Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Ice Cream Bowl

It's been pretty common for the DMO CEOs of Super Bowl destinations to challenge each other to a bet with some of their iconic foods, drinks or swag on the line. But, a couple Big Ten DMOs have entered the fray in the "Ice Cream Bowl" challenge.

4th ranked Penn State travelled to Iowa City Saturday to take on 3rd ranked Iowa in a nationally televised Big 10 matchup. And the two DMOs agreed to a friendly bet.

If Penn State were to win the football game, Think Iowa City would send a gallon of Heyn's Ice Cream to Happy Valley. And if Iowa won, Think Iowa City would receive a gallon of ice cream from the Penn State Berkey Creamery.

“The sweet taste of victory will be even sweeter with some ice cream from Pennsylvania,” said Josh Schamberger, CEO of Think Iowa City.

A gallon of Penn State ice cream will be on its way...as Iowa came from behind to best Penn State 23-20.

And, the PR value for both destinations is priceless.

 

Solidifying Loyalty

You spent a boatload for season tickets and couldn't make a single game because of the 'VID. How does the team keep you close for future years?

Brand Strategist Gary Brandon posted this simply sensational move by the Pittsburgh Pirates last week on LinkedIn.

The cost? Virtually nothing, as they have scads of used balls laying around. So yeah...we're talking postage.

The value? A customer for life.

How can you emulate this move?

13 Million Views in 4 Days

OK...this is a sure sign that the mental strain of "The Vid" has taken its toll on us all: A 21-minute video about squirrels has gone hyper-viral.

Honestly, everyone I know is busier than they've ever been...but 13 million of us have spent a third of an hour watching squirrels try to best a NASA engineer.

Granted...it's not just squirrels, as it features Mark Rober (a Pete Buttigieg look-alike) with a playful take on science and physics.

If you are not yet one of the 13 million...treat yourself today to 20 minutes of smiles. You deserve it.

Carry on...and carry walnuts.

Rockin' GoT

Sunday posts are rare for me. But tonight's finale of Game of Thrones is no small event.

Every Friday, we offer a rare music find (or offer up a tribute to an artist that has transitioned to the next level). But, this amazing performance just can't wait 'til next Friday. It has to be enjoyed today.

Rockers Tom Morello (Prophets of Rage), Scott Ian (Anthrax) and Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) take on the Game of Thrones theme, in a decidedly rock style. Toss in showrunner Dan Weiss and original composer Ramin Djawadi for authenticity. And, coolest of all, they invite country star Brad Paisley to join in...who just shreds it.

My long lost brother from another mother shared this on my Facebook timeline yesterday...and I just must share it with you.

As we prepare to say farewell to Winter...let's rock the theme for "Game of Thrones."

Teaching Our Children Life Lessons

Besides the life lessons imparted by my loving parents, I learned a lot about living from the Board games I played as a child.

I learned that children are expensive from the game of Life. I learned that things are often not as they appear on the surface from Clue. And, I learned to make good choices from Chutes and Ladders.

All three are identified as being among the Top 10 Board Games for kids by FamilyEducation.com. As is Monopoly.

But, is the new edition of the venerable board game, expected out next month, really what we want to teach our kids?

It's called Monopoly: Cheaters Edition...and, according to Fast Company, it "plays faster, zanier, and perhaps more apropos of the current socio-political climate. Most of all, it’s a version of Monopoly that properly reflects the impulses inside our own dark hearts." 

One of the available cheats encourages players to steal money from the bank. If one is clever enough to pull it off, they not only get to keep the money but receive bonus cash. To be sure, if you get caught, you have to wear a handcuff connected to the Board. But, still...

Call me old-fashioned...but is validating cheating something we want to teach our kids?

Just sayin...

The Yin and Yang of Live Radio

To have a locally loved icon voice a spot promoting your DMO's website sounds like a dream come true. And, depending how much of a sense of humor you have when it comes to double-entendres, maybe not so much.

