The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau has a new site up that aims to tell the story of Houston - and why it’s such a great place to live or to visit - by letting Houstonians talk about why they love their city.
A great concept, right? Especially in Houston, a city that gets little respect from the rest of the country - we know you think we’re just a big old mess of freeways and billboards on top of a flood plain - but whose residents are for the most part bursting with civic pride. Nobody can tell you what makes Houston an amazing place to live as well as an ordinary Houstonian. It doesn’t take much to get us to start bending your ear about our great food, the fantastic diversity of our people, our great folk art scene, and most importantly the “you can do anything” spirit that drives the place. (OK, I’ll stop now.)
That’s what makes the CVB’s site such a disappointment. It’s called “myHouston” but sorry, neighbors - it’s not your Houston. It’s their Houston - in this case, a selected parade of celebrities, politicians, and other public figures talking about why they like Houston.
Not that there’s anything wrong with having celebrities talk about Houston, but just think of how much better this site would be if a Houstonian visiting it could click a link to add why she loves being here. Think of how much more authentic and convincing it would be if you didn’t just see that George and Barbara Bush think the people here are great, but also that Sue from New York moved here and the entrepreneurial spirit of the city helped her start a business, that Bill came from the west coast and found a culinary wonderland, that Javier the artist from LA discovered that Houston’s cost of living made it possible for him to focus on his craft and move his career forward, that Jane thinks the productions at Opera in the Heights are great… and so on.
Along with the steady stream of new content, it would be easy to add much more. A Houston wiki could turn into a great visitor or new resident resource as Houstonians add content about the best food, the best ice house, the must-see attractions, and so on. The site could become a fantastic resource for finding your way around this gigantic city, with the information supplied by the people who know it best.
Our tartly-written local real estate blog, Swamplot, sums it up quite accurately:
The Greater Houston Convention and Visitor Bureau’s celebrity-laden “My Houston” campaign hits the web!!! And it sure looks a lot like Facebook or MySpace, doesn’t it? All the kewl kids are on it, like Beyonce, and Yao, and AJ, and George and Barbara, and Chloe, and Yolanda. And they’re all saying great things about your city!!!
Only . . . there doesn’t seem to be a way to post your own page. Or add your comments to theirs. Or participate in any way.
All those local celebrities? They are not your friends. Clay and Brian and Hilary are not in your extended network.
Loser.
Here’s what makes the CVB’s failure to use social media even worse: the idea was right in front of them, because someone else - frustrated with a long history of CVB campaigns that made Houston sound like a boring place - already did a small version of it.
Houston, It’s Worth It (HIWI) was started a few years ago by some local marketers as a way to let Houstonians tell the real story of Houston. The name comes from the idea that yes, Houston is crowded and muggy and has bad traffic and giant bugs, and it’s still an amazing place. And rather than tell the world why, they let ordinary Houstonians post their thoughts on the subject. And people did, leaving comment after comment on the site about why they love it here. It became a local sensation.
When asked about the project, the director of the CVB at the time (since departed) said he thought it was a bad idea to talk about the city’s negatives.
And there we have the ultimate social media versus old marketing story. In old marketing, you can try to gloss over things you don’t like; in social media, you really can’t avoid them. For an organization that wants to take a command and control approach to things, social media are scary. I imagine that the idea of letting actual people simply talk about Houston on their site was too much for the CVB.
And so the GHCVB’s failure to do the obvious and build on what HIWI started to create a kick-ass site about Houston is not surprising. Just very disappointing.
As for results… well, ask a Houstonian about our taxpayer supported marketing organization, and chances are he or she will have no clue what they’re doing - though the abominable “Space City, a City of Infinite Possibilities” slogan might come to mind. (And those of you outside of Houston - have the efforts of our CVB reached you?)
Meanwhile, HIWI has inspired a photo show and a book, and my local hardware store is selling t-shirts and mugs from the campaign. Another group has created a site and movie about Houston.
All the elements for a great social media campaign are in place. I wonder if the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau will wake up and get on board?
February 25th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Just so you know the GHCVB is NOT a “taxpayer supported marketing organization”. but is funded by HOTEL TAXES from VISITORS staying in hotels as is every CVB. Unless there are locals living in hotels they do not contribute to the CVB budget. I am in Vermont and I like the MyHouston stuff - - I want to know what the “cool” people of Houston like and I want to visit there as well and feel like a celebrity myself.
You are REALLY being too harsh!
February 26th, 2008 at 9:11 am
I think I was pretty clear that the celebrity piece isn’t in and of itself bad, it’s just very limited. It’s worth noting that someone trying to create Houston buzz on their own managed to outdo the GHCVB with its official role and its funding.
And last time I checked, hotel taxes were taxes, and people paying them were taxpayers. There’s a public trust here, and a responsibility to the city and its residents to do a good job promoting us.