THE MARKETOUR
A MARKETING GUIDE FROM THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM
Governor's Conference on Tourism 1999
NO SHRINKING VIOLETS AT WISCONSIN TOURISM
Take one look at the winter newspaper campaign, and it's easy to see that Wisconsin Tourism isn't afraid to stand out in a crowd. We've strengthened our "get-noticed" stance to compete with states that outspend us by margins as high as 10-to-1. And by closing in on Wisconsin, Chicago and the Twin Cities, we deliver a punchy campaign backed with media dollars.
Bold headlines coupled with healthy doses of vivid, color photography are part of the marketing strategy to position Wisconsin as the place to visit. Copy points characterize Wisconsin as a place of incredible scenery with an endless array of events and activities, whether the visitor favors a rural, urban or resort setting. Relaxation, fun, family bonding and exploration remain key messages.
Newspaper and magazine ads have been designed with headline copy that descends in size. It's an effective way to funnel readers to the call-to-action, encouraging them to call the 1-800-432-TRIP number for a free guide or visit the state's Web site to discover all that Wisconsin has to offer.
Along with the traditional newspaper focus, we've layered in high talk-value media strategies, such as bus and billboard advertising. This outdoor component puts the Wisconsin Tourism message in places a prospective visitor can't help but notice. Our winter campaign has allowed commuters in Chicago to have fun with the notion of snowy weather with an ad boasting, "Winter traveler's advisory: Go to Wisconsin." And the back of city buses display an encouragement for travelers to "come out and play" in Wisconsin.
You can expect to see more of the same for spring and summer. A special spring newspaper co-op advertising effort, running in conjunction with the state's half-page ads, will promote golf, fishing and antiquing.
For summer, staggered advertising flights will help reach early, start-of-season and last-minute planners. Television takes a center-stage role. The two spots are being freshened with new copy, a new voice-over and an even greater emphasis on the 1-800-432-TRIP number and the Internet address. Newspaper ads will continue to promote expected offerings in an unexpected way. That same whimsical tone will extend into small-space magazine ads. Eye-popping billboards in Chicago and the Twin Cities will invite travelers to visit Wisconsin and see what all the talk is about.
For prospects looking for information on the Internet, online advertising -- primarily on newspaper sites -- will allow viewers to link directly to the Tourism site. The Department currently sponsors an area of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online site called "Dining and Destinations." The "Around Wisconsin" section features places to go and things to see statewide. Plus, an ad banner campaign promotes links back to the Tourism home page.
The mix of television, newspaper, magazine, outdoor, Internet, a nearly year-round presence on radio traffic reports, and the new creative face of the advertising itself are just a few ways the Department of Tourism is presenting Wisconsin as a place worth noticing.
PUBLIC RELATIONS NEWS
PR: If It's Printed (Or Broadcast), They Will Come: In the public relations field of dreams there's a healthy yield of print, broadcast and Internet placements. In the past fiscal year, the Department's PR program produced a total of 550,539,357 impressions, with an ad equivalency of $20,225,335.16. Mailing seasonal media kits and building relationships with journalists are our basic tools; once the groundwork is laid, additional growth stems from special projects. Here are highlights:
Special Promotions. The Wisconsin Winter Getaway Promotion ran during summer at Wisconsin Travel Information Centers. The cross-seasonal promotion invited vacationers to enjoy another season with a sweepstakes that offered winter travel packages. Plus, a winter radio promotion was conducted in January in five Wisconsin markets to spread the state's "best-kept winter travel secrets" theme.
In conjunction with the specially wrapped Amtrak train, a "Wisconsin Getaway Express" contest was developed last summer, challenging the public to identify the location of the scenic that decorated the train. The "Wisconsin's Walk, Write, Win Fall Contest" gave consumers a chance to win a fall trip by submitting a description of their favorite fall walk. The Department offered Wisconsin travel giveaways at the Midwest travel and sports shows it attends. And this spring, a promotion will be conducted at Wisconsin Travel Information Centers. Winners will receive Wisconsin travel packages.
Sports Publicity Scores. For the recent Rose Bowl, a special sports trivia release was sent to media nationwide. Plus, three gift boxes were mailed to the game announcers. The contents -- all with humorous tags -- included donated Usinger's products and other Wisconsin sports items. In addition, in July of 1998, media were invited to watch the U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship at The American Club from the Department's sky box and a radio promotion was held to raffle event tickets and promote Wisconsin travel. Media were also invited to attend the prestigious Davis Cup tennis tournament, held in Milwaukee in September 1998. All of these events were integrated with advertising.
Spring Initiatives. The year-two edition of the Wisconsin Spring Sampler promotes the "beat cabin fever" theme, highlighting spring as a time to get out and enjoy the state, whether in an urban or rural area. Topics include baseball, golf, walking, biking, fishing, canoeing/kayaking/rafting, viewing wildlife and flowers, and local events, from Door County's Festival of Blossoms to Burlington's Chocolate Festival. Indoor activities, such as browsing for antiques, visiting museums and splashing around indoor water parks, are highlighted.
Reunion Planner. The reunion planner was introduced during the Sesquicentennial year as a way to personalize the commemoration's heritage theme. Yet with about 350,000 people planning reunions each year, the Department sees the planner as a valuable ongoing marketing tool and has redesigned and printed 15,000 copies to offer to consumers.
