Club, Spa, Resort, and Healthcare Marketing

STEAK BILLBOARD: Scented Billboard Gives Off Smell of BBQ Steak

The smell of steak along Highway 150 in Mooresville is coming from what could be a one-of-a-kind scented billboard for a grocery store.

The billboard for Bloom, a division of Food Lion, is fashioned into the shape of a gigantic piece of steak on a fork. However, the most appetizing part of the billboard might not be the picture.

“It smells like uh, Barbecue, like hickory or something like that being Barbecued and smells like steak,” one motorist described.

The scent is emitted by a high-powered fan at the bottom of the billboard that blows air over cartridges loaded with the BBQ fragrance oil, said Murray Dameron, marketing director for Charlotte-based ScentAir, which provides custom scents and fragrance-delivery systems for businesses, including hotel lobbies, casino gambling and retail stores.

The billboard scent is “basically a blend of black pepper and kind of a charcoal grilling smell,” Dameron said. “It smells like grilled meat with a nice pepper rub on it.”

A Bloom spokesperson said the company is always looking for new ways to reach the consumer.

“With all the advertising around, you wanna be able to jump out and really grab the consumer’s attention,” said Angie Hunter, a spokesperson for Bloom stores.

(no diaper ads please!  – bc)

via STEAK BILLBOARD: Scented Billboard Gives Off Smell of BBQ Steak – dailypress.com.

Using Chatroulette as a Marketing Channel

Online condom store Condomerie has created an HIV awareness campaign using Chatroulette as a media channel.

For the uninitiated, Chatroulette works like a cross between Skype and StumbleUpon, pairing random strangers from around the world together for webcam conversations. Participants can choose to either chat to the person they have found themselves matched with or press “next” to be partnered with another random person. The site has attracted a large number of exhibitionists, as could have been predicted, so users can expect to be greeted with the sight of a penis with every five to 10 clicks.

Condomerie recruited a woman to sit semi-naked in front of a webcam and use Chatroulette. She covered her breasts with a sign that was illegible when she was holding it close to her chest. Once she had got her fellow chatter's attention, she would move the sign closer to the webcam so that they could read the message: “Bingo! You are now in touch with an HIV infected person. Don't play Russian roulette in real life.”

The sign also included, of course, the condom store's web address, condomerie.com.

via Using Chatroulette as a Marketing Channel – Advertising Age – MediaWorks Idea of the Week.

Bankruptcy filings rise among small hotels around Tampa

Small hoteliers are taking it on the chin, with at least four in the Tampa Bay area seeking bankruptcy protection since March.

Last week, the owners of a 75-room Hampton Inn, 11740 Tampa Gateway Blvd. in Seffner, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Tampa. Chapter 11 allows a company to reorganize its finances while protected from creditors.

The hotel's owners opted for bankruptcy when Bank of America started foreclosure proceedings, according to bankruptcy court documents. The bank claims it is owed at least $5.5 million.

Revenues at the Seffner hotel fell about 30 percent last year from 2008, although revenues have picked up recently, the owner of the motel, Llenroc Hospitality, says in documents.

Other small hotels also are looking to refinance or discharge debts in bankruptcy lately.

In mid-April, Grayl's Hotel, a small Spanish Mission-style hotel overlooking the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront, filed for bankruptcy protection. In court documents, its owner says cash flow has suffered in the past two years, leaving it unable to pay its recurring bills.

via Bankruptcy filings rise among small hotels around Tampa.

More Bank-Owned Homes Likely to Hit the Market

It’s a bit like guessing how many pennies are in a gallon jug at the state fair, but housing analysts keep trying to count how many foreclosed homes banks and mortgage investors own.

Why should we care? Unlike at the state fair, there is no prize for guessing right. Still, if we can track the number of these REO (“real estate owned”) homes, we can get some sense of how banks and others are doing in their efforts to dispose of the properties and how much longer they will be weighing on the housing market.

The good news is that two of the leading contenders in this guesstimating game–Tom Lawler, an independent housing economist and gentleman farmer in Leesburg, Va., and Robert Tayon, an analyst at Barclays Capital in New York–have been comparing their methods recently and learning from each other. Both are in the same ballpark and both say the REO count is on the rise.

Mr. Lawler estimates there were 574,000 one- to four-family REO homes at the end of the first quarter, up from 518,000 at the end of 2009 but well below a peak of 668,000 in the third quarter of 2008. More modest (honest?) than most economists, Mr. Lawler describes his estimates as “crude” and “a work in progress.” He figures his tally is too low–he can’t find good data on all of the thousands of REO owners– but still “indicative” of the trend.

via More Bank-Owned Homes Likely to Hit the Market – Developments – WSJ.

Mortgage Holders Seize Four Seasons Dallas

Investors holding the $183 million mortgage on the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas now own the property after prevailing in a foreclosure auction this week.

US Bank, acting on behalf of investors that own the resort’s securitized mortgage, on Tuesday won the auction with a bid of $122 million, according to Foreclosure Listing Service Inc., based in Addison, Texas. The mortgage holders had the advantage of being able to bid up to the remaining balance of the mortgage without needing to put in additional money.

