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Shared Ownership & Flexible Access Will Lead Vacation Rental Home Markets

We’ve spent some time over the years counseling to and conversing with real estate developers and hospitality operators about the concept of a “Portable Nest”.  So what really is a portable nest and how can developers and operators leverage this notion in the new Shared Use Economy?

 

A Portable Nest is really a metaphor for the ease in which a family (school-aged children) or empty-nester couple can experience a second home lifestyle in multiple destinations without the drag of ownership or sacrificing on the core conveniences they expect and enjoy at home.  Portability of experience emerged with the advent of the summer cottage or the Sunday houses in Texas. That demand for personal and family space, lifestyle conveniences and sense of easily repeatable experience fueled the early second home marketplace; the first use occasion for a vacation home emerged.

 

Before I proceed though, first, a quick linear evolution overview of shared-ownership/use for perspective will set the stage for Portable Nests.  Of course the vacation home ownership model has morphed over the years in the forms of timeshare, fractional and residence clubs, but the essence of  “ownership” of experience has not deviated from the notion of a deeded interest in the real estate. With the introduction of shared-ownership, the rising need for controlling use plans (how the varying owners would have equitable access to the real estate) became important as a way to ensure that the basic tenets of the second home experience were preserved.  And when destination clubs were introduced a little more than 10 years ago, they immediately satisfied a growing appetite for what could be said at the time was an American craving for excess: excessive and extravagant lifestyles on leverage. Gone was the need to own a traditional second home because it became clumsy and difficult to maintain (read “more expensive”).  Also gone with destination clubs is the deeded interest and underlying securitization of deposits as resort real estate values plummet.

 

So how does all of this history relate back to the Portable Nest?  If we fail to learn anything from history then we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.  In fact, Einstein once said, “ We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” How this relates to the Portable Nest is that real estate developers and hospitality operators need to think creatively/differently to bridge the gap between portability of experience and access/ownership structures.  The same is true for the antiquated marketing programs and processes used to attract buyers.

 

Portable Nests are the future of vacation real estate, and the rise of a more flexible access plan combined with decreasing financial risk based upon a pay-as-you model will lead the way. Incentive to own the real estate will come later, but for now, smart consumers will realize that paying slightly more for flexible access without risk is the way to go.  Developers and operators that think through the concept of Portable Nests and re-envision their offerings to match this new model will be better positioned to survive the short-term pain and reap the rewards of long-term gain.

 

To learn more about migrating your development to the new model, give us call.  We’re portable too.

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Cognitive One Celebrates S4 Golf Tournament and Public Unveiling of Logo at Autism Awareness Event

 

Cognitive One was honored to be selected as the marketing team to create a new logo for the Swinging Fore The Spectrum charity golf tournament to benefit children and families affected by autism through the Arizona Autism Coalition.

 

Cognitive One created a logo that captured the energy of a sports brand that could be used in many additional venues and applied to golf and sports merchandise.

 

Reid Peterson, S4 tournament founder kindly stated,”We were blown away by Cognitive One and what they presented to us even in the first round of creative. They nailed it for us and the response has been very positive. We put it on the golf shirts and it was pretty impressive.”

 

About Cognitive One: Cognitive One is an interdisciplinary, innovative and uniquely skilled team that builds, hones and reinvents existing brands.  We develop and assist in financing emerging brands and management teams we believe in. We deliver tangible results that are measurable in each segment of our practice areas.

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Render-on-the-fly Personas and Branding

I was sharing great conversation in New York at the Russian Tea Room with Shane O’Neil who is the former president of RKO Group (yes, King Kong and more movies, TV stations and bottling conglomerate) and we happened to arrive at the topic of teen-aged children and their amazing ability to adapt. I thought it would form the basis of an interesting post.

 

For those of you how have tracked my spontaneous “coinage” of new phrases and concepts, I thought of a new one just then: render-on-the-fly personas.