Meetings and Conventions. What better way to kick off the meetings and conventions program than to help promote the Think Wisconsin guide and Web site? Our first approach was to put the guide in the hands of the CEOs of Wisconsin companies, along with a letter from Gov. Thompson encouraging businesses to hold meetings in our state. A release about the guide, Think Wisconsin Web site and new toll-free number was also sent to targeted media. Next steps include the mailing of a media kit promoting small retreat and meeting sites, Wisconsin golf courses and outdoor recreation. The Department also will mail 13,000 guides to regional meeting planners.
Specialized Media Kits. A small inventory of "niche" media kits allows us to provide in-depth information on travel topics targeted to a special-interest writer or publication. Heritage touring, outdoor adventure, Native American destinations, Agricultural travel, Wisconsin as a sports destination and family travel packets, each containing several pieces (events and attractions, releases, fact sheets, color slides) are on hand for targeted mailings and specific media requests.
Media Visits. While familiarization tours are a regular part of PR, recently we've hosted several fantastic ones: "World of Ducks Unlimited," a cable TV program broadcast on The Nashville Network to 70 million homes in the United States and Canada; "Trout Unlimited," a cable TV program that airs on ESPN2 to 60 million homes in the United States; and "Young America Outdoors," a half-hour syndicated TV program broadcast in 72 markets across the United States. "Young America Outdoors" visited the state four times in 1998 and produced nine Wisconsin shows that have run 18 times.
A Global Reach. A special PR campaign targeting international travel journalists, tour planners and consumers has been developed to communicate the message that Wisconsin is a top Great Lakes travel destination. Tactics include general and market-specific press kits, in-market partnering and fam tours.
For one of our targets - Germany - a translated press kit was developed and sent to new and established contacts. In July 1998, we coordinated a Wisconsin section for the Japanese Western Village theme park display near Tokyo. Plus, we received a fantastic hit in Country Walking magazine (Britain's biggest walking magazine) - a story about the Mineral Point area. The Department also hosted five fam tours for German and United Kingdom journalists.
As for our neighbor to the north, a special Canadian campaign has resulted in several great print placements. For example, Canadian Traveller's "America Yours to Discover" printed an events and destinations article with five color photos and a map. This effort complements the Department's participation in a travel trade show and advertising.
MARKETING NEWS
Spring Planning in Full Bloom: The Department's spring marketing campaign will warm up prospective visitors. Three half-page ads will highlight golf, fishing, and antiquing and will run in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Chicago Tribune and Minneapolis' Star Tribune. It's a co-op program that welcomes the industry's ads to run in conjunction with the Department's ad. The combined full-page effort will not only build awareness of Wisconsin as a spring destination, but will also allow potential visitors to call specific areas and properties for travel information.
To directly reach potential travelers, more than 300,000 copies of the 1999 Spring Sampler will be inserted in newspapers in Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, as well as Wisconsin Trails magazine, in late March. From the PR perspective, news releases, television interviews, a getaway sweepstakes and a promotion focusing on golf and fishing will offer additional incentives for people to move around the state.
Multicultural Program: This year's multicultural marketing program builds on established initiatives. The new Hispanic guide, Viva Wisconsin, completed last summer, will again be promoted through public relations and advertising. An integrated summer program reaching the African-American audience will include a mix of newspaper and broadcast outlets and a full roster of public relations activities. A research project focusing on the Asian-American market rounds out the program.
All-New Web Site: The Wisconsin Department of Tourism's Web site (www.travelwisconsin.com) has a new look and a new address - it's redesigned to be more interactive and user-friendly. Plus the information and visuals change weekly, giving surfers strong reasons to return often. To highlight Wisconsin's four seasons, the site's images and colors change to reflect the current season. Also, the clean design of the home page now draws attention to two new features:
* Seasonal Focus, which allows surfers to quickly access information about seasonal activities statewide, and
* Weekly Feature, which ensures that the site is even more dynamic. Surfers can click through to a brief summary of a Wisconsin travel opportunity.
Coming soon: a database-driven feature that will allow visitors to customize their use of our site by quickly pinpointing the specific information they need and order publications online.
Tourism Marketing and Customer Service 101: A series of basic tourism marketing and customer service educational courses are available. Topics include market research, advertising and public relations plans, media buying and customer service. Contact your local field consultant for more information, or visit the industry Web site.
Reeling 'Em In: The new Wisconsin Fishing Guide entertains and informs anglers about the adventure of fishing with 48 pages of fishing lore, how-to tips and great photography. Six or seven Wisconsin outdoor writers have contributed to this guide, each author covering a different species of fish and recommending favorite fishin' holes. Travelers can read about family fishing, fishing for walleye, muskies, and bass, trout/stream fishing, ice fishing, Great Lakes sport fishing and more. Sidebars cover such topics as Mississippi River bayous, the catch 'n release program, sturgeon spearing, Wisconsin equipment manufacturers and more.
At-the-moment Interviews: To learn more about Wisconsin vacations and the people who take them, we began a series of interviews with people as they took their vacation -- when their perceptions were fresh. We talked to travelers about how and when they planned their trip, what activities they enjoyed, their satisfaction with lodging and services and more. These "intercepts" took place during the summer and fall of 1997 and the winter and spring of 1998 in rural and resort areas, as well as mid-size cities, and continued in the summer of 1998 in larger urban areas. The information we gleaned will help us with the timing of our campaigns, how we deliver information and the best ways to continue to attract people.
For more information about any of the in-market studies, contact David Scheler at the Department of Tourism, 608/261-8187.
