Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Linda Ronstadt

As I watched the coverage chronicling the 50th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech, I was struck by just how different life was half a century ago. I mean really different. And, while we no longer see "White Only" signs like we once did...we still have miles to go.

The other difference was music. Kids in the '60s dug it all. Country, Rock, R&B. We watched TV shows featuring one of each genre on stage in the same hour...and we never peeled away. It was all good. And, we loved it all.

Linda Ronstadt is one of those performers that defied categorization. But, back then, we didn't categorize. Sure, she leaned country. But, she could rock. And she certainly had an R&B streak.

When music bifurcated and everybody chose sides, Linda was left at the curb. So, she went retro. She went world. She went wherever the hell she wanted. And, she did that unbelievable duet with Aaron Neville.

And, now the sad news that Parkinson's has robbed Linda of her voice.

Thank God that so much of her magic will be available for generations.

The library is so deep. But, on this Music Friday, it's Linda Ronstadt and her version of the Eagles' "Desperado."

And, you wanna do 30 minutes straight to get you ready for the Labor Day Weekend? It's right here.

Catch you on the other side...

The Pied Piper of Atlantic City

Before virtually every State succumbed to the lure of gambling...it was Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Vegas has withstood the onslaught of competition with smart marketing and brand-focused development. Atlantic City has suffered as surrounding States have begun to redirect the east coast's gaming destination's long-term customers to closer gaming options.

Because that's what Atlantic City has been about. Gaming. And gaming is now everywhere.

The Trump Taj Mahal will begin offering the first strip club in an Atlantic City casino in over 35 years...with girls in g-strings and pasties. A spokesperson for the club says that, despite a full nude club nearby, they have a chance to be "the Pied Piper" of Atlantic City.

Let us know how that works for you....

 

 

A Unique Way to Celebrate 30

The cringe-worthy Miley Cyrus performance during last weekend's VMAs did one thing I didn't expect. It taught Boomers the word "twerking."

At the same time, say the name "Rube Goldberg" and most Millennials won't have a clue. That was surely the case when South Shore CVA CEO Spero Batistatos suggested to members of his staff that the DMO develop a Rube Goldberg approach to awarding the grand prize in its summer "30 Stops in 30 Days" promotion. But, the staff (and videographer Andy Collins) nailed it.

Never seen a Rube Goldberg (or, even if you have)? Check out the video.

Well played, South Shore. Well played.

 

Which CEO are You?

Not all of us are (or aspire to be) CEOs. But, I'd venture that most of us want to run an enterprise at some point in our lives. Even if it's a small boutique, tiki bar or restaurant, most of us have dreamed of such an experience.

If you have...have you ever imagined what kind of CEO you'd be?

Would you be like Steve Jobs...or Steve Ballmer?

Fascinating story from Wired on the very different legacies the two Steves leave.

And, a pretty clear message that, if you're going to succeed as CEO...you need to be all in.

Branding...with Restrictions

From time to time, we receive RFPs to perform Destination Brand development. While we are honored to be considered, it's not really in our wheelhouse...and, thus, we share those RFPs with those friends that are accomplished in the field.

But, we received one the other day that made us giggle.

The community wants to "refresh" its Brand...but the logo must contain an image that is most generally associated with an NFL team in a town that bears absolutely no resemblance to the one being branded.

Yeah...that's why we don't do Destination Branding.

Orianthi

OK...this post flows from last Friday. But, I guarantee...no fiddles.

But, it does feature the amazing Orianthi. She had a fun hit a few years ago with "According to You," but she is so much more.

The list of rock guitar virtuosos is fairly short: Clapton, Hendrix, Van Halen, Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani, Bonamassa...and a few more that sadly don't immediately come to mind. J'exuse.

This is Orianthi and Steve Vai, teaming up for "Highly Strung" on this Music Friday.

And, if you want to see the "making of"...it's here.

Ori-vai!

Cool Work Arounds

There are times when someone "in control" says you can't do something you want to do. You could, of course, go head to head. And, if they have the upper hand, lose.

Or, by being more clever, get your way. And, as Craig Ferguson says, cleverness should still be honored.

My two favorite work arounds from this past week: When Busch Stadium in St. Louis was considering offering naming rights, Anheuser-Busch pitched Budweiser. The then-Commissioner of Major League Baseball balked at a beer being the name of a stadium. So A-B trotted out Busch beer.

Brilliant.

Even cooler? In his autobiography "Red," Sammy Hagar tells the story that the Van Halen brothers were pissed that his Cabo Wabo Cantina and Tequilla were doing so well (and they didn't have a piece of the action). On what would prove to be the last tour of "Van Hagar," the brothers forced Sammy to sign off on a contract that stipulated that he would not wear any article of clothing on stage that contained the Cabo Wabo logo.

So, Sammy had it tattooed on his arm. And went sleeveless most of the tour.

Even more brilliant.

Work Arounds Rock.

Here Be Dragons

Not Imagine Dragons...

"Here Be Dragons"...the inscription found on a recently discovered 1504 world globe.

Etched on conjoined ostrich shells, the world map is amazingly accurate for its day...with the exception of North America's depiction as a couple islands and the inscription in the South Pacific that warned of dragons.

Though, I suppose, they could have existed. Maybe...

More importantly, though, as another DMO pro exits stage left, the map of the local environment in which Destination Marketers must ply our trade should contain the same warning:

Here be Dragons, indeed.

Command and Control

Command and Control. Known in the military as C2.

Business also desires the control that command can produce. But, the concept of control is slipping away from us all.

Like for Corporate Business Travel Managers. According to research from Concur Technologies, more than half of all hotel reservations for business travel are made outside of company-designated booking channels. So, some companies have taken to treating these rule breakers like children, designing Angry Birds-like games that award badges to encourage compliance.

Really?

It's called Command and Control for a reason. If employees choose to go outside corporate travel policies, reimbursement is denied. If employees break travel policies and commit corporate revenues, they are fired. Command and Control.

What am I missing here?

Letting the Weather Forecast Drive Your Marketing

One of my all-time favorite lyrics comes from the Simon & Garfunkel classic "The Only Living Boy in New York"...

"I get the news I need from the weather report."

And, maybe I get the inspiration for my marketing message there, too. New research indicates that buying decisions are increasingly made based upon, not the weather but, the forecast for future weather. Imagine how impactful this could be for nimble destination marketers that could maximize visitation by customizing their message to this weekend's forecast.

As the Weather Company's Paul Walsh muses (as reported by Reveries): “The old paradigm of business and weather was cope and avoid. With technology, the paradigm is now anticipate and exploit.”