Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

They are Listening...and Sharing

OK...I'm about as far from a conspiracy theorist as one can get. But this goes beyond coincidence.

Lou Malnati's Pizza is the bomb. But, I haven't enjoyed one in over 30 years since moving to Wisconsin. Likely haven't thought about one in over a decade. 

In a conversation last week in our house, a friend told us that he often sends Lou Malnati's Pizzas as gifts to friends and family. That's how amazing they are. Not two hours later, I am served up a Facebook ad for Lou Malnati's Pizza.

Alexa's not only listening 24/7...but she's clearly sharing intel with other platforms.

Selfies

When I was growing up, we rushed the concert stage to take pictures of our rock and roll idols. It was in the early 2000s that I witnessed something quite different; fans rushing the stage to twirl and take a picture of themselves with the performer in the background.

The slow headshake.

Maybe it's because I'm not in love with my face...but the whole selfie thing is kinda lost on me.

And, it clearly is lost on community leaders in Portofino, where selfies have just been banned.

New on DMOU

Next up on the DMOU podcast series is BVK's Victoria Simmons. The agency, probably best known in Tourism circles for their highly successful "That's WY" campaign for Wyoming, released its 2023 Trend Report over the holidays...and we sit down with Victoria to get a more nuanced view into to the findings.

That and over 100 interviews with some of the brightest minds in destination marketing await you in the DMOU vault. And...be sure to subscribe to be alerted each time a new episode drops.

Not That Hard

Stumbled upon a Social Media post by the former VP of Creative Services for the Nashville CVC. She has recently gone into business with her new husband. 

Jessica Redmond posted: Could you imagine running a business with your spouse?

I know, right!? Pretty terrifying!?

But that clearly hasn't been the case for Terri and me.

That post made me smile...because that was a conversation we had a few years ago during our photo shoot with our friends at C&N.

We riffed on how so many people think working with your life partner would be impossible. But Chris and Natalie (C&N, get it?) said, "spending all day with your best friend? How cool is that?" To which we couldn't agree more.

Which, I guess, suggests that if you couldn't work with your partner...are you really best friends?

Terri and I wouldn't have it any other way. Neither would Chris and Natalie.

Nor would Jess and Justin. Their new podcast (featuring couples that work together) should be fun...and eye-opening.

Going Vertical

As TikTok continues to be attacked in some quarters over privacy and security concerns, there's one thing that can't be ignored. It has re-oriented video content from horizontal to vertical .

On Monday, our friends Dave Serino and Brian Matson of TwoSix Digital posted a video in which they discuss best practices for DMOs in utilizing vertical content on TikTok, Reels and Shorts with Nick and Andy Behling from MI Playground. If you've yet to take the plunge or are unsure of your first steps in Vertical Media, this video is a must.

While timing in at 57 minutes might be off-putting for some, the conversation gets really good at the 36:30 mark. But trust me, if you jump ahead, you'll likely go back to the beginning to see what you missed.

As the video does not feature visual examples, you could listen to the whole thing on your commute or workout, just as you would a podcast like DMOU (which, sorry for the delay...we had some issues with our platform provider and just posted our newest episode with Vail Ross yesterday).

Thanks TwoSix. Always leading us forward.

Looking at it Through the Customer's Eyes

Trying to find the dock for a Water Taxi to get us to dinner...and the address provided is not recognized by GPS. And there's no signage at the nearest parking lot. Sure, the locals know where to go...but how many first-time visitors miss their reservations because nobody in management of this otherwise sensational experience thought about how a potential first-time customer (who will likely rip them on Social Media) could possibly locate an impossibly difficult to find dock. Have you tried to find your business using GPS (and on all the platforms)? As Todd Rundgren famously said on Something/Anything, "you might be surprised."

Or the web platform that chose to update the skins of all its users without warning and inadvertently caused at least some of us (and I'm guessing more) to have their interface become unreadable? We open a "support" ticket, get a rapid response...and then are told, "looks good on our end." Yeah, because they're all using big screens while the majority of our users are on laptop and mobile. When shown screen shots of how it's not OK, they go radio silent for two days. Hey...we get it. You fucked up and don't know how to fix it. But, an automated, "we know you're still out there" response each day would be nice so we don't start searching for another host because we think you don't care (which I just had, minutes before they finally acknowledged their mistake).

In every enterprise, there needs to be a person responsible for these kinds of missteps. I'm not saying it's a full-time job (though it may well be). But somebody needs to be on the case, everyday, focused on how new and existing customers can revel in your customer care...and be, as Guy Kawasaki once said, "Thunder Lizard Evangelists."

 

It's the Scenery

I'm hazy as to the chronology...but it wasn't all that long ago that Destination Marketing pundits told us we needed to lead with the faces of visitors enjoying our communities. "Let the consumer place themselves in that picture, imagining the experience they'd be having," they'd say. But, what if those faces didn't look like the person viewing the image, I often mused?

Then, at least 5 years ago (and I'm guessing more), I remember a post in a DMO-centric group from one of the marketers at West Virginia Tourism saying that they were getting far better engagement on Social Media with pictures of their magnificent scenery...pictures that had no faces whatsoever.

Fast forward to last week when our friends at Destination Analysts shared this sensational infographic of the answer to the question: Which of these images would you generally find more appealing in a travel advertisement?

Uh-huh...it's Beautiful Scenery / Landscapes for the win.

That's All You Got?

OK...full disclosure (and for regular readers, no surprise), I thought the City of Duluth's decision to sideline their award-winning DMO for an out-of-market ad agency was beyond boneheaded. And, I'll admit that I may not reside in the destination's target market (though I like hip, urban destinations with a vibrant culinary and nightlife culture and I have a fair amount of discretionary money to spend on my weekend getaways, live just a few hours away and have loved my previous days and nights in Duluth). 

All that said, all I'm getting served up in my Facebook feed over the past month are sponsored posts with this image (click to enlarge) and the words: "From the world-famous to local favorites, discover what makes Duluth so special. You’ll get it when you get here." Only this image. Only these words....which virtually any destination could utilize (and do). 

Hammocks? That's all you got? That's unique? That's gonna make me book a visit?

Madam Mayor? When you intimated that you wanted an edgier approach to community marketing as you shredded your DMO, is this what you had in mind?

Because, we need to have a serious conversation about what "edgy" means.

Just sayin...

Assisting Videography

In what seems a million years ago, the DMO I once led had a couple opportunities to work with TV and movie producers to film in Kankakee County. That we were pre-Social Media, there was little chance that anyone knew what we did. But it was cool, regardless.

Today, we get to celebrate DMO work in real time...and Wichita Falls' DMO hit a home run in their work with Church's Chicken. The new spot features the city...but suggests that a nearby ghost town (called Bacon) be resurrected.

So cool.

 

They're at it Again

As the pandemic began sweeping the world last year, Roger Amidon (GM of the Palm Beach Marriott) took two assets (and several staff members) to make some social lemonade of the giant lemon we were all handed.

Those two assets were his sensational view and a bunch of beach chairs. He had his crew set up the chairs to spell out messages of support and hope, changing the message up every day or two.

Well, they're back at it. This morning, Roger's team set up the chairs to read "Welcome Back" so they could take some pictures to use on Social Media next month to welcome back international travelers. And then, he asked the crew to re-arrange them again...but this time as a recruiting tool for employees (click image to enlarge).

I can't wait to see what he and the team will do next.