In keeping with the raw wire Music Friday of last week...I was listening to Kal David last weekend and his masterful "The Visit."
And that line reached out and grabbed me..."'cause you ain't goin' home anymore."
I got to thinking about those songs that owe their existance to "West Side Story" (which, of course, inspired "The Outsiders"...that tale of testosterone driven madness in which love and a knife are so easily interchanged.
I know there are a bunch...but here's today's two-fer:
Bad Company (post Paul Rogers) with "Boys Cry Tough."
And...
I don't know what it is...but it seems we often see Madison-based artists everywhere BUT in Madison.
We discovered Bascom Hill in Rock Island. And, earlier this week, we caught the inimitable Freedy Johnston in Portland.
Great show in a cool club called the Missisippi Studios (if you're ever in Portland. go).
For this music Friday, I'm sharing the song that I can't shake: Bad Reputation.
And, all the best for a great weekend!
Don't get me wrong. The rulings that have created access for millions of this nation's disabled are a good thing.
But, this heavy handed approach to installing permanent lifts in the nation's pools is just so wrong. Thankfully, another reprieve has been issued...but, is this just another stay? Or, will the government realize that its totalitarian approach simply doesn't play.
It's one thing to demand access for all...but another to demand access when that access denies access to others. For, there is no way that thousands of pools across this country will be able to meet these new government regulations. And, thus...these pools will close. To everyone.
Pools that provide access to hundreds of people each day...but will be forced to close because a handful of people are unable to use the pool in its present configuration? And this makes sense how?
I don't pretend to know what it feels like to be disabled and not able to access a swimming pool.
But, I do know this. I'd never want my government to deny access to a pool for all my friends just because I couldn't.
How has it come to this?
Those familiar with "Broca's Area" understand the magnetic powers of this region of the human brain. Recent research indicates that it latches onto new and different stimuli, causing us to react positively toward unique images.
Like the recent billboard campaign by Wyoming Tourism seen in Madison WI. Not only does seeing a board from a non-Midwest State catch just about every Broca's eye...the creative really seals the deal. You see...these boards are personalized.
"Badgers...Meet the Bison." For the unintiated, while we may be "cheesheads," Wisconsinites (and especially Madisonians) are known as Badgers, a tip of the hat to the University of Wisconsin mascot, Bucky Badger...not to mention that a badger adorns the head of the guilded maiden on the top of our State Capitol.
I had the chance to chat with Wyoming Tourism Director Diane Shober last week at the Utah Tourism Conference and asked how Wyoming decided to market to Wisconsin. She smiled and said that they have been for a number of years on TV.
And...that they decided to divert some of that buy to outdoor this year to catch those consumers that don't watch much TV.
Yeah...like me.
Diane...it so works. And, congratulations to you and your agency on an extremely smart campaign.
There is something so gut-wrenchingly painful in this simply stunning work from The Airborne Toxic Event.
You can feel the tightness in the protagonist's chest, the sly, planned coquettishness of his former love and the helplessness of the hour. The raw wire, sparking on a beer stained floor. The naked desperation.
It's "Sometime Around Midnight." And, we've all felt it.
Here's hoping you won't on this Music Friday.
It's been am interesting month so far for this nation's leaders as they take their first meaningful steps to develop a Tourism Strategy for America.
This good news, of course, is that the Commerce Department unveiled its strategy for reaching 100 million international visitors by 2021 last Thursday. And, for the most part, reviews have been favorable.
At the same time, however, the President used a mallet to address a problem with which the government had already dealt...namely, the GSA mess. Instead of moving on, the the Obama administration has placed new restrictions on federal travel and meetings. A 30% reduction from 2010 levels has been ordered to be the law of the land through 2016.
Then there was the good news that the U.S. Travel Association's Geoff Freeman has been named Chair of the Passenger Advocacy Subcommittee of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee at the Transportation Security Administration. A shorter way of saying that is what Geoff said in a prepared statement: "Travelers deserve to have a voice in Washington when it comes to the aviation screening process and entry procedures." True Dat.
At the same time, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (the what?) announced that demand for gasoline this summer will be at an 11 year low. At the same time, MMGY Global and U.S. Travel revealed that intent to travel this summer is up significantly over last year.
What's it all mean? America has a tourism strategy (at least until the Republican House takes another whack at it). Cutting federal meetings and travel is a typically hamhanded response to a media-inflamed issue. Summer travel will be up but we'll drive shorter distances.
And, there is finally a glimmer of hope that TSA might become more customer focused.
OK...not really. But, we're excited that Geoff will shake a few cages in the process.
