend than coffee before Starbucks? CFOs need to measure longterm brand equity as an asset on their balance sheets.

Neely Tamminga (Sr. Research Analyst at Piper Jaffray): Educate your customer...and then provide them with a forum to tell others what they have learned.

Arjen Linders (VP/Marketing for Philips Consumer Lifestyle): If you never experienced the marketing of Philips' entry into the personal grooming arena, you need to click here...and then, once in, on "Body."

My head is still spinning...and I'll be back with Day Two highlights tomorrow.

For a look at last year's highlights, go here and here.

Super 8 Keeps its Colors...and Goes Italic

At an industry conference the other day, talking with a fellow destination marketing pro, when the conversation turned to the recent attempts to rebrand legacy hotel chains. When we talked about the oh-so subtle logo change for Days Inn last year, he quipped, "Well, at least Motel 6 is sticking to their retro look."

Ummm, I guess not.

This just in from the Motel 6 mothership: "President John Valletta said introduction of the new logo was the final step in a multiyear revitalization effort...to stay ahead of the competition in an increasingly competitive market.”

As with Days Inn, the new logo was designed to exactly fit in the frame of existing roadside signs to save money on the deployment of the new look. Which is smart for the bottom line, but challenging when trying to redesign an iconic look...

Brand Wisconsin: Originality Rules

Readers of our print newsletter, Z-News and this blog know how critical we've been of the work of the cookie-cutter destination "brand houses."

Which is why it is so refreshing to see a destination that gets it right. And not just defining the unique, own-able concepts that underpin great brands. Wisconsin got the process right, too.

Just back from the Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism, where I lost count of the number of times that Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble (and even the Governor) repeated the mantra, "this ISN'T a slogan or a tagline." And, it appeared to work as the media picked up the concept and generally reported the new brand platform as correctly as the media ever gets it.

Guided by our friends at Lindsay, Stone & Briggs, the research behind the platform resonated with similar research done three years ago that clearly indicated that one of the top reasons consumers choose Wisconsin is because of the way they feel when they interact with Cheeseheads. And when you share physical attributes with states on either side of you (woods and water), it's the people that define you.

And the people in Wisconsin like to party.

Brand Obama

Great post on the Brand that is Barack Obama from the always insightful techPresident.

And, if you're looking for some of the best analysis of the race for the White House (and live chat on primary nights)...check out The 44th.

Destination Brands Already Exist

This past fall, I was on the road almost non-stop. Everyone I met asked where I was from. When I replied, "Madison," every single one nodded, smiled and replied, "Cool Town."

Guess that's the brand then, eh? And, as we say up here, "You betcha."

While I appreciate all the efforts to "brand" destinations...the consumer already has an opinion. And, no amount of spin will significantly change that image.

And, when celebrities comment on your brand (good or bad), it resonates way more than do the efforts of the DMO. Case in point, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott...who recently opined on his favorite destinations:

New York City: "Just a big, stinky, smelly conglomeration of numbered avenues and streets, but it’s just got a vibe that’s hard to beat. I shouldn’t like it, but I do."

Los Angeles: "Sometimes I think it’s marvelous, and sometimes I think it’s a dump. It’s so fake and I can’t deal with how fake it is."

New Orleans: "Sometimes it’s real awful and not even authentic music, but sometimes it is."

Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo: "It’s great to say you’ve seen it, but essentially it’s just a fucking wooden hut and a tourist trap."

Cleveland's Rock n Roll Hall of Fame: "You see Jimi Hendrix’s guitars, Elvis stuff, stuff from Eric Clapton, and you’re like, “Wow,” every three seconds, as opposed to, “Wow, he was born here. Big deal.”

TripAdvisor is one thing. Celebrity comment is another. And then, there's the artificially produced brand that you pay someone for.

In the end, the consumer makes their mind up based on who they believe most.

Think it's you...or Joe?

Don't Go to the U.S.

There is (sadly) a mere handful of thought leaders in the U.S. travel industry that are calling for a wholesale shift in the way this country markets itself as an international destination second to none. For, that's what we think we are, right?

A recent article in the TimesOnlineUK sets the record straight for any American official that suffers from a delusional case of hubris. The highlights:

Dateline London: We would like to apologise for a terrible omission in last Sunday’s feature "10 Steps to a Stress-Free Summer." We forgot to include “Don’t go to the USA”.

“Traveling to the US offers experiences like nowhere else on earth.” That’s what it says at discoveramerica.com, the official travel and tourism website of the United States, and it’s absolutely right. Nowhere else can a visitor expect such a spirit-crushingly frosty reception.

"A preflight e-interrogation, epic queues at immigration, thin-lipped questioning from aggressive border guards, and an outside chance of a rubber-gloved rectal rummage are all part of the fun. So...it’s time we considered other more welcoming holiday options. Such as Iran or North Korea.

"Here are a few sunny alternatives to consider before you book your flight, take your shoes off and try to convince our friends stateside that you’re not intent on the destruction of America, you’ve just come for the hamburgers.

NEW YORK? Try Hong Kong.

DISNEYWORLD? Just east of Paris.

COWBOYS? They do it better in Spain.

VEGAS, BABY? Macau, darling.

ASPEN? St. Moritz is posher."

And, the Times is right. There is a world of competitive opportunities out there for the travel consumer. And America is becoming passe.

Is anybody paying attention?

Anybody?

A Brand Without a Strategy

You know how people from the South can get away with saying fairly mean-spirited things by appending the statement with "bless their heart?"

Rob Frankel does much the same in a great article on AOL's brand in Wired:

"AOL is a high fast ball. They have everything you need to make it a great brand besides a strategy. They've done everything they can not to build a brand. Even if they develop new brands, it won't matter since they don't know what to do with it."

Bless their heart...

Don't Try This at Home

As Bill Baker opines in his new book Destination Branding for Small Cities, holding a contest is no way to develop a brand. It's not even a good way to develop a slogan.

Case in point...we give you England.

Apparently the government has decided that it needs a "truly representative" motto...and they are asking 1000 Brits to weigh in with their take.

Some of the suggestions so far:

• Americans Who Missed the Boat
• At Least We're Not French
• Best before 1939
• Dentistry is not our forte
• Hanging on in quiet desperation

Proof positive that asking the general public will generate some laughs...but nothing that you'll ever be able to use. 

Hats off to Strategic Name Development for the catch.