Blog
Timeless Wisdom About Creativity in Advertising
"Too many ads that try not to go over the reader's head end up beneath his notice." – Leo Burnett, member, Advertising Hall of Fame This quote is from Leo Burnett, one of the great advertising minds of all time and founder of the global agency that still bears his...
Key Takeaway from the VADMO Conference: Be Bold
The Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations (VADMO) Tourism Symposium was an excellent conference filled with expert speakers expounding on everything from economics to analytics. In my opinion, the most important takeaway for every local DMO in...
We love data — but not everything is measurable
We are looking forward to participating in the Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organization’s 2018 Tourism Symposium next week in Charlottesville. As a corporate supporter of the organization we will be sponsoring a breakout speaker and both breakfasts....
Brand Awareness – More Than Just Name Recognition
How crucial is a brand awareness phase to the success of a destination brand? It's the ultimate objective. It's the end game. The key to securing conversions. The whole ball of wax. You get the point. It's pretty darn important. Yet too many destinations...
A Tourism Marketer’s Perfect World
If you watch news on two different networks you might conclude that they are living in completely different worlds. Sometimes I like the idea of residing in a place where I make the decisions. In the ideal world that exists only in my imagination, here is how things...
A Possible Game-Changer for Mid-Atlantic Tourism Marketing
West Virginia gets it. Well, at least the governor and the author of this insightful editorial do. The governor proposes increasing the budget for the Division of Tourism from $6 million to $20 million. That's a bold move considering that states everywhere are...
A Business Idol — Creative, Witty, One-of-a-Kind
Many small business owners admire business giants like Bill Gates, Elon Musk or Richard Branson. Let me tell you about one of my business idols. Warren Miller is considered by many to be the father of adventure films. After growing up poor during the depression and...
Don’t give your destination brand a cheap haircut
Joe was a small-town barber. He had served the community and his customers for decades, always treating them well and charging fair prices. One day, a national chain opened just across the street. They offered haircuts for $10. Joe watched as traffic poured in to the...
Will your brand be thriving in five years?
While everyone else is reflecting on 2017 or predicting trends for 2018, let’s take a moment and think about something more important. How healthy will your brand be in two years? What about five years? Now is the time to think about it and steer the ship in the right...
Lessons from 2017
Never stop learning. That has been a guiding principle for me all of my life. There will never be a year when I am not taught or reminded about a valuable lesson. Learning a lesson is more valuable, and often more humbling, than learning facts from a book. Here are...
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