Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Whip Smart = Viral

The saga of Wisconsin's Runaway Senators is beginning to lose its novelty for the national news, but that hasn't stopped the Rockford Area CVB from seizing the moment with a video that has gone thermo-viral in the last 72 hours.

For those living in a cave without wifi, Wisconsin's 14 Democratic Senators slipped into Illinois two weeks ago to stall a Republican vote that would strip State Union workers of collective bargaining rights. They are still hiding out in Illinois...some say they are in Rockford, a little more than an hour south of the Wisconsin Capitol.

John Groh and his team at the RACVB have capitalized on the moment by turning the iconic "Escape to Wisconsin" tagline on its head with a sensational video. Posted Friday, the video (which features a cameo by Rockford's favorite son, Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick) has already garnered over 68,000 views.

So Cool...and congratulations my friends.

One wonders what more you could do for your community if your budget hadn't been so whacked over the past few months.

 

Jim Clark Rocks

One of the best parts of this gig is getting to know amazingly talented people in the Destination Marketing field. I marvel at so many of the cool concepts my peers develop as they advance the art and science of our craft. And, how many of them are just damn fun to hang with.

And then, I marvel at their other talents.

Like last weekend in Estes Park CO, where my friend Jim Clark (CEO of the Fort Collins CVB) tore it up with his new band, Amplified Souls.

It's an exclusive (click here to view)...on a Music Friday here at the Zeitgeist blog.

More Fine Print

In a local supermarket tonight, looking for dinner. I spied a delectable looking piece of salmon, already wrapped for my convenience, since the seafood counter had closed.

Fresh Atlantic Salmon, it said. And, though my favorite is Scottish Salmon, I picked up the package to examine further...and saw this disclaimer:

"Farm Raised - Product of US."

Atlantic Salmon my ass.

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Thievery

Seriously?

One of the most famous tourism slogans in the world has been appropriated by Tunesia.

A few weeks ago, we blogged about their Tourism Minister saying that their recent revolution would be good for tourism. Now, they've gone and lifted New York's iconic "I Love" tagline.

Do they think that no one would notice? Or do they think that they'll bask in the glow of someone else's work?

Or, did the agency that did their work not tell Tunesia that they stole the idea?

Bohemian Ukulele

Jake Shimabukuro is on a one-man mission to change how the lowly ukulele is perceived outside of Hawaii.

I guarantee you'll never chuckle when someone pulls one of these out at a rock concert after seeing how Jake covers Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody at last year's TED Conference on Music Friday.

And thanks to son-in-law Nick for the catch.

A Quick Question

A quick question for those that design hotels...

Do you skimp on electrical outlets and put the ones you do design into rooms in impossibly difficult to find and use locations because owners want to restrict guests' consumption of electricity...or because you've never stayed in a hotel?

Just curious.

Here's a Novel Approach

If it's important to the health and prosperity of the region, does it make any difference what pot of money pays for it?

I once challenged a County Commissioner with this concept when he wanted to shift Room Tax from his Destination Marketing Organization to beach renourishment. Fine, I said. Use the Room Tax for the beaches. But, as tourism is a key driver of your economy, are you willing to replace those DMO revenues with General Purpose Revenue funds?

"You can't do that," he sputtered. And, of course...he was wrong (and, I think, knew it), as the County had always used GPR revenues to support its Economic Development unit. And Tourism IS economic development.

Word in from Virginia is that Governor Bob McDonnell intends to use sales tax revenues to jump-start stalled projects such as hotels, water parks and entertainment centers in hopes of driving more visitors to the state.

This new crop of Governors over the past couple years? Damn...they just may have a clue.

Why Newspapers Will Continue to Struggle

Don't get me wrong. I still enjoy my morning newspaper.

But, when world events evolve as quickly as they did last week...it's kinda like that whole "Dewey Defeats Truman" scenario.

Before I had time last Friday morning to read that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had thumbed his nose at the rest of the world and said, in essence, "hell no, I won't go," (click to enlarge image) he was gone.

Printed just a few hours before, the paper I held in my hands ceased to be relevant. And, I wondered how many other stories had changed in that time span.

There will always be a place for the morning paper...but it's getting less relevant all the time.

A Sad Farewell

Of course, I remember him from his days with Thin Lizzy...but I had lost track of Gary Moore over the years, despite the fact that he was churning out some simply inspired music.

I rediscovered him over the holidays and had checked out his website just last week to attempt to locate tour dates in the Midwest.

We lost Gary Moore last weekend to an appaarent heart attack while on vacation in Spain.

Thankfully, we'll always have moments like this soulful yet smokin' rendition of "Still Got the Blues" at Montreaux. And this incredible duet with Albert King.

RIP Gary.

 

Thanks for the Warning

And why, exactly, would anyone decide to check in at this hotel?

I mean, besides Charlie Sheen?