Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Importance of a Logo

I recently worked with a Destination Marketing Organization Board and, during the invigorating discussions, they asked my opinion on whether a new logo might help their marketing effort.

I told them to save their money. And I had a case study to back up my recommendation.

Ours.

We began to use the "spike" logo for Zeitgeist Consulting about five years ago. It's on our print newsletter, letterhead, e-mail newsletter, website, facebook page and twitter page. It's on everything...including my arm.

A year ago, we invested in a few hundred press-on tattoos of our logo. It was a fun little promo at the opening reception at the Upper Midwest CVB Conference at a Harley dealership.

Most of the people that we “inked” asked the meaning of the tattoo.

Ouch. Because most of these people subscribe to our newsletters and follow us online. They are paying attention. And they didn’t connect the dots. They never noticed our logo.

Maybe you think that changing your logo will be a big deal and attract lots of customers. I’m not so sure.

Where was Super Bowl 45 Played?

Dallas...except, not really. Yeah, it was Jerry's stadium and the Cowboys are all about Dallas (even though they used to be located in Irving...which is, interestingly, where the teams slept the night before the game). But the Super Bowl (can I say that and not get sued?) was played in Arlington.

You'd never know that by watching ESPN, however. Check out this great post by my friend and fellow blogger Reyn Bowman. It's a great example of how smart marketers can make somebody else's event theirs.

And, no...I won't use Roman Numerals anymore. It's just getting stupid.

That's One Way to Look at a Revolution

Before Egypt, Tunisia's citizenry took to the streets to topple its president from power. In doing so, it caused tourism revenues to plummet 40%.

But, Tourism Minister Mehdi Houass sees blue skies ahead. "The revolution has made our country known to the whole world. I think it is a good promotion," he told reporters.

That's one way to look at a revolution. Will Egypt see it the same way?

Go Pack Go

Anybody that has been to mecca (Lambeau Field) has heard the iconic "Go Pack Go" jingle over the PA system.

Butch and the guys from Garbage have updated the ditty...and it rocks.

Enjoy on this Super Bowl Weekend...and Go Pack Go.

Truth in Advertising

But, don't ya think the font coulda be a little bigger on that disclaimer?

Really? Why?

I totally get the name "Navigator" for a car, a GPS system and a Web Browser.

But a toilet paper dispenser?

I guess I don't understand...

The Concern About Immediacy

I'm not saying that Borders isn't preparing for bankruptcy. That has been rumored for a while.

But, what if they're not? What if Bloomberg is wrong?

With just six minutes to go before the bell, the Bloomberg report appeared this afternoon. And, in six minutes, Borders stock fell 35%. Six minutes.

No time to vette the report. No time to consider Borders' potential response. We just assume that everything we hear is true.

In our world of immediate access to and sharing of information, thousands of people that hold Borders stock lost a third of their investment. And 17% percent more in after hours trading...with only the street's belief in Bloomberg.

Kinda scary, if you ask me.