 

GenX-ers and GenY-ers are an enigma, in that they adopt behaviors at lighting speed—they text, email and transfer social behaviors faster that ever imaginable for marketers. We all know that technology is the enabler of this bundle, but how does it occur and can you distill it and bottle it (that one’s for Shane) into a concept other than just an X or Y?

 

I think that video games and instant messaging/communication have facilitated a new psychographic, a deeper concept than just a demographic, that has given rise to the ability for individuals to literally render-on-the-fly their lifestyle and how they build their world of relevance.

 

Video games are now delivering render-on-the-fly graphics with amazing quality and at speeds that deliver results as close to reality as possible. Have you played a game on an iPhone? A dimensional experience in the palm of your hand is what you get. (See my interview on trends for 2008 for my predictions about the iPhone that have come true). The Wii, Sony and XBox platforms are all delivering immediate, interactive and community-based experiences.  More than 10 million people are registered users of www.worldofwarcraft.com and have created the largest render-on-the-fly user base in the world.

 

In political parallels, Barack Hussein Obama has, in many ways, become a master of forming a powerful and believable render-on-the-fly personality.  In fact, his meteoric rise to political power from Chicago to Washington D. C. has been at nothing less than at render-on-the-fly speed in comparison to traditional political evolution.  In many ways, Barack Hussein Obama was able to render-on-the-fly a persona that transcends modern political convention and matched a render-on-the-fly generation’s thirst for personification of a candidate more than substance of person of reality.  My opinion is that today’s media was an accelerant to his render-on-the-fly transformation.

 

Think about render-on-the-fly branding. Can we learn anything from the render-on-the-fly concepts I’ve posted today? What are your thoughts on a new render-on-the-fly persona and what does it mean to your business?

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Join us In Sponsoring The Swing Fore The Spectrum Tournament to Benefit Families with Autism May 23

March 1, 2011 (Scottsdale, Ariz)– For the second consecutive year, the Arizona Autism Coalition is partnering with course host Pinnacle Peak Country Club for its Swing Fore The Spectrum golf tournament. Cognitive One is pleased to be a participating sponsor in bringing awareness to this very worthwhile event, taking place on May 23, 2011. Proceeds from the tournament support families who are affected by autism.

 

Key Sponsorship entitles you to a foursome in the golf tournament, complimentary food and beverages, your company’s name in the player’s book, hole signage and advertising in the Coalition roster.

Tax Deductible Contribution: $3,000

 

Hole Sponsorship provides you with advertising exposure to golfers in addition to your company’s name in the player’s book.
Tax Deductible Contribution: $300

 

Single Players will enjoy 18 holes of golf on one of the Valley’s finest private golf courses along with complimentary food and beverages.
Tax Deductible Contribution: $250

 

You can download all of the forms from their website here: Swing Fore The Spectrum Registration

 

We feel that this is a great opportunity for of our members and supporting vendors to demonstrate their commitment to the Arizona Autism Coalition and look forward to your contribution. If you are interested in either one of these opportunities, please send the check (and your high‐resolution logo for Key Sponsorships) to:

“Swinging Fore the Spectrum Classic” c/o Reid Peterson
39548 N. Prairie Lane
Anthem, AZ 85086

 

About The Arizona Autism Coalition
The Arizona Autism Coalition is an inclusive stakeholder organization committed to improving the lives of families, providers and educators impacted by autism in the state of Arizona. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 110 American children, more specifically 1 in 70 Boys, are now diagnosed with ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder. This represents a staggering 57 percent increase from 2002 to 2006, and a 600 percent increase in just the past 20 years.

 

Because of this statistic, the chance that you have been personally affected or know of someone who has been affected by Autism is exceptionally high. The Arizona Autism Coalition is dedicated to the sharing of resources and information related to autism, and working with state agencies towards systems change for the betterment of the community. The Coalition is comprised of parents and family members affected by autism, representatives from provider agencies, medical professionals, local and state governmental agencies and other related special needs providers.