The auction marks the second time that the 357-room Four Seasons Dallas has changed hands in the past three months. In April, Capri Capital, which held the $39 million mezzanine loan on the resort, displaced previous owner BentleyForbes LLC by foreclosing on the resort’s equity. Next, the resort’s mortgage holders, whose claim is senior to Capri’s, wrested control from Capri by winning the auction on Tuesday.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, based in Toronto, will continue to manage the Dallas resort.

via Mortgage Holders Seize Four Seasons Dallas – Developments – WSJ.

Gaylord sees rebuild costs up to $225 mln; to cut jobs

Hotel operator Gaylord Entertainment Co (GET.N) expects the total cost to rebuild its flood-hit properties in Nashville, Tennessee to be between $215 million and $225 million, and said it would cut 1,743 jobs at its Opryland hotel.

Gaylord also expects to incur a non-cash write-off related to the impairment of certain assets and generate a significantly lower level of consolidated cash flow during the remaining quarters of 2010 as a result of the flood damage.

In addition to the rebuilding costs, which include $23 million to $28 million in previously scheduled enhancement projects, the company sees operating expenses of $57 million to $62 million for maintaining its assets until it re-launches them.

Offsetting these costs are insurance proceeds of $50 million and a federal tax refund of about $30 million.

via UPDATE 2-Gaylord sees rebuild costs up to $225 mln; to cut jobs | Reuters.

Bad Day At Beach Better Than Good Day In Town?

Article from MediaPost – My agency just sent out the annual summer Friday schedule. But who are they kidding? I still barely keep up with what I'm working on Monday through Thursday. And the economy is still pretty bad. I'm afraid not to be seen at my desk working. Are summer Fridays still a part of the advertising business? Should I be worried if I'm actually taking them?Amy says: Summer Fridays are a lovely tradition, likely started in the “Mad Men” days, just like the 4:30 pm beer trolley. Summer weekends are for traveling to the beach and Friday afternoon is the best time to leave to beat the traffic. Amazingly, summer Fridays are still around, though the beer trolley is not.As an agency employee, part of your compensation package includes time off like holidays and vacation time. Summer Fridays do fall into this bucket, although this time off tends to be a bit more controversial. Agency management allows this privilege as long as client needs are met. And teams have to make sure that there is at least some coverage when folks are absent. So my advice is, take it when you can, but don't count on it. There is nothing more disappointing to be walking out the door to the train station only to see a client email that requires immediate attention.Instead, use Fridays as way to get ahead. Catch up on email. Spend some time with key vendors and get to know them. Do some research and track down some articles to share with your clients and management to show them how smart and proactive you are. Overall, not much business is going to get done on a Friday in the summer — but that doesn't mean you can't be taking care of business.

via MediaPost Publications Summer Fridays — Bad Day At Beach Better Than Good Day In Town? 06/03/2010.

Why Is Product Placement Okay On TV Without Disclosure?

We're still wondering if the FTC is really going to go after blogs that don't disclose financial relationships concerning products they're pitching. So far, the only action the FTC has taken (publicly) has been to investigate retailer Ann Taylor for giving bloggers gift cards — an action for which it was given a pass. In that case, it was worth noting that the focus was on the company, not the bloggers involved. However, there are still many questions about how arbitrarily the rules will be applied. Danny Sullivan is pointing out that with so much undisclosed product placement on TV, shouldn't that be a bigger concern than if a blogger mentions he or she got a free gift card before writing about a product? While I, like many people, tend to think disclosure is important for your own reputation, the ambiguity and subjectiveness of the FTC's rules is worrying. While I don't know for sure, my guess is that the FTC would say that most people already understand how TV product placement works, so they're not too bothered by it. That, at least, was the explanation an FTC person gave when questions were raised about why the FTC doesn't go after celebrities talking up products and services they were given for free… But it does seem kind of ridiculous that a celebrity is given more leeway not to disclose just because they're famous.

via Why Is Product Placement Okay On TV Without Disclosure? | Techdirt.

Four Seasons Agrees to Cost Cuts

Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, famed for its top-flight hotels, has agreed to skimp on some of its signature features, bowing to pressures by some financially strapped owners of properties that bear its name.

Many Four Seasons hotels have stopped displaying huge vases of fresh flowers. Others are closing their high-end restaurants on slow days. And some have begun outsourcing laundry.

The moves may seem small—and many guests won’t even notice them—but they are seismic for a brand like Four Seasons, which built its reputation on impeccable service and pioneered labor-intensive perquisites like in-hotel spas and free shoe shines.

In the past, the company, which holds long-term contracts with the hotels it manages, shrugged off downturns as passing cycles that didn’t warrant altering its expensive but successful formula. This time, though, Isadore Sharp, Four Seasons’ founder and chief executive, agreed to some concessions that wouldn’t hurt service.

via Four Seasons Agrees to Cost Cuts – WSJ.com.

Seeking distressed properties/projects

Currently working with several funds looking for acquisition of condo projects, busted subdivisions, second home communities, golf properties. Distressed assets. Criteria: most infrastructure in place. Range 25MM to 85MM.  For more information, email. All inquiries confidential.