Some photos are worth a thousand words, perhaps many more. Others … well, many of the shots I’ve taken over the years deserve only a grimace followed by a mystified “just what is that?”
It’s a question that popped into my mind when I pulled the special promotional section on Lake County from Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle. Yes, I know — the cover depicted a grapevine in bloom. But twine crossing the foreground and the dark, dreary canvas behind made me ask anyway.
Oh, well. The remainder of the much anticipated 24-page section must have those dedicated to Lake County tourism in an ecstatic mood. Bass fishing, wineries, drive in movies, casinos, iconic hotels, scenery, activities, food at The Saw Shop — the pull out features page after enticing page of fun and beauty.
This is the county as many of us see it. While readers of the Los Angeles Times or USA Today learn of unpaved roads, poverty and pot, while social media commentators recoil from the algae, we enjoy the wildflowers of spring, the hulking mountains, the shimmering lake. After traversing the area repeatedly we know instinctively where to zig in order to avoid the ball joint shattering potholes.
Most of the time, anyway.
The county offices involved in tourism and economic development, the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, the winery and winegrape associations, local businesses and others interested in promoting the county deserve much praise for this. It’s not easy to convince a major metro paper to … no, that’s not true. It is actually pretty easy, provided a community is motivated enough to pull together, to come up with a plan and pool enough advertising dollars.
For the Chronicle, Sunday’s special section merely generates advertising revenue. For readers of the paper, however, it serves as a spark. The pages stir interest, guide their thoughts toward the idea of a road trip, provide a glimmer of what waits beyond those winding mountain roads.
Yes, there are extraordinary dangers posed when a message is controlled more by advertising than, say, a curmudgeonly travel critic. Suppose a less than impressive restaurant purchased a large spot on the page, proclaiming itself Lake County’s finest? Sophisticated diners might flee the scene — and area — never to return.
If a couple of places had shelled out for an ad, such a scenario would be a distinct possibility.
Still, the potential rewards for the county are obvious. If just 200 families hop into their cars and head this way, each spending more than $150 on food and lodging, another chunk on winery purchases and shopping, a boat rental perhaps, gas and whatever every day of their visit … um, I’ve mentioned my mathematical deficiencies before, right?
Let’s put it this way. According to researchers at Michigan State University, an indirect effect sales multiplier of 1.4 and an induced effect sales multiplier of 1.9 — as examples — means each dollar of direct sales generates 40 cents in indirect sales and 50 cents in induced sales. Or as they expressed it, “Total sales = Direct Sales + Multiplier effects = Direct sales + Indirect Sales + Induced Sales.”
As you can clearly see, using the example above $200 in direct transactions equals $380 in “total sales effect.” And without a calculator I’m in not position to dispute the formula.
It’s not the potential gain that impressed me, though. That dozens of business owners, civic leaders and others put in the effort, took time out for meetings, ushered Chronicle staff around, paid for ads and everything else is nothing less than inspiring.
Too many small towns find themselves mired in negativity. They gripe, they blame, the see greener grass elsewhere, but they never team up to act upon something positive. This project proves that Lake County — or at least a significant group within Lake County — is willing to work toward a common good. Despite drought, algae and other problems haunting the area, they recognize the many favorable qualities. They see opportunity and do not shy from it.
Their words made Sunday’s special section worth it.
