Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
HITTING THE SWEET SPOTMontana’s Journey in Geotourism
Katy PetersonConsumer Marketing Manager
Montana Office of TourismJune 10, 2011
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
MONTANA’S JOURNEY
The Spark: Geotourism (2006)
Montana’s Branding Process (2007-08)
Marketing Campaigns: Bringing Montana to Life (2009-10)
Results (2010)
Where We Were (2005)
Montana & Geotourism Today (2011)
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
MONTANA, CIRCA 2005…
2006
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
MONTANA TOURISM, circa 2005
+ Two ad agencies+ Lots of different messages+ National audience+ Mass media+ Success metric= inquiries+ Quantity over quality
(more ads, more people)
2006
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
THEN…THE GEOTOURISM SPARK.
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
THE GEOTOURISM SPARK
+ Envisioning the future+ Acknowledging obstacles+ Outcomes:
– Montana Tourism Charter– Crown of the Continent Geotourism MapGuide and
www.crownofthecontinent.net – Focus on emerging audience, the geotraveler– Pride!
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
OUR TARGET: Geotravelers
+ Travelers that focus on the experience of the destination.
+ They seek the authenticity of people and places.
+ They have multi-faceted interests and will take in a number of attractions during a vacation as long as they are authentic to the culture they are visiting.
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
WHO ARE GEOTRAVELERS?(DEMOGRAPHICS)
+ Approx. 55 Million Americans+ College degree++ Household Income: $50K++ Age: Various, 25-54+ Family: 1/3 have children under 18 in home+ Geographically: Skews Western U.S with pockets in large
cities (including New York)
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
WHO ARE GEOTRAVELERS?(PSYCHOGRAPHICS)
+ ATTITUDES– Have a strong preference for cultural and social aspect of travel– Learning is an important part of travel experience– Environmentally aware
+ BEHAVIORS– Frequent leisure travelers: minimum 3x/year– Civic engagement
+ LIFESTYLE– Active– Travel defines them: a disproportionate amount of their income on travel
compared to other travelers – Experiences = the new status symbol
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
GEOTRAVELERS’ CHOICE OF DESTINATION…
+ An emphasis on making the most of every moment due to the lack of time in their day-to-day lives.
+ Pervasive nature of technology in planning their travels and exploring their destination before they arrive.
+ Have an interest in immersing themselves in the culture.
+ The ability to get off the beaten path.
+ The capacity to get out of their comfort zone.
+ Their desire to live on healthy planet.
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
Creative. Curious. Connected.Engaged. Adventurous.Independent. Individual. Mindful.
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
CONNECTING WITH GEOTRAVELERS
+ Tell your story+ Convey expertise+ Everything is local+ Inspire your tribe+ Integrate mindfulness/sustainability into your business
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
MONTANA’S BRANDING PROCESS
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
• Conducted focus groups that were representative of our
target audience (geotravelers).
• Conducted eight meetings across Montana to collect input from more than 350 resident stakeholders.
• Matched input from both target audience and stakeholders to determine attributes of Montana Brand.
• Created and tested Brand Pillars.
BRANDING PROCESS
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
MONTANA IS A COLLECTION OF SOME OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST MOUNTAINS AND PRAIRIES COMING TOGETHER TO CREATE
MORE
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE LOWER 48
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
MONTANA IS A SERIES OF SIDEWALK SQUARES NEXTTO DINERS WITH AMAZING HOMEMADE MILKSHAKES IN
THAT SERVE AS GATEWAYS TO OUR
N A T U R A L W O N D E R S
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
MONTANA IS A STORIED PLACE FILLED WITHWILD TROUT STREAMS MADE FAMOUS BY AUTHORS WHO WITNESSED
BY DAY …AND RELAXING HOSPITALITY AT NIGHT
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
BRINGING THE BRAND TO LIFEMONTANA’S MARKETING CAMPAIGNS:
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
MONTANA OFFICE OF TOURISM GOALS
+Build awareness – for Montana as a vacation destination
+ Increase trip consideration/intent– Move Montana into the target audience’s
consideration set
+Support tourism partners & private industry in increasing revenue
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
MONTANA TOURISM STRATEGY
+ Communications strategy:– Consumer-facing, multi-media, integrated– First-time vs. repeat visitors– Leverage our strengths: national parks and wildlife
+ Creative strategy: – Non-advertising advertising. Unexpected. Real and true.
+ Media strategy: – Bring Montana to life through media– See-Experience-Share– Big, Bold & Everywhere
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
2010 CAMPAIGN: VIDEO
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
HITTING THE SWEET SPOT
-Lex Sanford, creative research lead (with 15+ years experience with brands like Starbucks, Toyota, Visa, Burger King and Nordstrom), commenting on the emotional response to the “Nothing” concept.
“When you’re faced with the decision to choose between an ad that speaks to the head or one that speaks to the heart, choose the heart.”
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
THE RIGHT PARTNERS
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
EVOLVING THE APPROACH1. THE NEW YORKER SECTION; 2. INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
RESULTS
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
RESULTS+ Awareness of the brand increased 36% over 2009+ Intent to travel to Montana nearly doubled over 2009+ Those aware of Montana’s advertising were as much as 2.5
times more likely to travel to Montana than those unaware + For every dollar invested into this campaign, visitors spent
$104 in Montana – up from $50 in 2005 and doubling ROI in 5 years
+ Visitation up (5.5%), expenditures up (9%), among highest hotel occupancies in nation (July-Aug)
+ Record years for both Glacier & Yellowstone NPs (up 9.6% and 10.5% respectively; NPS overall down 1.5%)
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
THEN & NOW…
WHERE WE WERE (2005)
+ Two ad agencies+ Lots of different
messages+ National audience+ Mass media+ Success metric= inquiries
+ Quantity over quality+ 1:50 return-on-investment
WHERE WE ARE (2011)
+ One strategic agency
+ Singular message
+ Well-defined audience
+ Targeted media+ Success metrics=
awareness, intent
+ Quality over quantity
+ 1:104 return-on-investment
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
WHAT HAS GEOTOURISM DONE FOR MONTANA?
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
GEOTOURISM IN MONTANA…
+Focused Montana on a smaller but most promising travel audience, doubling ROI in 5 yrs
+Helped establish guiding principles & priorities
+Built demand for authentic experiences that support and enhance residents’ way of life
+Helped industry weather—and grow—in spite of recession
+Strengthened relationships with key partners in land mgmt, arts & culture, and elected officials
Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce • June 2011
Thank You
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