Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Impossible Slider

I outgrew my affection for White Castle sliders in my early 30s (somewhat simultaneous to my not still being on the streets at bar time, I believe). But, I must admit, when I'm in a destination that boasts the home of the slider (my home State of Wisconsin only features one, two hours away), I'll swing through the drive-thru for a trip down my culinary memory lane.

That White Castle was the first burger chain to embrace the Impossible Burger nationwide, it was just a matter of time before I'd have the chance to taste test the new with the classic, side by side. And, that opportunity finally presented itself.

The results? Pretty damn close to the original, if not slightly better. It's definitely thicker. They are cooked to order, so they are always hot off the grill and not reheated (just know that, if you're in a hurry, you should choose the original).

White Castle is a guilty pleasure no more. And, good on them for making the first move.

Changing the World with Ugly Food

Chalk it up to a great idea that I saw, photographed...but never connected the dots.

We were on a destination assessment assignment in Iowa a couple summers ago when I spotted a farmer selling carrots in a totally different way (click picture to enlarge). One sign read, "Carrots: $2/bunch." The other read, "Ugly Carrots: $1/bunch."

I chuckled and asked the farmer how his strategy was working. He grinned back and said, "I always sell out of the ugly ones first." When I asked what percentage of his crop was "ugly," he replied, "about a third...and I used to throw them away."

A thousand miles away, Abhi Ramesh was learning the same thing. According to the website for his Philadelphia based firm, "Misfits Market," over $1 trillion of food is wasted each year, either getting tossed at the farm, rotting in warehouses or going unsold in stores until it's inedible. Much of this is due to "modern-day beauty standards for food." Ugly fruits, misshapen vegetables, and delicious but imperfectly-sized produce are squandered at every level. Just a quarter of this wasted food could be used to feed the entire starving population of the world.

And that was the inspiration behind Misfits...and, like my Iowa farmer, they sell at up to half off. For $19, they'll ship 10-12 pounds of imperfect fruits and vegetables to your door, enough to feed a couple for a week. A larger box for bigger families is also available for $35. They're starting slowly, rolling out the organic service geographically in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Abhi hopes New York is next.

As their slogan goes, "Healthy. Affordable. Ugly."

And, brilliant.

Windows on a Plane

I've noted an interesting phenomenon on commercial airliners. As they have asked deplaning passengers to close window shades to keep the cabin cool for the next flight, an increasing number of next flight travelers opt not to open said windows.

For someone, like me, that enjoys watching take-off, the landscape and landing, this is a little unnerving. Yet, there I was a few weeks ago, in a section of the plane where not a single window shade was open.

Is it laziness...or do a majority of fliers actually not want to see outside the fusillade?

Enter Emirates Airlines, which has just announced plans to fly jets with no windows (more structurally sound and more cost efficient). Instead, they plan to install video panels, fed by cameras on the exterior of the plane, to show folks like me what's out there.

Interesting concept that still has a few questions, as outlined in this article from Fast Company.

Your thoughts? Boxers or Briefs? Panties or Thongs? Windows or Video Panels?

 

Ego-Tourism

Catching up over the weekend, I discovered this sensational article by Travel Weekly's Arnie Weissmann.

As cool as Eco-Tourism is, he says...it's Ego-Tourism upon which we should focus.

According to new research, over half of young professional travel is chosen as a way to make their friends envious. And, it's not just the young, as 15% of boomers take the possibility of envy-inducing posts into consideration when booking.

Narcissism aside...as Arnie says: "Being sensitive to the range of how an ego manifests itself can be crucial in qualifying clients and making sure their ego needs will be met during a trip. But understanding the role ego plays during the actual sales process can be equally important to your business."

The Alternate Reality

For Star Trek fans, The Mirror Universe is a universal favorite. In it, the Starship Enterprise comes face to face with an alternative universe in which their Kirk and Spock are evil, hell-bent on universal domination. White is black, up is down...the mirror universe is the polar opposite of the Federation we all know and love.

That episode came to mind when I read what could have been an April Fool's article, but isn't, from Humboldt County CA. In many destinations in which pot has been legalized, local officials and business leaders have encouraged their DMO to refrain from actively promoting the cannabis industry. Not Humboldt County.

