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Great catch by Gadling of a Time-Lapse video of Abbey Road. While I've recreated this iconic cover art twice in my life (once during my days in radio and once a couple years ago for an ad agency), I never realized how freaking tiring it must be for the people that drive that street every day.
I can hear them way over here, screaming "Stop It! It's not bloody funny anymore! Aaarrrgh!"
Yeah...that's me as Sir Paul
Besides pandering this class-warfare crap by suggesting he is readying a bill to prevent companies receiving stimulus money from holding meetings and conventions?
First, the President vilifies Vegas. Now John Kerry jumps on the bandwagon to protect the sensibilities of the "working class" by wanting to slap the wrists of companies that are providing stimulus to communities across the country by spending money in the hospitality industry.
I know how good it looks on the evening news, guys...but how many tens of thousands of jobs will be affected by the fallout of your actions, pushing the economic crisis even deeper?
How 'bout agreeing to the Travel Industry's recently suggested Travel Policy Guidelines...and quit grandstanding? Please?
Can you hear me shaking my head?
Atlanta-based Carvel Ice Cream developed a way cool (and effective) mobile initiative that generated 52,000 participants last year. Saying they were "pretty pleased," they are also saying they have no plans to continue their foray into mobile marketing in 2009 because of a questionable ROI.
Wait, 52,000 people responding to first-time mobile marketing for Ice Cream? And the ROI is questioned?
Instead, the company says it'll go back to "tried and true" marketing during these tough times.
Yeah, that rattle? Pretty sure that IS me shaking my head.
Thanks to friend Maua Gast for the catch.
I blew through the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport last week, connecting toward a gig out east. And, while I've started to hear from other road warriors that planes are beginning to fill again, I've NEVER seen a hub this deserted at 10am on a weekday.
Ever.
While I certainly didn't mind not having to navigate around clueless and self-absorbed travelers...it was kinda scary.
Go ahead, click on the photo. Ug-ly.
The prosecution in the terrorist trials in London have offered some pretty damning evidence against the 8 Britons charged with conspiring to blow up American and Canadian jetliners over the Atlantic in 2006.
Evidence points to the alleged bombers planning to use Tang and hydrogen peroxide, hollowed out batteries and a digital camera to do the deed, while slipping through security loaded up with condoms and porn to convince screeners that they weren't radical nutjobs.
I think it's time to stop MacGyver reruns now. And just show MacGruber ones.
Thanks to Tripso for the catch.
An administrative hearing officer has ordered a group
of online travel companies to pay the City of Anaheim $21.3 million dollars
in back taxes, interest and penalties. The companies have apparently been collecting Room Taxes from their customers, but have been paying the City only the tax on the
wholesale price paid by the online travel companies to the hotels.
The back taxes cover January 2000 through March 2008...and the ruling is expected to influence
a bunch of similar suits filed on behalf of local governments throughout
the country.
The OTAs have, of course, appealed. Stay tuned.
More numbers to consider.
A recent MPI/American Express study suggests that 7% of corporate business meetings will be canceled in 2009. The meetings that aren't being shelved are expected to see attendance drops of 5%.
And our friend Meilee Anderson from Seattle Southside pointed us to an ACTE study that reveals that 71% of American businesses plan to cut back on travel this year.
While corporate meetings and business travel are less a focus of most DMOs than association meetings and leisure travel, the revenues they generate do impact DMOs...a lot.
Budget time is never fun. This next one is really gonna suck.
England's "environmental czar" wants a law to limit the number of trips Brits take abroad.
Gadling reports that Adair Turner (who advises the Prime Minister) is dedicated to reducing the impact of carbon dioxide emissions...by law, if necessary.
Uh huh...and, as we discussed yesterday, what will the economic fallout be from such a law? How many jobs will be shed, how many lives destroyed and how many kids will grow up without a pot...just so that England's carbon footprint is reduced?
Every action causes a reaction.
Think.
My Twitter bud Greg Ruby pointed me to another Twitterer that was riffing on the impact of canceled meetings. Mike McAllen works in the meetings industry...so, he has an agenda. But, that also means he has working data that those outside the industry don't.
That's the problem with industry experts, the other side always discounts them as driven by self-interest. But, the other side doesn't have access to the data. So why does anyone listen to them? Nobody Trusts Nobody. And the Media only wants conflict.
But, that's beside the point. Mike has tweeted some interesting factoids as of late. Thoughts that (after confirming) would be great talking points for the meetings industry:
• The meeting
industry is larger than the automobile industry.
• Incentive trips are (provided to)...people...meeting sales incentives.
• This Country needs to
understand how corporate events bring money TO the economy. LOTS of
JOBS are lost each time an event is canceled!
• State Farm Insurance cancels a trip to Las Vegas. 11,000 rooms go unfilled.
Let's continue to gather the facts. This is our opportunity to define the conversation.
My friend, PR pro Gary Knowles has been Twittering to his flock of over 600 followers his idea for a stimulus package that actually does something more than reward bad corporate behavior.
As pointed out by David Segal in the New York Times, personal consumption makes up 70% of the American economy. So, rather than pour the money into corporate rat holes, Gary suggests providing it to Americans to use for travel:
"Let’s ask President Obama and Congress to put the money where it will create jobs, raise morale and promptly put dollars into the hands of those who will rapidly turn them back into the local, regional and national economy.
We need the National Economic Stimulus through Tourism program. NEST will send every adult taxpayer and every adult social security recipient a check for $500 for each person reported on their most recent federal tax filing. These checks will be good for use in the 2009 calendar year only and can be used only in payment for a vacation (at least two nights and 100 miles from the home address) at certified travel businesses (resorts, lodging, dining, transportation, amusement and tour businesses) within the United States.
Each state will publish, on the web and in newspapers, a list of businesses certified within the state so individuals can quickly make reservations and start enjoying their “stimulus”.
This will immediately put money into travel businesses that will hire workers to deal with the increased demand. These businesses historically offer good employment to millions of people who are young, older, new to the work force, minorities, students and many in need of part-time jobs. These people, and the businesses who employ them, tend to spend and re-invest their earnings as fast as they get them, thus rapidly circulating the dollars back into their local communities. These earnings will help encourage people to go out and buy cars, help to make home mortgage payments, pay for rent, food, and other consumer goods – thus further stimulating the local economy.
In addition these businesses and their employees pay plenty of local, sales, state and federal income taxes, so tax revenues will increase.
It may not solve all our problems, but there’s no argument that it will be a better, quicker and more successful shot in the arm than the useless massive transfusion we gave to the walking dead in the financial community.
Write your federal representatives and President Obama, post it on your blog and website, your Facebook Page and Twitter until your fingers hurt – We need NEST now!"
Brilliant, Gary. Simply brilliant.
Pass it on!
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