Not really...but that's what only reading the headlines might make you believe.
What GM is doing is discontinuing it's advertising on Facebook because they maintain the ROI has been insignificant. And, there's a perfectly good reason for that...as my friend Harvey Briggs opined today.
To paraphrase Ferris Bueller:"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't read the bodycopy, you might miss the real story."
Prince was da bomb in the 80s. When I was in radio, my station helped break a lot of new talent to an unsuspecting audience...and Prince was one of those artists. By the time 1999 hit, we were four or five tracks deep, turning our listeners on to way more than the title track. When Purple Rain came out, it was the entire album...not just the "hits."
In time, as with most artists, the flame dimmed, the hits were less omnipresent and the artist faded from view.
But, Prince is one of those artists that, when he walks on a stage...it's like the '80s. Or, at least 1999. It's like he never left. And every eye is on him, every ear focused.
For your consideration on this Music Friday, a twofer: his solo at George Harrison's induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. While Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne handle the vocals...it's Prince that seals the deal with a searing guitar solo.
But, if you only have time for one...check out his smoking duet with Lenny Kravitz on the Guess Who classic "American Woman."
Welcome to a purple weekend...hell yeah.
I've often considered where a company's responsibility lies when a product it sells and services is used improperably. Of course, it's fairly easy when bodily injury results. Government steps in and makes the company fix the defect or stop producing the product.
But, when the government fails to step in and stop (and, instead, encourages) the wrongful use of a product...what then? And, what if that wrongful use actually threatens the company's future profitability on one of it's legacy product lines? What if Congress actually causes the company's former flagship product to fail?
Outside of very lonely people, nobody likes to be robo-called. And, my friend Debbie Monterrey posted this telling line on her Facebook page yesterday:
"I am so close to canceling our landline. It rings all day with robo-telemarketing calls that I can't make stop!!"
Phone companies and candidates alike should know that the future viability of both enterprises is tied to stopping this kind of rampant abuse.
But, I doubt Congress will let them.
QR codes rock for connecting consumer to product or service...with a meaningful offer or interaction.
But, as the old adage goes, when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail...and QR codes are just not appropriate in e-mail, on interstate billboards and...ummm, ad boards placed on an airport people mover.
Like this one (click image to enlarge). By the time someone sees it, fumbles for their mobile device, finds the scan app...well, they're in the next concourse.
Don't just do because all the cool kids are.
THINK, people.
Last Friday sucked.
The events of last Friday hurt even more in the cold, hard light of Saturday morning. Our industry lost two Destination Marketing pros from the same state within 24 hours. One name was "household" in our industry, the other, not so much. Regardless, losing either one sucks. Losing them both sucks more.
Destination Marketing was in Orlando's Gary Sain's blood, as his Dad set the stage for Las Vegas becoming the iconic destination it is today. And, yet, it wan't his pedigree that earned him the top spot with the DMO with second largest budget in country. Instead it was that he had sensational marketing chops...and, he was a truly good guy.
OK, I may be biased on that one...'cause I still think good guys should win. Especially in a world that seems to honor cut-throat, ethically challenged narcissists. But, yeah...Gary was one of the good guys. And, he will be sorely missed. The world is a less cool place today, with his passing.
I was contemplating Florida Tourism's other loss when the news of Gary's passing arrived. Emerald Coast CVB CEO Mark Bellinger may have done a lot of unusual things over the past year...but he saved the most unusual for Thursday night. He committed suicide.
When the story broke earlier last week that he had purchased a $710,000 yacht with DMO money...and then allegations that he bought his $750,000 house with BP funds hit, the media (and the DMO world) was abuzz. There was laughter. There was head-shaking...both of the WTF variety.
That all stopped Friday afternoon when police announced that he was dead.
The comments on the Florida-based online news stories generally villified Mark, who by most accounts had done an outstanding job for the Emerald Coast during the BP disaster. By contrast, the comments in the Palm Springs-based online media (he had been their DMO Director a few years ago) were shocked, saddened and supportive. That he was such a great guy. And, how could this have happened?
Of course, it wasn't their money. But, it begs the question...how can a good guy so lose his way? And then, when called out, believe that suicide is the only viable path?
I struggled with that all weekend. We all should.
Two good guys gone. One taken. The other by his own hand.
We'll miss them both. I'll miss Gary more.
Most of our Music Friday posts harken back to tracks that are faves or have been sadly overlooked (or both). Today, it's fresh meat, babies.
Joe Bonamassa posted the title track to his upcoming album release on YouTube on Tuesday. Since then...over 36,000 views.
