THE MARKETOUR
A MARKETING GUIDE FROM THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM
December 2003 - January 2004
In this issue:
- Important Subscription News
- Developing an Educational Outreach Program
- Travel Tracker: Gearing up for Wisconsin's Winter Visitors
- Web Tips: Protecting Digital images: Watermarking and Resolution
- PR'S Greatest Hits
- Media Leads
- 10-second Writing Clinic
ATTENTION MARKETOUR READERS!
This is the last printed issue of The Marketour. Due to budget reductions, the Department of Tourism will be converting the newsletter to an electronic format. In early 2004, we will unveil "Travel Wisconsin News," an electronic newsletter delivered via e-mail. It will have many of the same features you have enjoyed in Tourism Today and The Marketour but in a more comprehensive and timely format.
If you would like to receive "Travel Wisconsin News," please go to www.travelwisconsin.com/partners to sign up. If you are unable to receive the electronic version of the newsletter, please call 608-267-0752.
Thanks for reading The Marketour and we hope you'll go online to subscribe to "Travel Wisconsin News."
Developing an Educational Outreach Program
Although the adage "Doing well by doing good" may seem a cliché, a growing number of savvy tourism marketers would beg to differ. Many Wisconsin organizations have found that well-conceived school outreach programs - which run the gamut from simple volunteerism to product and financial support or even curriculum and contest development - are a "win-win" combination. Not only do these programs provide schools with much-needed support, they position a business or organization as a good corporate citizen, helping to build a "trust bank" that may be drawn upon when public support is needed for an expansion project, zoning referendum or other initiative.
Educational and community outreach programs can also have significant marketing impact, since they allow businesses to subtly begin building relationships with students, whose potential lifelong customer value is enormous. While such programs shouldn't be viewed as an advertising opportunity, they can help tourism marketers build positive awareness of their destinations with young consumers. Continued positive interactions with that consumer (both in the school and community and on-property) are the building blocks of lifelong customer loyalty.
Volunteering and financial support
For many organizations, financial contributions (such as scoreboard or uniform sponsorships) are the most direct and appreciated form of educational support. However, donations of human resources are also greatly appreciated. Schools almost always welcome community members who can aid in classroom instruction, speak about career opportunities or judge contests. Such participation not only establishes the community orientation of the speaker's company, it also gives them a forum in which to spotlight their organization, destination or attraction to students, teachers and, inevitably, parents.
In southeastern Wisconsin, the Hilton Milwaukee City Center routinely has lifeguards from its Paradise Landing waterpark (who are Red Cross-certified) visit schools in surrounding counties to discuss water safety. While these visits are decidedly educational in nature, they typically include brochure distribution and a park description, and thus create positive awareness with thousands of potential visitors - and their parents.
Curriculum Development, Contests and Auctions
In cases where social and instructional needs align with public relations goals, the creation and distribution of classroom materials can be an ideal form of educational outreach. Citigroup has done this on a national level by creating a basic financial skills unit for use by high school economics teachers. On the regional level, Noah's Ark Waterpark brought high school physics students in to test gravitational pull and measure kinetic energy on several slides. This data was then collected into a brochure and is provided to physics classes at schools throughout the state.
Contests and auctions are other great ways for organizations to cultivate goodwill, raise awareness and reach potential customers. Often highly visible in the media, contests and auctions allow organizations to specify issues they would like to publicize by selecting the subject area of the contest.
Two such examples are the "Where In Wisconsin is Jessica Doyle?" contest and the Golf Course Owners of Wisconsin's (GCOW) "Kids on Course" initiative. Created by the state's first lady and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, "Where in Wisconsin?" is a weekly online game in which middle-school students can win tourism-related prizes by answering three clues to guess which part of the state she's visited that week. "Where in Wisconsin" currently receives weekly coverage in 17 state newspapers and averages more than 400 contestants per week.
Designed to develop golf skills and appreciation in children that might not otherwise have opportunities to play, the GCOW's "Kids on Course" program involves golf package donations from member courses, which are then spotlighted and auctioned on GCOW's Web site. By raising money to support this charitable youth program, the GCOW not only positions itself as a good citizen, but helps cultivate future (paying) golfers.
Donations of Goods, Services and Facilities
Donations of overstocked or difficult-to-sell items help companies reach out to schools, particularly those in poorer areas. Schools and school systems often warmly receive products such as gloves, hats or office supplies. Another great way to help is by donating part of your facility, such as a banquet hall or meeting room, for use in a major school function.
Facility donations can also be done on an individual basis, possibly as a reward for academic achievement. For example, Noah's Ark offers kindergarten through sixth grade students a free admission pass ($30 value) if they reach their reading goals.
