CALIFORNIA TRAVEL & TOURISM COMMISSION ASSOCIATION OF TRAVEL MARKETING EXECUTIVES MAY 28, 2009.
Transcript of CALIFORNIA TRAVEL & TOURISM COMMISSION ASSOCIATION OF TRAVEL MARKETING EXECUTIVES MAY 28, 2009.
CALIFORNIA TRAVEL & TOURISM COMMISSIONASSOCIATION OF TRAVEL MARKETING EXECUTIVES MAY 28, 2009
Spend Tom!National Tourism Week Promotion
• CTTC/Sonoma County Tourism Bureau Pilot Project
• Demonstrate the tourism sector’s impact by pumping $25,000 in $2 bills into the Sonoma economy (select hotels/wineries/attractions “make change” during the week)
• Build 3-weeklong, media relations/social marketing campaign as the bills circulate
• Possibly expand to other communities in 2010
Promoting Tourism
Video: “Spend Tom”
SpendTom Initial Results
• Robust and positive local consumer response on Facebook Fan Page and Twitter (325+ contest entries to date at SpendTom.com)
• Extensive local newspaper, TV and radio coverage of the promotion and economic impact of tourism
• Leveraged radio buy for major promotion on 5 stations in Sonoma County, including live remotes, e-blasts, avatars on tourism, public service programming (Reach 120,000+)
• Media buzz generated more partner interest (nearly 40 partners)
• Social media buzz generated local awareness – nearly 150 local posters actually signed up as Facebook/ Twitter fans
Crisis Communications
Southern California Wildfires• The wildfires that spread through Southern
California during the last months of 2007 posed a serious threat to the state’s tourism industry
• Tourism supports jobs for 929,000 Californians and generates more than $93 billion annually
California Wildfires
PR Objective:• Dispel myths that the fires destroyed
large portions of the state and affected tourist attractions
• Develop and immediately implement a crisis communications plan to spread the word that California was open for business
• Keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination and deter potential trip cancellations
California Wildfires
Methods:• Developed core messages for each affected region to
ensure consistent messaging was delivered to media• Coordination of two press conferences in Southern
California and enlisted the support of Governor Schwarzenegger
• Developed talking points for the Governor and participating delegates, and a national news release
• Developed an Internet news release reiterating that tourist attractions were up-and-running and left unscathed by the wildfires
California Wildfires
Results:• The Southern California wildfire crisis
communication outreach generated more than 28 million gross measurable impressions in markets across the country
California Wildfires
Results:• Prominent placements include USA Today, Los Angeles
Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Forbes.com and broadcast news stations nationwide
• Immediate action taken by Edelman and CTTC prevented any reported decline of visitors to affected regions
California Wildfires
• Direct-to-consumer tactics utilized to relay most current information and encourage travel
• Secured CTTC as a resource for wildfire information with continuous updates and a pinpoint map on www.visitcalifornia.com
• Conducted Web audit of online travel sites, blogs and message boards to verify public perception of Southern California wildfires – determined if aggressive social media component was necessary
CALIFORNIA TRAVEL & TOURISM COMMISSION
ASSOCIATION OF TRAVEL MARKETING EXECUTIVES MAY 28, 2009