Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Shakespeare on the Zoom

One of the delights in living in South Central Wisconsin is American Players Theatre. Shakespeare (and other classics) are performed each evening under the stars (and the bats) and weekend afternoons, on a stage nestled into a hillside near Spring Green (Frank Lloyd Wright's former Wisconsin haunt). It is one of the blessings we look forward to as Winter gives way to Spring, and Spring to Summer.

Alas, poor Yorick, there will be no outdoor season in this year of "the VID." But, that's not stopping APT from "playing in the woods" (albeit virtually). Tomorrow evening, they'll be performing "Julius Ceasar" via Zoom on Wisconsin Public Television and their own American Players Theatre Facebook page.

And yes, I know tomorrow is also the premiere of "Hamilton" on Disney+. Luckily, both will be available to stream on your schedule...and Wisconsin Public TV is waiving its geographic restrictions so anyone can see all of APT's Zoomy productions through July 26. 

Thanks APT...this will make this season's parting a far less sweet sorrow.

It's Called Product Placement

Thanks so much to our friend Tammy Potts-O'Kelley (CEO of the Heart of Carolina Visitors Bureau) for deftly sliding my book, "Destination Leadership" into the shot when she was recently interviewed by Fox8.

That's got to be worth more than a few drinks next time our paths cross.

Thank you, Tammy...and congratulations for recently nabbing the Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Travel and Tourism International. So deserved...

 

More Super Bowl Love

Last Monday morning, I posted that Destination Marketing had won the Super Bowl. In particular, we raved about Jeep's Groundhog Day commercial featuring Bill Murray in Woodstock IL (standing in, once again, for Punxatawney PA) and Squarespace's quirky homage to Winona MN with Winona Ryder.

My inbox and comments sections blew up almost immediately with other less obvious, but clearly loved, destinations in the spotlight. Such as:

Boston: Hyundai's Smaht Pahk ad with Chris Evans, John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch, and David “Big Papi” Ortiz.

Juneau and Sitka AK: The Visit Sitka team worked the Google to find the perfect picture for the ad about the platform's ability to help one remember.

Table Rock Lake, Moab, Alcatraz and (especially) Philadelphia: Facebook's ad promoting Groups that closes with Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone on the "Rocky" steps.

And...of course, a bunch of NFL towns with the NFL Next 100 ad. Madison's Deb Archer even shared that the local football field shown was from her high school (Libertyville IL).

So, destinations won even bigger than I initially imagined. As it should be.

Thanks to everyone for the catches. Here's to next year!

Destinations Take the Stage on the Super Bowl

This morning, two destinations are basking in the glow of unprecedented visibility through last evening's telecast of Super Bowl 54. Actually...make that three.

Squarespace featured Winona Ryder in her hometown of Winona MN. Visit Winona doubled down on the exposure by creating a Squarespace website that took the destination's message even further. And, the backstory videos are even cooler.

Then, there's Jeep...giving two destinations a bump with a Groundhog Day homage on Groundhog Day. Social media blew up in Northern Illinois last week when Bill Murray was spotted with a film crew in Woodstock IL (on the town square that was the stand-in for Punxsutawney PA in the movie). Sure enough, even Ned Reyerson reprised his role in the teaser. And, both communities benefit.

We can only hope that this becomes a thing...

 

The Softening of Intent

A few weeks ago, our friends at Destination Analysts released preliminary findings on the State of the American Traveler. One of the findings was shocking, given the relative strength of the economy: At this time last year, nearly two-thirds of American leisure travelers (65.3%) said that leisure travel would be at least a “somewhat high priority.” This year, the corresponding figure has sharply dropped to 59.6 percent. 

Why are we less inclined to do what we've always said we want to do? Is it because travel isn't as much fun anymore? 

Are consumers beginning to decide, with their brand new gazillion pixel flat screen TV, to curtain their love of travel in favor of experiencing the world in 4K with 360 sound? I mean, what the hell? All the hassles are mitigated. They don’t hafta sit nexta someone on a plane that should have purchased two seats and a bar of soap sometime in the last two weeks. They no longer are at the mercy of hotels that gave their room away and now must walk them half the city away at 10pm when they are tired and cranky. And, they don’t hafta endure self-absorbed assholes that bogart the view or use their mobile devices like walkie-talkies so everyone within a block can hear their sensationally unimportant conversation.

