Re: In Houston, They're "Cow-mercials"
Boy, did you say a mouthful, Uncle Guido. Add to that one of the most long-standing and diverse blues communities in the whole world, from Little Joe Washington or New Jack Hippies to the originators, from the late Doug Sahm (who should be in the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame) to ZZTop and Kenny Cordray, we've got ex-members of Steppenwolf living on royalties and teaching music lessons to keep busy, Carolyn Wonderland while we're still lucky enough to have her, big band leaders, jazz legends, and original 1940's guitarslingers playing cafes for tips, and that up-and-coming band you might see at a summer gig one year could very well turn out to be the darling of the Grammy awards ceremonies the next *having left Houston because there's only so far you can get without local media support*.
Despite all the great things going for Houston, I have to say that more than anything, I was a bit shocked at the previous poster's assessment of the listeners. They're our whole reason for being, the people who make this city great, and the very last people in the world I want to see slammed. They are the lifeblood of Houston radio, and are by and large the most loyal I've ever met. Lose their trust, though, and it's gone for good. I'm not entirely convinced that a consultant can truly serve a market with that sort of demeaning attitude about its people.
I'd feel pretty rotten if the listeners stumbled across this board and thought that we all shared the same negative opinion of them. We don't.
Respectfully,
J
P.S. Do I owe you an email, Guido? I think I do.
> > If I may be brutally honest with you...ad agencies know
> the
> > potential customer/consumer they serve or hope to serve.
> > That kind of ad appeals to the 95% of the Houston
> > knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, pickup-driving
> BillyBobs
> > and Bobbettes who find that kind of inane drivel to be
> > entertaining. Houston, in spite of protestations, is still
>
> > more Hicktown than Uptown.
> >
>
> Well, Val...you sure do have your opinions, don't you?
> That's your PERCEPTION of Houston. Take it from this old
> "Yankee Transplant" from
> Milwaukee/Chicago/Cleveland....there's a lot more to Houston
> than the perceptions you derive from market research. I've
> had tons of "debates" with Dave Eduardo over his claims to
> "devine knowledge" attained from mounds of research. You
> only get out of research, that which you put in.
>
> Your research didn't tell you that Houston is second, only
> to New York, in the number of theater seats. Not movie
> theaters. REAL theaters. Houston is one of only four
> cities in the U.S. that has its own opera company, symphony,
> theater company (a couple of them), and ballet company.
> Most cities can only manage a couple of the above.
>
> Houston is home to one of the nation's largest, and
> arguably, finest fine art museums. In fact, when you take
> into account the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the Gassell
> School, the Contemporary Arts Museum, and the DeMenil
> Museum, you'll find Houston nipping on the heals of New York
> and Chicago, again, in the field of art. We have Rice
> University, and don't laugh...the University of Houston,
> home to the Hilton School of hotel and restaurant management
> (one of the world's best). U of H is, also, home to one of
> the nation's best law schools, business schools, schools of
> architecture, and its school of physical science is a great
> piece of work.
>
> There was a time, only a few years ago, when I could go
> downtown after 7pm, stand in the middle of Travis Street at
> Polk, and roll a bowling ball down Travis to Franklin, and
> not hit anybody. Today, you can't find parking downtown at
> night. Houston's nightlife is on fire! Too bad Leapy Brown
> had to tear up all the downtown streets. If that job is
> ever finished, downtown will be a real showplace.
>
> In terms of size, Houston is the fourth largest city in the
> USA, in terms of population. However, in terms of square
> mileage, Houston is the largest city in the Western
> Hemisphere. We've got room!
>
>
> > High-brow, literate, catchy and cutting-edge spots are,
> > unfortunately, in short supply. They tend to make the
> > BillyBobs/Bobbettes stare blankly at the radio and
> > grunt..."Whu-u-u-tt?"
> >
>
> Perhaps, the "high-brow" segment of Houston prefers other
> forms of personal entertainment. With satellite radio and
> other, more appealing forms of personal entertainment, why
> bother with the impersonal medium of radio? Why suffer
> through clusters of six, seven, or even eight commercials in
> a row?
>
>
> > In spite of the howls of protest I know will tumble out,
> in
> > Houston, you go with what sells; that kind of "hoomer"
> does
> > just that. I research and produce both TV and Radio ad
> > campaigns for clients in Houston and across the US; we
> > conduct tons of focus groups, test marketing and
> comparison
> > marketing. "Hick Humor" sells better in Houston than any
> > other major city. Even Dallas scores higher.
> >
>
> Hey, I can identify with that. I produce radio and TV
> spots, day in and day out. One of the biggest frustrations
> I feel is that no one wants an "artfully done" radio
> commercial. The only thing clients want is the "Mattress
> Mack-scream-yell and pound-your-chest" kind of spot. All
> you can do is offer your input, and when the client rejects
> it, just do it their way. I'd rather have a satisfied
> client. It's the client who pays my invoices, not the
> thousands of armchair critics. And, that's what matters
> when I reconcile my checkbook.
>
> > And, please! Don't shoot the messenger.
>
> I'm not shooting, believe me. It's just that Houston has so
> much to offer. The fact that the "city fathers & mothers"
> are too dense to promote it only points out the poor choices
> we've made in selecting our city government. The Houston
> Convention and Visitors' Bureau needs new management. The
> Houston Film Commission is no more. That's a darned shame!
>
> Another thing about Houston I love is, it's a friendly city.
> My last trip to Chicago/Milwaukee last year emphasized
> that. Walk into almost any business up there, from hotels
> to retail, and most folks act like they're doing you a favor
> by being there. In Houston, you could be out shopping,
> socializing, or enjoying a happy hour somewhere, and find
> yourself rubbing shoulders with a millionaire who's 'just
> one of the gang'. Drive through River Oaks. You'll drive
> past seemingly enless rows of mansions, and you'll see more
> Chevy Suburbans parked out front than you will Rolls Royces.
> Sure, they're rich. But, the vast majority of those people
> are friendly and unpretentious. This is a city made up of
> good people. And, when the rest of the country suffers a
> recession, Houston doesn't bother to slow down. We just
> boogie on. And don't compare Houston to Dallas. Sure,
> there's a rivalry, of sorts, between the two cities. It's
> always been that way. It's all in fun, and nothing more.
> To compare Houston to Dallas is like comparing apples to
> oranges. We're not only two different cities, we're two
> different cultures. The best part is, we're both Texan, and
> that makes us both great places to live and work.
>
> Finally, since I've lived here most of my life, I can't
> begin to tell you what a warm feeling I get when I'm in a
> place like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, or even
> Honolulu and see the Lone Star displayed in some form or
> fashion. Does anyone know what the New York, California,
> Illinois, or Hawaii state flags look like?
>
