Imagine my surprise when I saw Des Moines' Mayor Preston Daniels on cable TV's "I've Got a Secret" (Oxygen) last week. I used to live in Des Moines. I've worked with the Greater Des Moines Partnership on talent attraction and retention. And here I was looking at my Mayor Daniels on the tube. I thought, "Wow! Des Moines is getting out-of-the-box with its promotions!" Cool.

A bit of background before I continue...the concept of "I've Got a Secret" is to invite guests with obscure claims to fame, who get asked a bunch of "Yes/No" questions by a panel of celebrity guests. If the guests keep their secret, they get $1,000. Past guests have included the first guy who made a cell phone call (in 1973 on the streets of NYC) and the dude who invented the plastic pink flamingo lawn ornament. You get the idea...on with the story.

Mayor Daniels was halfway through the questioning when I tuned in. I tried to help the panelists by yelling at the TV: "First black mayor of an American city!" (I thought I'd heard that when I lived in Des Moines – is it true?) But by the questions being asked, I could tell that wasn't the answer.

Turns out, Des Moines is the city with the highest per capita consumption of Jell-O.

Now, I'm all for cities promoting themselves. Most cities don't do a good enough job of it. But what does Jell-O consumption do to burn Des Moines's brand as a destination community for anyone but Jell-O wrestlers and ladies auxiliaries?

Lesson: Decide what ONE WORD you want to own in the minds of talent, and then line up your PR machine so that your mayor's national media appearances help burn that brand.

PS: the average Des Moines resident eats 28 boxes of Jell-O per year. Pass a spoon.

 

 

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