Being the ‘Best’

The word “best” is used quite frequently in today’s world. Everyone seemingly has a best recipe or a best route or a best friend. 

The dictionary defines “best” as “the highest possible state of excellence” or “the best quality or property of a person or thing.” I agree with that. 

We have a unique scenario with the word “best” when it is used with the following three words: “of Des Moines.” When I purchased CITYVIEW 20 years ago, I also bought the registered mark “Best of Des Moines.” Registering that phrase was a smart move the prior owner, Connie Wimer, made to ensure others didn’t benefit from the success of the CITYVIEW readers’ poll she created and I bought. A mistake I made was agreeing to allow Wimer to continue to use the mark with her Business Record publication. But I did agree to it, and I am a man of my word. I did not, however, allow other publications or organizations to use the phrase “Best of Des Moines.” Each year, some continue to try. And, each year, I remind them that I own the phrase and that I will take all necessary measures to make sure they don’t benefit from it.  

Some have gotten “cute” with their efforts to copy us but have properly avoided using the Best of Des Moines words. Others appear to have blatantly benefited from our phrase, including the Des Moines Convention and Visitor’s Bureau or See Des Moines or Catch Des Moines or whatever they are calling themselves now. Their “Des Best of Des Moines” promotion may seem quite similar to our Best of Des Moines promotion because it is. Not according to CEO Greg Edwards, though. “We in no way even thought that the slogans of ‘Des Best of Greater Des Moines’ and ‘The Best of Des Moines’ were in conflict,” he told me in an email back in March, just a month after our Best of Des Moines issue published and our award certificates were delivered.

“I can assure you that we have no intention to cause confusion or deceive anyone as to the source of the information we provide in support of the businesses of Greater Des Moines,” he stated, presumably with some legal advice. “Our ‘Des Best of Greater Des Moines’ program is a part of that marketing effort and is not a ‘blatant play on words… created to benefit from CITYVIEW’s longstanding Best of Des Moines campaigns.’ ”

Des Best of Des Moines? The Best of Des Moines? They sound similar to me. You can decide. Meanwhile, I like Greg Edwards, and we do have a common goal of helping to improve Greater Des Moines, so I don’t have plans to press it further. Even so, I hope the creative person on his staff who ripped off our idea was creatively shown the door, as tax-paying businesses shouldn’t have to compete with tax-funded organizations in any way. Ever.  

It’s time to move on and focus on the positive, the one and only CITYVIEW Best of Des Moines readers’ poll that has its results in this month’s issue. A record 22,969 votes were cast in this year’s poll that recognized more than 800 local people, businesses, places and events in 271 categories. One of the winners approached me after our announcement event and told me, “A lot of other people try to copy your promotion and event, but this is the only one that matters.”  

I appreciate her comment, and I agree with it. I am glad that so many of you do, too. Congratulations to all the winners who continue to do their part in making Des Moines and central Iowa the best!

Thanks for reading. ♦

Shane Goodman 
Editor and Publisher
CITYVIEW
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.dmcityview.com