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National Coalition of African American Owned Media taps Cognitive One for Brand Strategy

November 1, 2010  Los Angeles, CA–Cognitive One has recently completed a corporate identity and brand development strategy for the National Coalition of African American Owned Media (NCAAOM) as the coalition emerges as a significant contributor to the dialog surrounding the NBC Universal and Comcast transaction that could limit access for African American content distribution.

 

“Cognitive One has taken the time to understand our immediate needs to communicate the platform of NCAAOM and developed a brand identity that is reflective of our multicultural content development, production and distribution advocacy.  The new logo has been overwhelmingly received by the coalition and we look forward to rolling it out shortly.” commented Stanley Washington, executive director of the NCAAOM.

 

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Auto Brand Letdown

I had a friend of mine send me a link today from Money Magazine online regarding the disposition of distressed Hummer brand vehicles, now that GM has exorcised that brand from the portfolio. His question was not about the car, but a quote from Robyn Eckard, a “spokesperson” from Kelly Blue Book’s KBB.com that reads:

“People used to care about brands and what a brand says about them,” she said. “Nobody cares anymore.”

My buddy Rick wanted to know if that was true or if I thought she is an “idiot”.

My response was: [Yes, Robyn is an idiot. People care very much about what any brand has to say about them. If they did not, then there would only be one auto brand, and that would make GM, the United Auto Workers and Obama very happy, indeed. Any idiot can get quoted; it’s what they say that exposes them as such. I may write something up!]

Now, it may not be fair to call Robyn an idiot as a blanket statement, but the statement was…idiotic. Here’s why; Americans will always care what car brand they drive because it is in their blood. To think contrarily is absurd or a patent denial of consumer marketing science.

Think about this—if more American consumers didn’t care about what the brand had to say about them, then perhaps Hummer would still be around. Yes, if screaming big ego and, “damn the fuel economy and finding a parking space” was still in style for those who care about such things, then Hummer would be, well, humming along.

Good auto marketers understand trends and consumer conscience, which is why hybrids are in style (not for long and bummer for the new Nissan Leaf). People care about quality (watch Toyota and Lexus languish for years) and now value is the hot button. With Toyota’s resale value falling through the floor, maybe those Priuses will become a bargain.

So who stands to take share in the really brave new stick-your-neck-out-in-the-uncertain-economy? My call is Hyundai. (Please don’t let me be an idiot). Here’s why; it’s a frugal brand that delivers amalgamated visual queues and engineering from European leaders like Audi, BMW and Mercedes that attract conscientious American consumers—at a third of the sticker price. Only suckers buy new engineering to be green. It was cool five years ago, but now one runs into risk looking like you’re a trend follower that takes risks on unproven science. At least Toyota found a way to put the brakes on that one.

Now, if GM had its act together (not going to happen soon), then they would have been primed to take share from Toyota/Lexus with the combination of Chevy and either Buick/Cadillac. But alas, where is Cadillac now? Name me anything in the lineup that makes people talk about their brand at cocktail parties or takes your breath away at the valet…doesn’t happen. Buick has one winner—the crossover brand (literally in platform with Chevy), the Enclave and the new sedans are coming from Germany (so much for saving American engineering and manufacturing jobs).

Yes, sad to say to that Robyn from KBB.com was so far off the mark in her statement that she could be considered the equivalent of the Chevy Volt; and now where is that GM savior by the way and who’s talking about it about now? “Delivery on the promise” is still the American brand standard. Take that to the bank.

How quickly we move our attention from brands with big talk and no follow-thru…

— Mark Cain

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Tiger’s Train Wreck and How It Could Have Been Avoided

The whole thing about Tiger Wood’s story isn’t the infidelity with sex. It’s really the infidelity with truth, the mishandling of a great American treasure, and the unbridled arrogance of public relations handlers that underestimate the intelligence and savvy of the public.

