Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

REO Mach One

Just back from some quality time with Visit Champaign County IL and, after twenty years away, I am totally blown away. The downtowns of Champaign and Urbana are nothing like what I remember and everything that I now crave as a travel consumer.

As I was walking back from dinner the other night, I saw the designation of a street as "REO Speedwagon Way." I asked the Board, were these the bars that launched the group from college bar band to national touring act? They replied, maybe. But the bar on that corner was the backdrop for the classic backside album image that introduced the world to their new lead singer, Kevin Cronin, on REO TWO.

On this Music Friday, we trek back to the first REO album, when one Terry Luttrell was the lead vocalist.

This is where America first discovered Champaign-Urbana's REO. This is "Lay Me Down."

How Do You Like Us Now?

Over the past decade, Iceland rapidly became one of those destinations that moved up on everybody's Bucket Lists. It got to the point over the past couple years that some on the island country were bemoaning the crush of visitors and encouraging the government to do something to stem visitation.

Then Wow Airlines collapsed...and inbound travel to the country for 2019 is projected to drop by 17%. Visitation was down 24% last month. Unemployment is up and the Airport is laying off 315 workers. Hotels are slashing prices. The country's total economy is now projected to drop by roughly 2% after a decade of growth.

So, to all those who clamored for the "tourist problem to go away?" How do you like us now?

It's simplistic and unsophisticated to say that tourists are the problem (we are more often the solution). The sophisticated response is to better manage the visitor economy, n'est pas?

Place Branding for All

Destination Marketing pros that don't have a copy of Bill Baker's initial tome (or its second edition) on the subject of Destination Marketing on their bookshelf have been, sadly, operating with half a deck. But, never fear...Bill is back with his latest effort, "Place Branding for Small Cities, Regions and Downtowns."

And, for those of us that highlighted and sticky-noted our dog-eared copies...the new book expands upon the tenants of the original with new case studies and an updated attitude to reflect the ever-evolving dynamic that is Destination Marketing. Indeed, our friend Reyn Bowman (former CEO of the Durham CVB) said, "Bill has taken a great book and, unexpectedly, made it better."

You can find the new masterpiece here. And, for a deeper dive into the mind of Bill and what you'll find in the new book (plus a big reveal), check out his interview with Florian Kaefer in The Place Brand Observer.

Congratulations, Bill...and thanks for all you do your our industry!

Woodstock 50

It was a cool and ambitious idea. Recreate the magic of the Woodstock Music Festival on its 50th anniversary.

But, cool and ambitious ideas often flounder...and it increasingly sounds as if the festival that promised acts such as Santana, Dead & Company, Robert Plant, Nathanial Rateliff, Gary Clark, Jr., David Crosby, Common, David Crosby and scores of others may be a no-go.

On this Music Friday, let's go back to the original (honestly, how can it be 50 years ago?) for two of the performances that defined the event for me:

Santana's "Soul Sacrifice" and Sly & the Family Stone's "Higher."

50 years later...still blisteringly relevant.

The Motivation to Do the Right Thing

As I move from town to town in this sensational gig that permits me a view into so many corners of the Americas, it happens only once in a while.

I stop, sensing something's off. And then, I realize that the sidewalks and gutters are meticulously clean (which is a sad state of affairs when the way it should be is the exception).

I was in a community a couple weeks ago and it happened again. And, as I made my way to my early morning appointment downtown, I spied an individual with a leaf blower on the next block.

Aha, I thought to myself; that's why it's so clean. But, I looked again...and he was blowing only leaves. No cigarette butts. No wrappers or shattered pieces of styrofoam cups. So, it must be the culture of the community to take pride in the downtown.

And...one must wonder if that culture hasn't been encouraged by the penalty for discarding butts around town (click image to enlarge).

If we desire a certain response, we must actively encourage that response. And, a $2,500 fine does just that.

Well played, Fredericksburg. Well played...

Just a Little Off Brand

Rolling through the Richmond VA Airport, I stumbled upon a Cheeburger Cheeburger restaurant. SNL fans that know some of the earliest sketches from the '70s will recognize instantly the inspiration for the chain's name.

It was a skit featuring virtually all of the original cast (Belushi, Aykroyd, Murray, Newman, Radner, Morris, Curtin), loosely based on Chicago's iconic Billy Goat Saloon. The bit was that, regardless of what one ordered, the only thing you could get was a cheeseburger ("cheeburger," in Belushi's Greek accent). And, you couldn't get Coke...just Pepsi. And, famously, "no fries...cheeps."

Which is why I had to do a double take when I saw fries featured on the menu board (far right in the image). 

I know I'm being too literal and most people prefer fries to chips. But, if you're going to name a restaurant after an SNL sketch, wouldn't you play along with the bit?

Just a thought...

Dr. John, the Night Tripper

The man known simply as Dr. John was one of only a handful of New Orleans musicians that were truly synonymous with the Big Easy; no small feat in such a musically rich community. Announcing his passing into the next plane, his family said, "He created a unique blend of music which carried his home town, New Orleans, at its heart, as it was always in his heart." True dat.

There are several versions of his biggest song. The one with Clapton. At his induction in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But, on this Music Friday, we say farewell with his teardown of the classic at the 2012 Battle of the Blues.

Thanks for decades of sensational music, Mac. You will be missed.

And, we can't wait to hear your last album.

The Sustainability Mandate

Destination Marketing used to be easy; we simply played the hand we were dealt. We marketed our assets and went home at night.

Today, the "mandates" on successful DMOs continue to grow. Be involved in Destination Advocacy. Diversify our revenue streams. Evolve into a Shared Community Value. Be part of the solution for Homelessness and Hunger.

Our DMOs look almost nothing like they did in the last century. And, that's a good thing...because our communities need us to be more than we have been. And, it's time to add Sustainability to the list.

The Global Destination Sustainability Index, originally a Scandinavian initiative, has just released a powerful White Paper on the role of DMOs in this new mandate. It pulls no punches...and, for those that buy into the premise that "There is No Planet B," it's pretty clear: Take the Lead. Develop a Master Plan. Integrate the Plan into the Core Strategy. And Become a Master Collaborator.

These are all topics that we bridge with every one of our DMO clients...but, I've never seen them bundled in such a compelling manner.

The article in Meetings & Conventions is so worth your read...and I'll be surprised if you don't request the White Paper.

 

The Future's So Bright...But

Juxtaposition is a bitch, y'all.

A recent Skift research project estimates an additional 500 million new international trips will be taken over the next decade.

At the same time, the demand for air travel increases the carbon footprint we leave...just as our window to limit catastrophic global warming is closing.

I don't possess the solution...just know that the issue needs to be addressed, just as we have been successful in decreasing automotive impacts to the environment.

The Hubris of Going it Alone

The politicization of Destination Marketing continues to rise, with local governments increasingly thinking that they can achieve a higher ROI by taking their investment in their regional DMO and doing their own thing. And, while I can certainly understand the community pride that drives such conversations, the reality is that, unless a community is talking about the redirection of millions of dollars, this won't end well.

The City of Eureka has withdrawn from its regional DMO because community leaders there don't think that the organization's redwoods-centric marketing provides it with enough visibility. They've taken their $370,000 ball and gone home.

As the City searches for an ad agency to fulfill the role of DMO (which, in the immortal words of that esurance commercial, "that's not how any of this works"), the Times-Standard editorial board has weighed in with a brutal smack-down that underscores the folly at work.

Such a strategy, they opine, means that Eureka will have roughly $5,000 to spend per month per market...not counting agency commission, staff, website or design).

Exactly.

Somewhere, "That 70's Show's" patriarch is uttering his famous one-word line.