Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Strange Days, Indeed

To say that it's getting strange out there is an understatement. And, it just got a whole lot stranger.

The Florida Speaker of the House has been on a tear, as of late, targeting not just Visit Florida for their Pitbull deal but demanding local DMOs turn over their books. It all makes for great media and it certainly plays to the Speaker's base.

But, it's just boneheaded stupid.

And, it just got stupider. 

A bill is scheduled for the House Careers and Competition Committee's (huh?) consideration next week that (are you sitting down and not drinking anything that you'll spit up through your nose?) ELIMINATES Visit Florida.

And, eliminates Enterprise Florida (their Economic Development arm) and all tax credits for filmmakers, plus a bunch of in the weeds stuff that basically concentrates power among those who have absolutely no idea of how this all works.

As we watch (and stand with) our friends in Florida battle back against one of the most unsophisticated moves in recent history (Colorado did the same in the '90s and paid the economic price for years), know that some of your legislators are just as unsophisticated (if not more).

As my friend Phil Craig (CEO of the Ohio Association of CVBs) often says: "You gotta be there before you gotta be there."

It's time to be there.

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We'll be going long on this topic in the February issue of the Z-News. Not a subscriber? Click HERE.

Video Perfected

It's shaping up to be a video world. Some believe Facebook will be textless in the next few years. Nobody reads because we don't have to. Want to jump start your snowblower? Watch a video. Want to prepare a smashed peppercorn seared bacon wrapped scallop? There's a video for that. Want to learn how to sew a button? YouTube.

Thus, it should be no different for destinations attempting to get on that elusive list for consideration.

Case in point...VisitKC, which has simply knocked it out of the park with a series of destination videos that suck the viewer in by using locals to tell the story, showing the evolution of the cocktail culture, showcasing the essence of KC BBQ and KC's Music Scene.

You wanna know how this is done? Click all three. Or go here for the complete collection.

Well played, KC...well played!

Analysts

A corporation can have its biggest sales quarter in history...and yet its stock drops the next day. How can that be?

Analysts thought they could have sold more.

The new DC epic, "Suicide Squad" shattered box office records over the weekend, yet it was a disappointing opening weekend.

That is for analysts who thought the movie should have done 3% better...which is mind boggling, as it took in $135 million when no other August movie opening had ever broken $100 million. And, the critics universally panned it (26% on Rotten Tomatoes).

Just who are these analysts and, more importantly, why do we listen to them?

If You're Going to Lose a Destination Asset...

If you're going to lose a destination asset...this is the way to do it.

The iconic tree from the film "Shawshank Redemption" was toppled in a thunderstorm last week. Located near the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield OH, it (along with the jail) had become a significant attraction for Richland County and the region.

And, through its demise, the tree has produced millions of dollars in earned media value for the still standing movie site and the destination. The New York Times, CNN, hundreds of local newspapers, TV and radio stations from all over the nation carried the story...along with media outlets in Japan, the Netherlands, Hungary, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and countless more.

If you're gonna lose an iconic attraction...this is the way to do it.

Through a Lens Whitely

As Ellen McGirt said in this morning's edition of Race Ahead, "Ijeoma Oluo is a force of writing nature." And, her scathing review of the new Matthew McConaughy epic is as brilliant as it is blunt.

A movie (true as it is) about a white man...made for white audiences.

Another Pretty Face?

Australia Tourism's original break-through marketing campaign featured former heart-throb Paul Hogan offering to throw "another shrimp on the barbee." Since then, there has been good work coming from the agency (especially the "bloody hell" campaign, despite its detractors)...but not an iconic spokesperson.

That has changed with the announcement that Chris Hemsworth is the new face of Australia Tourism. But, it's also been open season on securing "faces" for destination marketing this past year. Taylor Swift has signed with New York City while Billy Joel is representing the State. Liam Neeson is doing Ireland. And, there are several more.

Will it work? Hogan certainly did...but an online poll suggests that only 17% of consumers are influenced by star endorsements.

Of course, that is 17% more than the destinations may have already had... 

 

Most...Not All

When Luke was trying to get Han to rescue Princess Leia, he tried to tempt him by telling the starman for hire that she was richer than he could imagine. Han's response was, "I don't know, I can imagine quite a lot."

I often view bold proclamations from marketers the same way. If the claim is that you have something for everyone, I am certain I can prove you wrong. If you swear you can meet my every expectation, you better have millions of dollars and a team of lawyers or I'll be able to prove you wrong. And one size fits all...that's just impossible.

But we see it everyday.

Which is why I was so delighted at the tag inside my Republic of Floyd hat (click image) which reads "One Size Fits Most." That, my friends, is provable.

Careful with those grandiose claims, my friends.

It's OK to Say "No" this Thanksgiving

For those in America, this Thursday is the holiday known as Thanksgiving. And the media is awash with stories about the latest research on whether we will travel, how we will travel and what we will eat.

Despite warnings for miserable travel conditions in parts of the country, AAA estimates Thanksgiving travel will be up over 4% from last year thanks to sagging gas prices and a rebounding economy. They also believe we will be spending more this weekend than last year.

According to Priceline, 68% of Americans would rather have family and friends stay in a hotel rather than bunk with them. No word whether that's because half of us admit to "getting busy" while staying at family and friends' homes...or whether we all want to avoid a scene out of "The Family Stone."

And then, there's what we will eat. Over the past few years, I've broken with the tradition of carving a bird in favor of a big pot of wicked fine seafood, sausage and turkey gumbo. But, when I'm assigned a dish for a holiday dinner at someone else's house, it's usually the green bean casserole. Mostly because I screwed up the recipe a few years ago...and ended up crushing it.

Which, as a Wisconsinite, is only natural, as we Cheeseheads love our green bean casserole more than any other State in the Union...except Kentucky. Or so says Del Monte.

Bacon and celery salt are two of my several secret ingredients. Yours?

Jeff Healey

It's a Music Friday Pop-Quiz: Besides being taken from terra firma way too early, what do Patrick Swayze and Jeff Healey have in common?

If you're anything like us, you know they starred together in the movie "Road House," one of our Top 3 "Guilty Pleasure" movies of all time.

Jeff is best known for his hit cover of John Hiatt's "Angel Eyes." So, I guess we'll offer a three-fer today. The aforementioned ballad, Jeff's cover of the Doors' classic "Roadhouse Blues" (which has a lot of odd cutaways to scenes from the movie...but don't miss the ending scene).

But, to see Jeff tear it down...this is the one: "As the Years Go Passing By" from a Stuttgart show in 1995.

Damn, I miss his style.

The Unintended Consequence of Minimum Wage

I'm sure that some of the people pushing for a Minimum Wage over $10/hour in the United States are intelligent. Hell, some probably even went to Harvard.

But, my guess is that those individuals never set foot in the Economics Department.

A new study by the head of the Hospitality School at Pennsylvania State University offers a decidedly dire prediction for the City of Los Angeles, should it hike its Minimum Wage to $15.37/hour ($32,000/year):

1394 Hotel Jobs Lost, $106 million lost in guest revenues, equalling $16.4 million lost in hotel occupancy takes and almost $3 million lost in corporate taxes.

And, that's JUST the hotel community in Los Angeles.

Say what you will about Ayn Rand...but we get closer to "Atlas Shrugged" every day.