One could get the impression that the queen, in the movie “Snow White,” was concerned about whether or not she was the fairest in the land because, just about every day, she asked her magic mirror, “Mirror, mirror on the wall who is fairest of them all.” Maybe, just maybe, those government officials with a responsibility and true concern for the marketing of Branson should be asking the magic mirror, “Mirror mirror on the wall, who brings Branson most of all.”
At the outset let’s get rid of some of the myths regarding the expenditure of marketing revenues generated by the City of Branson’s Tourism Tax (CBTT) and the Tourism Community Enhancement District Tax (TCEDT). Before citing the myths let’s look at the controlling state law to which any myth or local change should be compared.
The state law governing the expenditure of the CBTT funds for promotion or marketing simply states, “Twenty-five percent of the taxes collected shall be deposited into a ‘Tourism Promotion Account’ within the tourism tax trust fund and shall be used, upon appropriation by the municipality, for tourism marketing and promotional purposes.”
The state law governing the expenditure of the TCEDT funds states, “Ninety-eight percent of the revenues collected from the tax authorized by this section shall be used by the board for marketing, advertising, and promotion of tourism, the administration thereof, and a reasonable reserve. The district shall enter into an agreement with an organization or organizations to conduct and administer functions such as public relations, sales, and marketing of tourism on behalf of the district to enhance the economic health of the district.”
Now let’s look at the myths:
Myth #1 “All marketing funds must be spent through not for profit entities.” Simply not true for either the CBTT or TCEDT.
Myth #2 “All funds must be spent on out of area marketing.” Simply not true for either CBTT or TCEDT.
Myth #3 “All the money has to go to one organization.” Simply not true. The CBTT funds “shall be used, upon appropriation by the municipality, for tourism marketing and promotional purposes.” The TCEDT funds “shall be used by the board for marketing, advertising, and promotion of tourism, the administration thereof, and a reasonable reserve.” In both cases, there is no requirement that the funds be spent through any one entity.
Myth 4. “The Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB has control over how both the CBTT and TCEDT marketing funds are spent.” Although the term “control” is relative, the reality is, over the entire history of spending both the CBTT and TCEDT funds, no major contract for marketing etc., using those funds, has ever been granted to another organization.
Myth #5. “No marketing funds can be spent for the benefit of any one theatre, attraction, business etc.” Simply not true. There is extreme latitude on how the money may be spent. As an example, hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent for the benefit of the privately owned Branson Airport because of all the new people it is expected to bring into Branson.
Now that all the myths are gone let’s get back to the main question, “Mirror mirror on the wall who brings Branson most of all?” Let’s identify no more than the top five businesses that have a proven track record for bringing the most new tourists to Branson through their marketing efforts, put them into a room, and pay them to develop a marketing plan based on their expertise and experience. They should be free to develop the plan not restricted or influenced by myths or the way Branson has been marketed in the past.
As someone a lot wiser than an Ole Seagull once said, “Let’s think out of the box.” Maybe someday, in terms of its marketing, Branson will be able to say, “See, it happens.”
Some might ask, “What are the odds are of that happening?” An Ole Seagull would reply, “About the same as the queen wanting the mirror to reply that someone else was fairer than she.” But, it is an intriguing question that begs an answer, “Mirror mirror on the wall, who brings Branson most of all?
