Santa, Idaho, may be next dot-com town

When Mark Hughes typed “Santa” into Mapquest’s search engine, the town of Santa, Idaho, popped up.

The remote spot at the edge of the Bitterroots seemed like a perfect fit for his latest marketing plan. So Hughes, a Philadelphia consultant, caught a plane to Spokane, rented a car to drive to Santa, and began pitching his idea to the town’s 150 residents.

He wants Santa to change its name to SecretSanta.com for a year to promote a new Web site.

It’s an outrageous concept, but it’s worked before for Hughes, author of “Buzzmarketing: How to get people to talk about your stuff.”

Back in 2000, he talked the City Council in Halfway, Ore., into passing a proclamation symbolically renaming the town “Half.com.” The city got $120,000 for the stunt, plus $25,000 worth of computer equipment. Hughes received reams of publicity for a business start-up.

The New York Times and the “Today Show” carried the story, along with papers in China and Australia. Half.com grew into a thriving site for sales of used books, music and DVDs. eBay later bought the company for $300 million.

In retrospect, some Halfway residents wondered if the town should have charged more, said Mayor Gordon Kaesemeyer. But most citizens remember the experiment fondly. One of the signs the company put up – “Welcome to Half.com, Ore., the first dot-com city in America” – is displayed in Halfway’s museum. The $120,000 was distributed to local nonprofits and provided the seed money for the city’s economic development agency.

Aside from passing the proclamation, “we didn’t have to do a thing,” Kaesemeyer said.

Hughes isn’t offering cash this time around. In return for the name change, he plans to make a documentary on Santa and split the proceeds of any sale. He’s already taped an interview with Santa’s resident Elvis impersonator. He also has a lead on a local craftsman who makes violins.

“The movie will be called Santa’s Little Secrets,” Hughes said. “Every small town has its secrets and special stories.”

SecretSanta.com is just a small start-up, Hughes said. Two New York brothers created the free Web site to arrange family and office gift drawings. SecretSanta.com generates income through a “wish-list” area, where coupons and advertising related to the requested items appear.

Hughes is coy about how much revenue a documentary on Santa might generate. “It could be $10,000; it could be $500,000.”

He planned to tape Wednesday night’s meeting of the Santa Water and Sewer District. The meeting at the Grange Hall was local residents’ first chance to sound off on the proposal. Since Santa isn’t incorporated, the water and sewer district is the closest entity to local government, and its board will make a decision on the name change.

Gidget McQueen, the district’s clerk, expected 20 to 30 people to attend the meeting. Hughes’ idea has generated a range of reactions, from skepticism to curiosity, she said. “I hope they come and voice their opinions.”

Nothing the district did would change Santa’s postmark, McQueen added. Every year, the local post office gets hundreds of letters addressed to “Santa.”

“It’s a lovely little town,” said Freda Ferguson, a 38-year Santa resident. She’s not surprised Hughes is interested in a documentary. “There’s a post office, a resort and a beauty salon.” People stand on their porches and wave when trains from the St. Maries River Railroad rumble by.

Hughes is hoping for a decision by Nov. 21. If Santa turns him down, he’ll ask the Benewah County commissioners to create a town for him. Hughes has noticed this about North Idaho: “There’s lots of empty space around here.”