If you haven't caught his latest treasure, we have it for you right here, my friend.
And a live version he tried out on a crowd in England a few months back...with a hilarious intro.
Happy Happy Weekend!
Is this what it has come to?
Win a date with the President?
Of the United Stares?
Sigh....
Really. The shit that comes out of some politicians' mouths. They can't be that stupid, can they?
Well, not stupid...'cause they managed to figure out how to get elected. Maybe the word I'm looking for is "unsophisticated."
And, next to that word in the Zeitgeist Dictionary would be a picture of the Carbondale IL City Council, which, last night, ended its longstanding investment in its Destination Marketing Organization on a 6-1 vote.
Not just cut the budget...eliminated it. And, then clucked about how the Bureau's website is "useless" (from our trained eye in Destination Marketing, it's far from) and "we won't miss a beat" because they are a University town.
That sound you just heard was me spitting out my Diet Pepsi as I tried to supress a laugh. Because, you see, the Carbondale City Council is too unsophisticated to understand that there are several case studies out there that conclusively prove just the opposite. Without a DMO, communities lose way more than a beat. They lose jobs, visitor generated taxes and businesses.
The City says it plans to contract with a third-party to handle destination marketing over the next few months (leaving the all important summer season for this university town to chance...and forfeiting tens of thousands of dollars in Illinois Tourism Grant funds, possibly for years until a new DMO is certified by the State).
On second thought, I was right the first time. It's more than unsophisticated.
It IS stupid.
I recently stayed in an exceptionally green hotel in an even greener community. I mean, they take this whole sustainability thing to a whole 'nother level.
As I returned to my room after a great day with my client's partners, I noticed that the housekeper had unplugged all my chargers (computer, mobile phone and headset). S/he did it again the second day of my stay.
The next day, I asked the Rooms Manager if this was a green policy...'cause I thought it was pretty cool. After all, there are some studies that seem to indicate we unnecessarily burn through a lot of electricity by leaving unused chargers plugged in all the time.
He said that it wasn't...and that this green housekeeper was clearly freelancing further than she had been instructed to. I quickly shifted gears and encouraged him to not come down on this employee, because I thought s/he was clearly onto something.
Like the A/B testing we do to gauge the effectiveness of our marketing efforts, I think this hotel should do a similar test to see how much electricity (money) they save by unplugging all chargers one week and returning to the status quo the next. Of course, they'll need to advise the guests at check-in on the test week so that the anal ones don't get all weirderd out by having someone touch their stuff.
But, I think this would be a fascinating experiment. And, if it plays out like I think it might, my housekeeper should get a big ass bonus.
Just a thought.
First there was "Rock the Vote." Then, well...I don't remember.
But, I can't recall a PSA more compelling than BET's "Vote" spot.
Dead on...and less than 600 YouTube views since February?
Sigh.
I don't remember how it came up, but I was talking to someone the other day and I quipped that Tom Jones wasn't planning any U.S. dates because he's part of the UK edition of "The Voice."
She gave me that look, like WTF? You like Tom Jones? Really?
Hell yeah. We've featured him before on Music Friday with his smokin' new look and kick ass groove.
Today's find is from an earlier time...with the Cardigans, covering the Talking Heads.
En.Joy.
I recently had the opportunity to hang with a community leader that had a hand in luring a low-price airline to his destination, significantly reducing the cost of air travel there, as the previously unchallenged carriers responded by slashing their ubber-high fares.
A good thing for locals, yes? But...just how good?
Turns out that we're talking tens of millions of dollars of savings to locals in the airfares they were initially paying. Which, it would follow, would free up tens of millions into the local economy.
Exactly...and a major retailer that has the database driven capability to connect periodic influxes of cash into the local economy (e.g., IRS refunds and Holiday Bonuses) with increases in local purchases shared said data with this person during a conversation shortly after the low-cost carrier began service.
Sho'nuff...there was a direct correlation. As soon as the low-price carrier came on line, the retailer saw an uptick in local per-customer spending.
The data to prove the impact that travel has is out there, my friends (often in the strangest places). We just need to harvest it.
Seen in a gift shop at DC's Reagan National Airport a few weeks ago (click image to enlarge).
Too Funny...
While we'd all like to think it was because members of the Senate are smarter than those in the House that had recently eliminated funding for the fledgling Brand USA effort (you can see their inaugural video and song here)...we know the Senate's rejection of the proposed Federal Budget was for partisan reasons.
But, thanks anyway, guys.
And, to the Tourism Industry...if House Republicans could flip this fast, we've got a lot more work to do.