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The
Power of Two Little Words
The
27 October 2005 edition of the Zeitgeist Z-mail newsletter
Note:
If “dirty” words offend you...please don’t click on
the Gillette or Johnny Depp links in the first section of this post.
There are times that I tread this terra firma, moving from destination
to destination, and nothing much sparks my consciousness. I meet great
people and I see cool sites...but I’m not exactly revved by compelling
ideas.
And then, there's this past month. Maybe I’m entering a greater
karma-esque period in my life...but the stars seem to be lining up,
trying to tell me something. Like when I’m listening to some bar
band murder Jimmy
Buffett’s “Fins” and then launch
into “Hot, Hot, Hot.” And I know that I’m
the only one in the room that knows there’s a cosmic connection
between these two songs, involving the island of Montserrat.
Or, after reading a score of vapid business books, I stumble upon breakthrough
works like “Blue
Ocean Strategy” and “The
World is Flat” in quick succession. Or, when
sitting in on a breakout session last week at the Maryland
Governor’s Conference on Tourism, I hear a presenter
toss off a line that is about as profound as they come.
In a session on PR, USA
Today's Gene Sloan shared the overriding mantra of
his publication toward any request for coverage: “Why Now
and Who Cares?”
And it hits me squarely between the eyes. This isn’t about USA
Today. It isn’t about Tourism. It isn’t about PR.
It’s about EVERYTHING.
Everything we do, everything we say and everything we promote. Why Now?
Because we want to sell it? Because somebody wants us to sell it? Or,
because the customer needs or could benefit from it?
And who cares? Our industry partners? Our Board? Our Staff? Or...is
it really of interest to the end customer or client.
I mean...really! Who Cares?
We should apply this question to everything we design, create and market.
Everything we say, do and think. Everything.
If Cooper
Anderson were to ask who really cares if he stands out
in the middle of hurricane force winds looking pitiful, maybe he’d
stop doing it.
If Gillette
asked who really cares how many blades are on a shaving razor, we’d
still be at two instead of four.
And if you had asked “who cares” before that last really
goofy idea you had, well...you wouldn’t have gone there.
Johnny
Depp has a two word expression that has enabled him to
find solace from the demons that used to haunt him. I find that it soothes
mine, too. And now, I’m adding two more words to keep me focused
on what’s really important.
You might want to try ‘em, too.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Following up on our last post (in which we shared Arizona Republic
columnist Laurie Roberts’s unique suggestion
that room tax revenues gained from displaced convention attendees be
sent to the destinations that had originally booked these events)...a
couple of you shared examples of how that idea had already started to
percolate.
DMAI’s
Kristen Clemens pointed us to the Springfield
(MO) CVB and the Irving
CVB’s Maura Gast directed us to the Chicago
CTB, both of which are doing exactly that. Kudos to Tracy
Kimberlin and Bill Utter, respectively...and to all the DMOs out there
that are working to assist their brothers and sisters in the affected
areas.
On a related note, the Times-Picayune reported
last week that FEMA has agreed to pay room tax on at least
a portion of the rooms that it has been occupying in New
Orleans. That’s good news for Bureau CEO Stephen
Perry as he searches for ways to rebuild his marketing budget.
That same article, however, notes another challenge facing Perry...the
raiding of his sales staff by other CVBs that covet the institutional
knowledge and professionalism of his team.
I’m not sure that either of my two word phrases can quite embrace
my initial reaction.
Bill
Wanna
comment on this or other topics. E-mail
Me!
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