ZeitGeist: Latest articles in "Opinion"

No Respect

Terri White — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:03:10 GMT

As anyone who has seen me riff on the state of Destination Marketing at State, Regional and Local Industry Conferences knows, I make the point that Travel and Tourism is the Rodney Dangerfield of Economic Development. No Respect.

Time to Focus on Doing, not Proving

Terri White — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:56:34 GMT

Maybe it was just me. Or maybe it’s the knowledge that the underpinnings of the destination marketing world are coming unglued. But, the conversations at this year’s annual convention of Destination Marketing Association International were unusually testy.

OTAs Taking Their Tax Case to the Streets

Terri White — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:00:38 GMT

Maybe it's just that many of us don't really think we're all that and a bag of chips. That's not saying we don’t know people who do think that they are. I just don’t think that’s most of us.

It's Nasty Out There

Terri White — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:40:45 GMT

Times change. It’s nastier than ever this week out there in the world of Destination Marketing. And the attacks are coming from every direction.

Boycotts Hurt Everyone

Terri White — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:12:53 GMT

Arizona has been the target de jour this month after passing a bill to step up efforts to curb illegal immigration. Whether this measure simply codifies federal law or shows the State’s lawmakers to be a pack of seething racists isn’t the issue. That’s just how each side wants to spin the situation in this graceless age.

Wings of a Butterfly

Terri White — Tue, 11 May 2010 22:32:17 GMT

Most Organizational Charts start at the top with the Board of Directors...which connects to the President/CEO...which connects to management and staff. Fairly typical.

We Are Storytellers

Terri White — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:20:13 GMT

Destination Marketers are storytellers. Whether we are in sales, marketing, services, administration or management, our job is to tell a story.

The Future is Ahead

Terri White — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:23:28 GMT

At this month’s Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism, futurist Dan Burrus ripped off a couple great one-liners that have been bouncing around in my head, begging to be shared on my blog, in my Tweets or here in the Z-News.

Signs of a New Day

Terri White — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:51:56 GMT

For Destination Marketing Organizations to rely on Governmental Funding as the sole source of their funding is playing a dangerous game with fate.

What a Difference a Decade Makes

Terri White — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:29:16 GMT

Ten years ago, we were breathing a sigh of relief that Y2K was a non-event, we were catching ourselves writing “19” instead of “20” as we scribbled the year on our checks...and we were blissfully ignorant of plans of pure evil that would change our world the following year.

How Important is a College Degree, Really

Terri White — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I understand the initial concept...thin the herd. But, now that I'm out in the real world, I see that it is often just a way to make the decision easier...not to land the best possible person.

Is a "For-Profit" DMO the Future?

Terri White — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As Destination Marketing Organization budgets continue to shrink while public sector scrutiny of our work increases, the concept of a private sector, for-profit DMO is increasingly making an appearance in my “what if” debates with myself and my friends.

If They Wanna Leave, Should We Let Them?

Terri White — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Regional Marketing of a Destination makes all kinds of sense. Beyond the economies of scale that can be achieved and the duplication of administrative effort that can be avoided, the simple reality continues to be that the consumer does not recognize geo-political boundaries as they choose their destination.

On Destination Branding

Terri White — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My past rants about the state of Destination Branding have given me a sort of “anti-brand” persona...and nothing could be further from the truth.  Brands are crucial to any Destination. I’m just pretty sure that $90,000 and some research that results in a purty tagline and logo doesn’t guarantee a resonant re-brand.

Developing Measures that Matter

Terri White — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Accountability. It’s critical in virtually everything we do.  In Destination Marketing, it’s also real hard.

On the Sad Fractionalization of Regional DMOs

Terri White — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It’s been one of those years in which we’ve witnessed a number of regional destination marketing organizations see municipalities pull out, swearing they can market themselves better than the consortium.

Are We More Relevant than We Know?

Terri White — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

One of the great things about the Z-News (and my blog and twitter posts) is that it elicits incredible responses from other thought leaders in the Destination Marketing industry.

Maura Nails It at DMAI

Terri White — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Each July, it’s the time to reconnect with friends from around the globe and trade ideas with industry thought leaders. And, though the numbers were slightly diminished at this year's Annual Convention of Destination Marketing Association International, it was great to touch base with so many of you.

The Feds are Blacklisting Their Own Destinations

Terri White — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Now it's getting personal. And more widespread. A few weeks ago, the US Government was accused of (and denied) blacklisting destinations for future government agency meetings. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal confirmed that, in fact, it is.

On Doing the Right Thing

Terri White — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Just saw another article on a Destination Marketing Organization asking staff to take a 20% cut in pay in order to avoid layoffs. That's certainly one way to handle the downturn in revenues.

Two Great New Books

Terri White — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's been said that everyone has at least one book inside them. The trick is finding the time to let it come out to play. Two DMO pros have just released new books...and the thumbs are up here at the Zeitgeist ranch.

On Chasing the Right Kind of Business

Terri White — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Just back from the NASC Symposium in sensational Denver where the talk in the hallways and on the tradeshow floor among sports producers and marketers was cautiously optimistic. Not Pollyanna-ish optimistic. Cautiously optimistic.

Thinking About Updating Your Brand? Tell No One!

Terri White — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As I watch the vigorous response to the recent roll-out of the new Wisconsin Tourism slogan, I realize that I am hard pressed to think of a destination brand platform or slogan roll-out that didn’t meet with a fair amount of derision from the peanut gallery.

This California Model Works

Terri White — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Perception is Reality.   The traditional model for funding destination marketing efforts on the local level in America has been to rely heavily on Room Tax revenues. On the State level, the models are varied, from Sales Tax to General Fund investment.

Does What We Make Really Matter?

Terri White — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Orlando CVB can’t seem to catch a break these days. The Orlando Sentinel has had the organization squarely in its sights for months since word that the organization had purchased a $9200 airline ticket to Dubai for a business trip taken by its CEO Gary Sain.