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Originally Posted by Daren
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Cant sleep, so here's my review.
GRADE: D-. Upbeat and informative but they completely missed the boat on strategy and what was left fell apart in post-production.
Marketing for Dummies, Chapter 1. "Don't try to fix something that's not broken. Lessons from 'New Coke'." Don't re/brand something that already EXISTS as an incredibly successful brand (which is simply, Texas). Marketing folk call this cannibalization. I get the concept of leveraging the synergy of the DFW/Houston/San Antonio triangle, but they fail to consider their target audience (business leaders outside Texas). Why the need to 'brand' the geographical area bordered by the three cities (four including Austin)? Before Comerica fled Detroit for Dallas last year, did their board of directors hesitate coming here because they weren't sure if Dallas or Lubbock was closer to Houston? Has confusion regarding the geographical proximity between the large cities in the state cost us jobs or headquarters operations? El Paso, McAllen, and Amarillo aren't exactly snatching up all the 'good' Fortune 500 companies away from the "Texaplex". Hell, everyone I know in the "Texaplex" couldn't accurately place Amarillo on a map if they had to. I'm FROM Amarillo and quit counting how often people 1) confuse Amarillo with Abilene, or; 2) Think Amarillo is just past Abilene (it's five and a half hours 'just past' Abilene.) Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio ARE Texas for most things concerning business and demographics to business leaders outside the state.
The video also fails to stay on message. Much of the data is about the state as a whole; they mention 1,000 people moving to Texas every day, but fail to indicate how many chose the "Texaplex" area or why. The statewide data doesn't clarify their message, but clouds it. The message should be Texas OR the "Texaplex"- it can't be both. How many head of cattle are in Texas vs. the "Texaplex" and why is it important? If it's not important, then don't reference it. What percentage of the "10th largest economy in the world" is generated by activities in the "Texaplex?" Will I miss out on this dynamic growth if I move to Odessa? Or Laredo? Ugh. I could go on and on...
Strategy Beef B: Who the hell is David Winans? The "perfect storm of opportunity and growth" quote at the intro couldn't be coming from gospel singer David Winans, could it? How does his success in the gospel music industry qualify him to speak on the demographics, opportunities and business climate of the "10th largest economy in the world." Maybe aim a little higher next time? George H.W. Bush just did a cable PSA for Galveston Island tourism, so clearly he's available. A Texan and former President lends fantastic credibility for something like this. Even the governor would do. If the quote comes from a lesser-known David Winans, that's worse yet.
I realized the video had to be produced by someone in Dallas (which it was), with the gratuitous DFW references. It seemed to pain them to mention San Antonio. Referencing the military bases would have fit in nicely when they were promoting the stability and business opportunities in the region (not to mention the top-notch health care industry here and Houston). I really noticed SA was sitting at the back of the bus when they were talking about 'entertainment' and showed: the Ballpark at Arlington (no players, so random...), the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Astros, Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars (see a theme developing here), and wait for it, no Sprus. I've never been accused of being a silver and black fan, but they are the winningest sports franchise (and by winningest, I mean in terms of championships) in the state for the last ten years. With the exception of the Stars 1999 Stanly Cup, the Spurs are the ONLY major-league franchise in the state to have won a championship, and not just one championship, but four championships. The omission is editorial laziness.
Post-Production Beef: They should have dropped some coin on top-quality stock photography for the city skyline shots. (What was that skyline they were using for San Antonio? TxAlex's pano last week from Lady Bird Lake was far superior to the shot they chose for Austin. There's some really spectacular existing video footage of Dallas and Houston that could have demonstrated the vitality of these cities instead of relying on lesser-quality static photos.)
The producing firm looks to be less than a year old. I get the sense that this is a vanity piece for them.
I almost forgot- I'm sure the 14 million Yankees and Californians who will be here by 2030 will agree with the producers that the weather here is "nice" - just don't ask them between June and September.
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