It takes a special breed of person to handle life in Houston, TX. You've got to be strong to take on the stifling heat & suffocating humidity. You probably should be wearing armor if you dare venture out into the mean streets, especially since every other road is under construction. And once you see a cockroach fly across your living room, you may think about moving back to wherever it is you came from.
Think again.
Randy Twaddle & David Thompson gave it some serious thought, and after listing 20 of Houston's "afflictions" they summed up the essence of living here:
So simple, so true.
The slogan has evidently touched a nerve. Articles in the New York Times, Boston Globe, & Dallas Morning News have trumpeted the efforts of these two Midwestern transplants.
I decided to give these kids a leg up, with the kind of publicity that most people can only dream of....an exclusive JazzHouston interview:
JH: I just want to let you guys know before we get started that this is not your basic, softball, New York Times type of interview. I'm going to ask the tough questions, and I'm not going to let up until I get some answers. I'm like Mike Wallace, but tenacious. Are you sure you're up for this?
DT: I'm definitely up for it. Let 'er rip.
(Ed. Note: Randy is somewhere doing something much more important...or so he thinks..)
JH: OK, this is a genius campaign, but I get the feeling that it got its genesis during a sangria binge. How did you guys first come up with the idea?
DT: We had been talking about the difficulties inherent in marketing the city of Houston since we started our company, t t w e a k. We had always been disappointed with the slogans in the past....and in defense of the Convention & Visitors Bureau that have tried to brand it, it is not a simple process---because of Houston's diversity, geography--describing Houston is difficult. It is definitely an acquired taste. We realized when we started playing with this that it's hard. Houston doesn't just roll up into a slogan.
So, to answer you're question---the reason why this popped up on the radar:
We received an e-mail from Mimi Swartz. She was doing a cover story for Texas Monthly on the national perception of Texas, vis a vis the Bush Administration. Mimi asked us, "What do you think of the public's view in regards to Houston?" That got us talking about it on a Friday afternoon two or three months ago.
We started talking about what an effective campaign needed to be, and what it shouldn't be. We discovered that the really successful slogans had some things in common--they weren't self-important, but they were confident. That confidence comes from being comfortable with your weaknesses Randy talked about how tough it is to overcome the obvious complaints about Houston--it's hot, the humidity, but it's worth it, despite all those things.
I said, "Houston....it's worth it...."
We looked at each other like we had found a treasure chest. It was a eureka moment. We weren't looking for it. We didn't have a client who'd hired us to come up with it. We were just discussing it at the office. It was not formal at all.
JH: The official stance of the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau is that they don't like your sad, pathetic attempt (I'm paraphrasing) at promoting Houston. Isn't this just a badge of honor for you guys?
DT: Absolutely! The more they don't like it, the better it must be. It's a total vote of confidence. When Jordy (Jordy Tollett, President & CEO of GHCVB) said he didn't like it, we knew we'd hit it!
But really, we're talking apples & oranges. The GHCVB job is to get conventions to come, to get companies to relocate, and to bring in tourism. Our idea wasn't about that. It was about us, about giving us a sense of self--by the way our sense of self and the CVB goals are not mutually exclusive. We felt that GHCVB painted a picture--but I don't think it's one that really exists.
Just to let you know, this interview is being conducted while I'm driving on N. Shepherd in traffic to pick up huge order of HIWI T-Shirts...
(Ed. Note: Uh, ok, now we know why Randy isn't on the line...surely he's got something better to do than to schlep T-Shirts around...)
JH: One thing I've noticed that was interesting was how you've been able to dovetail your campaign into other clients' promotions. For instance, you printed up items that said HIWI on one side, and "Because of Hermann Park" on the other. All of a sudden, everyone in town can be a potential client for this!
DT: What's been interesting about this whole thing is how fun it is for Randy & I to sorta pick and choose who gets to use our slogan. We want to keep it relevant and cool.
JH: Mattress Mac?
DT: Great Question! Jim McIngvale? Absolutely. The Mattress Mac persona? Maybe. Gallery Furniture? Definitely not. I love how McIngvale has succeeded, but not the result of the success.
JH: You list 20 of Houston's "afflictions." What would #21 be?
Wow! Okay give me a minute........while I'm thinking about this, here's an interesting anecdote; We've had tons of people ask us why we didn't include the obesity factor---Fat City. But if you look at the list of afflictions, none of them are personal slams. They all just are. That was intentional. We didn't want this to be about people, but about the city.
Let's see...well, at this point in time, sadly, #21 would probably be the Astros!
(Ed. Note: Hey wait, wasn't that a personal slam? Ah well, buncha millionaires--they can take it...)
JH: Dave, you were my brother's roommate at Rice University (also named Dave!). How did my brother's presence in your life mold & shape you into the advertising dynamo you are today?
DT: I owe it all to Dave!! I do. I owe it all to him for several reasons--his creativity, his artful viewpoint, his insight into culture.....but mostly because David Dean has been my biggest affliction!
JH: This question was for Randy, but David, feel free to answer it: Randy, as you know, David is a highly trained baritone/bass singer. After a hard day at the office, does he ever bust into a stunningly pure version of "Old Man River?"
DT: I'm not gonna answer that!
I will tell you this. I am the yodel on during "The No Mountains" portion of our website. It's the only thing I've ever used my vocal training in college for!
JH: So, four years of intense training at the Shepherd School of Music, and three seconds of yodeling is what we get?
DT: That's it....
JH: How proud your parents must be.
Since you two have your highly successful media production company, t t w e a k, you know the value of a dynamic interview like this. Can I expect a large box of swag to arrive at my home for giving you guys this much-needed boost?
DT: Let's see the article first....we'll talk about...if it good yes, if it's bad...no! In keeping with our up-front presentation of Houston, that's just how we're gonna have to handle things.
Epilogue: Right around the same time this article was published, Flora Mariella Dean arrived in New Zealand. Congrats papa & Mama Pippa, from Uncle Kel & Aunt Rhonda!