Unfortunately, we watched a train wreck on Friday. More unfortunate is that it was avoidable – if only he used his moral and public relations GPS. Tiger had a window slammed shut on Thanksgiving Day, 2009. He hid. It was a total failure to understand the magnitude of the pending abject destruction of his reputation and the risk of loss of his legacy. Yes, even his children will pay for the domino effect of mistakes. Michael Jackson’s children have a story that will unfurl in the future. Tiger needlessly brought his back into the fight today as part of the one-man pity party.

Tiger had a window, albeit small, to neutralize the issue. He was mismanaged and told to wait. And in an uncanny parallel to our national debt, the reluctance to admit we’ve failed to elect leaders that can lead, and the sobering reality that China has exceeded our position as the global compass, so too has Tiger Woods fallen victim to our Pollyanna-glass expectation that our sports saviors are perfect. Alas, he has fallen. The global hybrid perfection myth has been pierced. Tiger now falls to the same weak and weary standard as Kobe Bryant, Prince Charles of England with his dalliances, and even Hollywood icon Mel Gibson; all failures of faith, moral turpitude and current values worthy of print.

It could have been different. Several investors, large corporate sponsors and observers asked me what I would have recommended. The answer would have made a pin drop. I told them that Tiger should have made a statement to shock the world – tell the truth…and fast. Admit failure in front of all cameras and reporters the next day; scratches, fat lip and all. Answer all questions until the last word has been uttered and the last flash bulb has fired. Execute the lost art of the take-away. Take all questions and news, conjecture and myth away. Absorb all the bullets at one time and leave nothing left to talk about tomorrow – then off to rehab to be fixed. Imagine a one-day PR cycle where the press has to say nothing tomorrow. This didn’t happen, mostly because we have PR hacks as advocates handling Tiger that have well exceeded their high school yearbook expectations.

Yes, call me a cynic, but I expected that professional handlers would have seen it clearly as a firefight. Put it out fast. Dump it all fast. Douse the flames; look like a hero. Instead, not much happened and we all saw the embers re-ignite on Friday, fanned by the flames of a horrific PR mishandling.

At first, Tiger and his handler denied the fire existed—even started. Then the flames appeared—more than one, and several. Now today, we witnessed the volunteer firefighting station claim, “we saved the foundation!” Appall. What a sad failure. Standing in front of camera(s) that shown a light through a lightless and wandering soul, we saw the calculated hunter, the conqueror, and the consumer of raw meat—Tiger Woods, who is now obviously in denial, claim that he will be a better vegetarian when rehabilitated. Hide the carrots.

His disingenuous story of cravings and subduing the impulse of flesh is ridiculous. He is a man. Admit it and we would forgive. Blame it on wandering from Buddhism shows more weakness and a failure to accept the blame for his actions. Even more, if he were following Christian beliefs as part of his “commitment” to marriage, then he passively indicted Christianity for failing him. Please. Step up—maybe 12 steps before you touch a microphone again. Today you were a fool. No 310-yard drive can save you from this hook from the tee.

That the cameras failed during his statement was poetic justice to his perfect swing and the perfect 32-foot putt to win a tournament. It was the perfect/imperfect finish to a failed PR campaign that was misguided like a hook from the first tee. It’s the turn of the second round of life’s tournament for him. Now Tiger has to scramble out of this disaster for a respectable finish on Sunday (church aside). Let’s hope he doesn’t wear red. Maybe a scarlet T is too harsh, but he has to be a real human for us to believe in Superman. That was the lesson for us all today; that Superman could love Lois Lane for her faults and that she could adore him for his, and that we admired both of them for their moral centers and character flaws that made it a wonderful tale. We all lost a hero today. Lois would shun Tiger today. So should we until he is transparent, real and understands that he has followed the wrong path, in far more ways than just sexual indiscretions. And then we can stop watching this slow-motion train wreck come to a painful and grinding (no pun intended) halt.

–Mark Cain