Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Blind Faith

This is not an indictment of marketing agencies. Most do exceptional work. But, when one trusts them implicitly, shit can come unglued pretty rapidly.

A few years ago, Rhode Island Tourism fell victim to an agency that used video that was not of the destination (hell, it wasn't even from this country.)

It happened again last week to the Philippines Tourism Office. Already being attacked by some for the new campaign "Love the Philippines," it now turns out that several scenes in the new promotional video are stock images...and not from within country.

Hey, this stuff happens, I guess. But errr, DDB? You had one job.

We shouldn't hafta double check your work.

And yet, we must.

Tina

It was just two months ago that Terri and I were mesmerized by the traveling company of Tina: The Musical. If you get the opportunity to see this amazing production, it comes highly recommended from us (yeah, it's coming to Madison next summer...but we couldn't wait). And, for you, it will doubtless take on an even more special meaning, as she's now tearing it down in Heaven's House Band.

Known best for her iconic version of John Fogerty's "Proud Mary," our Music Friday homage will focus on the amazing duets Tina did during her sensational career. Not that her solo work was in any way lacking...but it was the sheer joy she exuded when riffing with others that always gave me goosebumps.

This list is by no means complete...but these are my favorites:

With Jimmy Barnes (probably Tina's most perfect vocal match) on "(Simply) The Best."

With Mick Jagger at Live Aid and "State of Shock/Only Rock n Roll."

With David Bowie on "Tonight," (and we can only pray they danced this week upon her arrival).

With Cher in 1975 and "Shame Shame Shame."

And, the one song I'd take to a desert island if I had only one to choose? "It's Only Love" with Bryan Adams.

The rabbit hole? There may be others that some may like better...but the concert I loved most was from the "Private Dancer" tour (and two of my favorite duets above are from that concert).

Thank you for all the love, Tina. We'll so miss you. And, that's all.

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.

If Everyone Cared

We close each year of blog posts with a plea for the coming year. From hunger to inhumanity and the environment to runaway government, we've been sharing these songs since 2006.

There are those moments in which songs mysteriously shuffle forward, as if there is an invisible force directing your next move...and that happened yesterday in the shower, listening to my new waterproof bluetooth speaker. I had pretty much decided on a track earlier in the week...but shifted gears upon hearing a song I certainly hadn't expected to fill the room.

This year, it's our wish for the world to care from Nickelback.

And as we lie beneath the stars,
We realize how small we are.
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be.

Imagine, indeed. 

Best wishes for a caring New Year....and we look forward to catching up on the other side.

What an Invitation

Back in November, we opined on how cringe-worthy so many tourism videos featuring politicians can be...but that Newark's new video was a clear outlier...and an even clearer winner.

Not that we're ready to advise all our clients to follow Newark's lead...but we recently stumbled upon another simply sensational invitation. Reno Tahoe is hosting the National Conference of Mayors this Summer, and Mayor Hillary Schieve stars in a welcome video to encourage delegates to attend and to showcase her town.

Wow...best invitation video yet. And a pretty rockin' spin, Mayor!

New on DMOU: Michael Novakovich

This one was a hoot.

Last month, Michael Novakovich (Visit Tri-Cities) joined me on the DMOU podcast microphone to share how outlandish video (by DMO standards) has become such a positive tool for destination brand awareness...and organizational brand awareness. But, the real fun starts when we start riffing in the Bonus Round.

We dropped the latest episode last night. Check it out.

Discover the Originals

For some strange reason, Hyundai seems to name a lot of their vehicles after American destinations. But, who knew (except Swedes) that IKEA names hundreds of their products after small Swedish towns and lakes?

Visit Sweden has recently dropped a sensational video encouraging us all to "Discover the Originals."

Brilliant.

 

Sounds Like Puerto Rico

Last week on the DMOU Podcast, Discover Puerto Rico's CEO Brad Dean humbly predicted his DMO would win one of the 5 Emmys for which they had been nominated for the series, Sounds Like Puerto Rico.

Last night, they took home 3.

Congratulations to the in-house team that made Puerto Rico sing. We couldn't be happier for your success in making Puerto Rico one of the most visible travel brands in the world. And, New Year's Rockin' Eve from San Juan is just around the corner.

Check out Brad's episode to hear how they did it.

When Politicians are Spokesmodels

For some reason, some elected officials believe their video invitations to visit their destination is a good idea. It typically isn't.

I can think of only one such ad that ever worked...and it featured Ocean City Mayor Ed Meehan back in 2010.

Until now...Newark Mayor Raz Baraka simply nails his turn in this video, recently released by the Greater Newark CVB.

To Ricardo and company...you've joined some rarified air with this inspired video. Nicely played.

One Family, indeed.

Never Miss an Opportunity

As we've said before, being ready to pounce on an event that has captured media attention can be gold for Destination Marketers. For instance, Rockford's deep video library allowed their agency to capitalize on and turn the tables on a Forbes ranking that was less than flattering within days before the media had moved on.

Inspired by Iceland recently jumped on Mark Zuckerberg's somewhat creepy announcement of changing his company's name to Meta to showcase why its destination is even cooler than the metaverse.

Gotta love it! And, yeah. You're back on my bucket list.

Thanks for the reminder.