Houston: It's Worth It (cont'd)
Lianne Hart wrote an article on ttweak's "Houston: It's Worth It" campaign for the LA Times over the weekend, and it's now making the rounds at other newspapers.
It's not much of an improvement on the earlier New York Times article on the same topic, save for a couple of new quotes:
The last time Houston's slogan got much attention was in 1997, when Elyse Lanier --wife of former Houston Mayor Bob Lanier -- led a $5-million effort to boost the city's image. Her group's catchphrase: "Houston. Expect the Unexpected."
"When people ask me about Houston, I tell them about the theater district or the medical center," Lanier said. "I don't even acknowledge that cockroaches are alive…. It would never occur to me to talk about mosquitoes."
Lanier was calling from Malibu, where she was vacationing at the beach to escape the brutal Houston summer. She's the first to admit that Houston in August is miserable, but to build an ad campaign around the sweltering heat "would not be my approach," she said. "I prefer to focus on the positive, but I hope whatever they do works."
Let's see, the lady who led the last big marketing push seems not to care for Houston all that much and hangs out in Malibu in the summer. Maybe she wasn't such a good choice to head the last (incompetent) marketing effort, eh?
Here's another choice quote:
Gerard J. "Jordy" Tollett, president of the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau -- which has spent $75 million in the last 30 years to promote the city -- declined to be interviewed for this article. "He doesn't want to talk about it anymore," a spokeswoman said.
Excuse me, but isn't it his JOB to talk about this city when major newspapers call?
The last time I checked, the Los Angeles Times qualifed as a major newspaper.
For that matter, he declined to talk to the New York Times. Whatever its problems, it's still one of the great newspapers of the world.
Whatever Tollett thinks of ttweak's marketing campaign, he still needs to represent this city when major media call him. Declining interview requests of this nature is unacceptable.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/13/04 17:25 | Houston | Technorati
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Comments
Perhaps Mr. Tollett needs to retire so the city of Houston can find someone who will be happy to talk to the media. $75 million over 30 years - he must be exhausted.
Posted by Anne @ 18:09 on 09/13/04
It's nice to know that regardless of politics, Houstonians can agree that Elyse Lanier and Jordy Tollett are useless at best. :)
Posted by Ginger @ 18:18 on 09/13/04
I just saw someone carrying a "Houston it's worth it" umbrella in NYC, and thought it was so witty, I googled it...and find this discussion a riot. The umbrella had presence, even in NYC...and it smiled upon itself.
The tourism apparatchiks should relax, and claim victory.
Posted by Rose Trainer @ 19:16 on 11/28/04
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