Trying on a t-shirt by the Newport Beach, California-based activewear clothing company 88 orange, infused with orange essence.

Opening the box for a new Apple Macbook Pro: Encountering the simple statement, printed in white on a black box, perfectly centered in a sea of Styrofoam: “Designed by Apple in California”.

Pulling into the parking lot for The Camp, a shopping center dedicated to active and sustainable living in Costa Mesa, California: a motivational message in every space.

A gift from my neighbor John Svahn, a surgeon who loves his single malts and cigars. Rich, rich language in the whisky descriptions — and as evocatively triggersome as the imprecise senses of taste and smell allow a human to be:

“At full strength the flavour is lovely – sandalwood and dried flowers. Water raises this, with banana loaf, fresh bananas — and an interesting development towards artichokes.”

“In the mouth, the viscosity reveals the true age, cereal notes continue, enhanced by rich tea biscuits. When diluted, aromas of peach syrup and fresh ginger can be detected, sill smelling vibrant, youthful and punky.”

“The nose is enjoyable with the chalky impression of an old lady’s powder compact, liquorice, hot-cross buns, icing sugar and salt.”

“The nose was surprisingly prickly for a malt of this age, but once we penetrated beyond there was sweet silage, parmesan cheese, Dundee marmalade and then dark chocolate resolving into Jaffa cakes.”

“Water releases the cold tar soap with boiled sweets and sheep fresh from the dip.”
your thoughts? / 1    

Set aside, for now, other facets of Foote Cone & Belding’s new brand-building initiative for Hilton, many of them highly commendable, to consider Hilton’s new tagline: Be hospitable.

Very problematic.

First, there’s the question of who’s being addressed. Me, the customer? Why should I be hospitable? Isn’t that your job, Hilton? The second person form doesn’t work here the way, say, Nike’s timeless Just do it does. It’s one thing to be enjoined to do something, another to be told to besomething.

Part of the problem arises, I think, from the conflation of hospitableness, always understood as a virtue, and hospitality, understood here as the business category in which Hilton competes.

Or, Hilton, are you letting us in on your own inner mantra — that which lives at your core, that which you value most? If so, why are you talking to yourself? Do you need this constant reminder? Seems like this tagline might be better suited to an employee-focused effort.

Then there’s the question of exactly what Hilton means by "Be hospitable" in the first place. Of course, if you read the one-page statement that accompanies the corporate image ad itself, you understand a number of very real and very good things that Hilton is doing in the spirit of being hospitable: helping to educate children, focusing on music education, working to save U.S. landmarks and encouraging support for the homeless. All very relevant endeavors that help to explain the tagline. [To really dive in, go to www.beinghospitable.com.] However, without this context — and I fear most individuals won’t get it — the tagline risks coming off as simple in the head: For a company in the hospitality sector to say “Be hospitable” seems a little like an airline saying “Fly the plane”. Or maybe a restaurant saying, “Eat what’s on your plate.” As a customer, I might’ve preferred something like, “Be considered. Feel loved.”