Why not just curl up, call up GOusaTV or any number of channels…and see the world from their Barcalounger?

Yeah but, they then won’t experience the world.

Let's keep that in mind as we create the stories and experiences to get them off the couch.

The Other Bill Geist

After inadvertently starting a small online ruckus after posting a piece entitled "Saying Farewell" (I was just moving...not stepping away), all the online pieces about Bill Geist's retirement are bound to raise a few eyebrows.

That would be the CBS Bill Geist...not me.

We two Bills have had led curiously connected lives. Both from Illinois. Both authored books (his sold considerably more than mine). Both of us have spent time on TV (he on CBS Sunday Morning; me on the CBS affiliate in Madison WI). And, we both have daughters named Elizabeth (his goes by Libby; mine by Liz). We have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (but he earned it).

We've never met face-to-face, but corresponded via e-mail. That I own the billgeist.com domain, I would often receive story ideas meant for him. I would dutifully pass them on.

I met his son Willie a couple years ago. When I introduced myself, he said, "Oh yeah...you're the guy from Wisconsin." Too funny.

Bill leaves a legacy of fascinating stories, told in a style that are all his own. A handful were excerpted yesterday as he said farewell on CBS Sunday Morning. My all-time favorite was his visit to the Heart Attack Grill.

Thanks for the smiles, Bill. Sunday mornings will never be the same.

 

Cutting the Cord

With our move to the country, we decided to cut the cord. We've ended our subscription to cable TV.

And, we have entered a world we didn't know existed. A world of collusion, where scoring content from a network often requires a cable subscription.

Which was the situation this evening as I sat down to watch the kick-off of the NFL Season with the Hall of Fame Game.

Nyet. The NBC Sports app required a link to my cable provider (I no longer have one). Hulu was also a no go because I apparently didn't have the right plan.

I chuckled and put down the remote.

If I'm willing to watch your content with your commercials...and you block me because I'm not part of your incestuous cabal?

I guess I'll watch the highlights tomorrow on my phone.

Without all those commercials that are so precious to your business plan.

Y'all might want to buy a clue.

 

Can't Have it Both Ways

Ibiza is an island off the coast of Spain that is known for its nightlife and party scene. Will Ferrell wanted to produce his new Netflix film (called Ibiza) there...but the government said no after reading the script. So, it was filmed in Barcelona and Croatia.

Wouldn't you know it...now, residents of Ibiza are pissed because it wasn't filmed on their island. And, how their party culture is portrayed. Which, of course, they may have been able to influence had they allowed the comedy to be shot there in the first place.

Just sayin...

Don't Blame Amazon

Just as Video didn't kill the Radio Star, at least one analyst maintains that Amazon and the internet didn't kill Toys "R" Us.

In a fascinating piece on eMarketer Retail, Krista Garcia crunches the numbers and finds that Toys "R" Us wasn't hurt by Amazon as much as they were by Target and Wal-Mart: "Toys "R" Us buyers were less likely to purchase on Amazon than toy buyers in general and more likely to buy on both Walmart and Target (46.8% vs 38.6%)."

Her analysis holds that there is still room for specialty big-box retailers (like Best Buy)...but that the debt Toys "R" Us had accumulated prevented them from transitioning to a Best Buy strategy of becoming a "showroom" for product.

Hey MTV? It's Time to Come Back Home

While current fans of MTV may counter that the network's format is awesome, it's a far cry from the must-watch TV that it was in the '80s.

That was when the channel was exclusively focused on (care to guess?) Music Videos. It's where people went to experience (not just hear) the latest music being produced by the coolest artists. One shudders to think about the performers that would have never been heard without MTV. It was a truly revolutionary medium.

Today, it's a mish-mash of Reality TV shows that pander to the lowest common denominator. And, with the exception of last quarter, the network has seen its ratings decline consistently over the past 6 years.

It will probably require a new channel (so tarnished is the brand of MTV)...but new research certainly points to a retro movement of Gen Z in their thirst for finding new music.

It's Video (duh!). 73% of teens say that Music Videos are the best way to find and experience new music. And, that Music is best found on YouTube.

What TV Network will step forward and capture the zeitgeist with Music Video? 

Buehler...Buehler...MTV?