Former St. Louis Baseball standout Mike Shannon now occupies the broadcast booth for Cardinals games. Described as "goofy" by the New York Post, the 79-year old sportscaster suggested that one could learn about "blow jobs" at explorestlouis.com. That is, if you took the comment out of context. The real quote:

“Yes sir, you go to explorestlouis.com, they’re going to tell you about a blow job. That’s right. Artisans will appreciate the local handmade works of art at the Third Degree Glass Factory. Glass-blowing demonstrated..."

If nothing else, the media attention to the "toss-off" quote was worth every penny.

Purposeful Attention to the Customer

Great companies make their customers feel great. Most companies, however, make their customers grit their teeth.

While they won't open at home this Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons are poised to delight their fans next weekend with something more than just a championship-calibre team and a brand new stadium. Fans will also find $2 sodas, $2 hot dogs and $5 beers.

Those aren't typos. Those are a purposefully thoughtful move on the part of really smart managers to remove as many irritants from the customer experience as possible (see the Skift interview here with Falcons' CEO Rick McKay). And, being gouged for $8 hot dogs and $12 beers is one of the biggest turn-offs for fans who have already paid a shit-ton for tickets to see grown men risk brain injury.

Will they make it up in volume and increased merchandise sales? Maybe...but that wasn't why the Falcons (who could have been expected to have the highest concession prices to help offset the costs of the new stadium) did it. They did it because they don't want fans gritting their teeth on the way home. They did it because they want their fans to love them even more than they already do.

Pivot to Wisconsin's new Sand Valley Golf Resort, featuring a physical plant so stunningly beautiful that this non-golfer might just take up the game. Like NFL game tickets, it certainly ain't cheap to play Sand Valley. And, the rooms at the Lodge aren't either. But, food prices at the concession stand and the on-site restaurant are beyond reasonable. Maybe even a bit lower than one would expect.

The GM there told me during my tour there a few weeks ago that this, too, was a thoughtful decision on the part of ownership and management. And, they've been getting compliments all summer on the level of customer care their golfers are getting...well beyond the opportunity to play one of America's truly great new courses.

It's something we all need to consider in our businesses...or as DMOs advise their partners: Are the few extra dollars we can extract from a price weary consumer worth their possible reaction to choose some other experience next time?

More Distractions?

TV ratings for the Rio Olympics are off over 20% from the London Games just four years ago...and, without the two Simones (Biles and Manuel), Katie and Michael, would likely be even farther off pace.

Of course, there are several factors at work here, given the change in the way we consume video content. In trying to explain away the precipitous decline, NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus said there were "more distractions than usual" this year, including the Presidential election season.

Two thoughts...

1) There's a Presidential election season every time the Summer Olympics are staged, so your point is?

2) That this one is more distracting than past elections is on your head (along with the other networks that choreographed this year's choices).

Just sayin'...

Three Sides to Every Story

It's one of my favorite rock lyrics of all time:

"There's three sides to every story, baby. There's yours and there's mine and the cold hard truth." - Don Henley / The Long Way Home

That's kinda how I feel about our friend Chris Fair's defense of Golf in the release of Resonance Consulting's new research into whether the sport is dead. 

The research makes clear that a super majority of the one percenters of luxury travelers have an interest in golf when on vacation. And, that kind of money is nothing at which to sneeze. But, when the general population is asked whether golf is a motivation in choosing a destination, only 11% of the general population agrees.

So, there's yours. There's mine. And, the cold hard truth?

Visual depictions of golf in videos that we have tested in ten North American markets with DMOvizion universally score at the bottom of all images with all audiences...except avid golfers.

The takeaway: Golf is far from dead for a select number of destinations and DMOs. But, as a mass appeal strategy in videos and commercials, it fails every time with consumers.

Golf spots on the Golf Channel and during the Masters work. Golf spots on The Voice and The Blacklist? 

Not so much.

Capitalizing on the Final Four

While his team didn't make it through Friday night, we gotta hand it to Visit Syracuse's David Holder for taking the opportunity to issue an invitation to the President to hang in the 'Cuse. 

Well played, my friend.