Last month, the headline screamed out that the "Brand USA Scandal Deepens."
Ummm...what scandal?
A consulting firm that, after a review of its website, appears to have exactly zero experience in destination marketing and branding, issued a report last month that suggested that Brand USA was rudderless, with no clear understanding of its mission.
Nevermind that the organization, less than a year old, was still developing its game plan after the surprising about-face of the President to support the initiative. After all, who the hell thought this would ever happen? Really...besides Roger Dow. Who?
And yet somebody decided that a firm with no practical experience in destination marketing should "audit" this upstart organization. Oh, and when he did, he found they had a penchant for spending.
Errr, that's what Destination Marketing Organizations do. They spend money to attract attention to the product and the brand. But, the consultant questioned a bunch of stuff, including $2700 for business cards for 26 staffers. Honestly? $100 per is a deal for DMO pros that are going to be expected to shake a lot of hands and open a lot of doors in their first year.
The article in the Washington Free Beacon (a fledgling publication in its own right that is a mouthpiece for the conservative right that opposes anything the President supports) goes on with a litany of supposed egregious expenditures and innuendo. None of which seems particularly out-of-line with the need for a first-year organization to get noticed on the international stage.
My question is who hired this guy?
He claims to be a former Director
of Business Development (whatever that is) who "simplifies the development process and
expertly guides individuals and teams through change." And, yet, he doesn't seem to understand that start-ups require leadership that is unique to creating something out of nothing.
And, that the first CEO was gone in a year is not in the least surprising...especially when replaced by the interim Carolyn Beteta and the new CEO, Chris Thompson, two of the hottest Destination Marketers in the business. Jim Evans did his job. He created the structure and the initial buzz. Now, it's up to Chris and his team to make it rain.
And...in just a few short months they have.
Of course, such facts tend to get in way of an agenda.
You wanna trash a DMO, you get a consultant who doesn't have any experience in the sophisticated nuance of the industry. You want a real analysis? There are four or five of us in this country that do.
I'm waiting.
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