Frommer Buys His "Name" Back From Google

Arthur Frommer and his daughter Pauline
(photo: Miami Herald)

Arthur Frommer, whose books, articles, and TV shows provided useful travel information for a couple of generations, recently purchased the rights to his brand from Google. The Associated Press' version of this transaction, picked up by siliconvalley.com, provides the nuts and bolts of the public side of this story. Why the search engine behemoth wanted to part ways with the Frommer "name" is not really clear. The deal's sketchy public details hint that Google retained access rights to some content. Notably, nothing in any story I read discussed data traffic, which is Google's lifeblood. (Ironically, an April 9th story in arstechnica.com spelled out Google's ruthless data mining of Frommer's social media communities to increase the contact universe for "Do No Evil's" Zagat Travel product.)

The story is something of a cautionary tale for the self-made, their brand management, and their acquisition anxiety. Over the decades, Frommer created an enterprise based on earned trust, knowledge of local conditions, and an understanding of middle-brow traveler needs. He actually cared about the average person, he respected their money, and he spoke to them rather than at them. It was something of a surprise when Frommer sold his "brand" some years ago. The publisher Wiley purchased the brand, then sold it to Google. The general sense was that Frommer provided "content" for Google. I have always supposed Google had a much bigger picture in mind, including linking Frommer's content to aggregated hotel and air listings in which Google would be either the middleman or the primary transaction agent. For a data-driven firm such as Google, such an arrangement would be a gold mine.

It's possible Frommer was upset that Google basically treated his hard-earned brand with indifference. In these days when "monetization" is touted as the best possible reason to create an enterprise, Frommer's tale is a reminder that there are other motivations besides profit to operate a business. Pride has a place, especially for independents such as Arthur Frommer. Sometimes, it's more important than the money.