After completing his annual marketing presentation to the County Board, DMO CEO Tony Smithers recently faced a series of questions and criticisms for not including the promotion of cannabis in this year's campaign. And for not having someone from the cannabis industry on his Board!

What a short strange trip it's been...

Brilliance for the Holidays

Ryan Hamilton is both an amazing artist and an astute marketer. 

Along with his band the Traitors, this international talent has done something that may not be new...but certainly captured my attention.

For $30US, he'll perform a personalized concert of 10 of his songs. And, yes...truly personalized with individualized comments between songs. And, one of his tracks is one of our faves.

Wow...what a concept for performers that have a loyal local following. But, also for DMOs, as an amazing holiday gift for clients.

Imagine sending a CD to a client that extols the virtues of your destination...but also offers a taste of the talent they'll experience when they bring their group to town.

Probably too late for this year...but, definitely a thought for next year.

Building a Better Industry Database

If I had a Franklin for every time a community leader, politician or DMO Board Member asked me how their Destination Marketing Organization compared to others, we'd be able to take a round-the-world vacation with cash to spare. Unfortunately, such data has historically been restricted to members of the DMO-sector Trade Association, Destinations International...and, then, only to those that paid for the data.

But, as they say, "It's a Brand New Day." And, the data collection for the report that contains all the comparative data about destinations, taxes, and DMO budgets, governance and operations is open this week to non-members. It's Destinations International's way of building a significantly more robust database of data, especially in the small-to-medium DMO budget size category.

The catch? There really isn't one. Any DMO (member or otherwise) that completes a majority of the questions in the online survey will receive the final report at no charge. And, we all benefit from a much more meaningful set of data points when those questions arise. And, like the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), it will make participating organizations better.

The Destinations International portal to the survey requires a member login and password. If you're not a member and want to take advantage of this sensational opportunity, e-mail Andreas Weissenborn HERE.

And, kudos to Destinations International for seeing the bigger picture in providing DMOs worldwide with the actionable data we need.

It's Here

It's the same feeling (kinda) as when the new Phonebook arrives for Steve Martin in "The Jerk."

The new Book is here! The new Book is here!

And, it feels so good.

Taking orders now. Operators standing by.

And, thanks for all the encouragement and inspiration from so many to get us to this place.

Hell, yeah.

Ugly Food

Terri and I were on a Destination Assessment assignment a couple years ago when we stumbled upon a Farmer's Market. I was instantly drawn to one vendor that was offering his best produce...along side his "worst" (click on image to enlarge).

I asked him which sold out first. He laughed and said, "the ugly ones."

Indeed, over a fourth of all produce in this country is thrown out because it's deemed not "pretty" enough for a grocery store or restaurant to purchase. That's billions of pounds of food waste and billions of dollars lost.

But a new initiative at Hy-Vee grocery stores is hoping to reverse that trend. Called "Misfits," Hy-Vee is taking a page from the playbook of our Farmer's Market friend and offering "ugly" fruit and veggies at 30% off.

And, that's good for all of us.

Music Completes the Destination

I've been saying it for as long as I can remember. It's the culture of a place (not the attractions, facilities or hotels) that completes the destination. And, there's no more universally embraced aspect of culture as Music.

Which is why were were so impressed when the Chattanooga Area CVB created a full-time Music Manager position last year. It's why we can't wait to see what Visit Asheville is about to do with a web platform that launches next week, dedicated to highlighting local talent and making the city a music destination.

And, why we've been loving listening to DentonRadio.com over the past couple months as one of a handful of internet stations that provides the aural background for our office and life. As Denton CVB CEO Kim Phillips tells the story, it was a chance meeting with a local entrepreneur that was working on an online opportunity to connect local artists to consumers. Coincidently, the Bureau had been contemplating how to better connect the dots between music and visitors...but didn't have the connections or expertise on staff. You can guess the rest of the story.

Similar to Spotify or Pandora, online listeners are able to click to find where performers which they are listening to are performing next...or other Denton talent from the same genre. Both DentonRadio.com and the CVB brought assets to the joint venture that the other couldn't do on their own.

And, isn't that the way we should all be viewing the development and curation of content for our destinations? 

These three DMOs are breaking some sensational new ground. Here's hoping their stories get picked up at State, Regional and National Destination Marketing conferences this year!