Developing Your Program
With so many options available, how do you decide what program is right for your organization? Start by asking yourself these questions: what best fits your internal goals and resources, both physical and human? Who is your audience, and what grade level or subject is appropriate? Do you want to establish a local, regional, or statewide presence? How much time and money will you invest? Finally, what is the primary result are you looking for - sales, community goodwill, or both?
When designing your program, search for the intersection of your organization's goals and the needs of the schools. Finding that nexus is the first step toward creating a targeted educational outreach program that provides the greatest benefit to both internal and external audiences.
Travel
Tracker: Gearing Up for Wisconsin's Winter Visitors
In the last Marketour, we examined Wisconsin's spring travelers. For this issue, with winter almost upon us, we will take a look at the state's December through March visitors. The Department's Winter Visitor Study - part of a four-season research study conducted in four separate areas of the state - examined visitor's demographics, vacation habits and sources of travel information. Not surprisingly, the study found that the largest population segment, the Baby Boomers (ages 35-54) accounted for the most visitors with 48 percent, followed by those aged 55 and older with 25 percent and Gen Xers (25-34 years old) with 21 percent.
Hotels are the primary lodging used by winter travelers, with the exception of Seniors (65+) who tended to stay with family and friends. As in other studies, the Boomers had the highest household incomes, with half of the Young Boomers (ages 35-45) earning in excess of $75,000 per year. Young Boomers also led the way in family size, with 71 percent reporting that they had kids under 18 living at home. Travel companions varied by age, with younger groups traveling with friends and older groups traveling with spouses. Many Seniors (55+) also reported traveling with grandchildren.
Trip Planning Information
Advance planning was short for all generations, with Gen Yers (ages 18-24) investing the least amount of time and Boomers and Gen Xers spending the most. Regardless of age, word-of-mouth recommendations ranked high as a source of trip planning information. State and local Internet sites were used frequently by younger generations, while Gen Yers mentioned radio frequently and 55-64 year olds cited AAA as a resource.
Reasons for Traveling in Winter
There were a variety of reasons for choosing winter as a season for travel, and although reasons fluctuated by generation, enjoying the winter/snow, family and friends, and outdoor recreation appear to be most popular. Downhill skiing was the favorite single activity for groups under 55, while the over-55 visitors cited shopping as their favorite activity. Other frequently mentioned activities included festivals/events, museums/exhibits, snowmobiling and ice fishing.
Marketing Implications
No matter the age of the visitor, fun, exciting, and relaxation are the three key words that might entice someone to experience your area. Make sure your promotional materials emphasize them.
With so many of Wisconsin's winter visitors staying in hotels, perhaps adding an incentive to "stay a second night" might get these cold-weather enthusiasts to linger a little longer in your area. Also, think about luring Boomers with "family bucks" - discounted coupons for shopping or dining. And give some thought to packaging. Taking the "work" out of a trip by combining lodging with dining, shopping and other activities may entice visitors to spend more time. Consider entry tickets to events or festivals in the area as a value-added.
Keep in mind that younger visitors gravitate to the more active types of activities - downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and the area's nightlife. These activities can also be packaged, perhaps through a special discount or book of discounts.
Web Tips:
Protecting Digital images: Watermarking and Resolution
Stunning images are a quintessential component of many successful Web sites, especially those promoting travel and tourism. Ever since the first images started appearing on the Internet, the question and debate over second party digital image usage and copying has been a hot topic in the world of web development.
The question "Will my images be safe on the web?" is met with a simple answer... maybe. Programmers have yet to come up with an iron-clad method of protecting images, but a few simple techniques can help protect them from being reused without permission.
The use of digital images on the web has a form of built in security simply in the nature of the files themselves. To keep Web site loading times to a minimum, digital images should be saved at 20K or less whenever possible. This file size limits the resolution to 72 d.p.i., which is perfect for on-screen display, but is far to low for quality printing. The image also degrades quickly if attempts are made to enlarge it for other uses.
The most common method of protecting digital images comes in the form of digital watermarking. Just as the U.S. Treasury protects the security of the new $20 bill with a watermark of Andrew Jackson embedded in the paper, Web images can be marked with a digital watermark. Using a photo-editing program like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Photo Paint, select the text tool, and overlay information including your Web site address, name of the photographer, copyright symbol or any other important information on a corner of the image. To make the watermark blend into the image slightly, make the text color 50 percent gray. This will allow the watermark to be seen without distracting attention from the image itself.
Although there is no way to fully protect an image from being lifted from your Web site, using the simple technique of watermarking can help discourage would-be thieves enough to make them move on down the information superhighway.
PR'S Greatest Hits
From top sports destinations to unique and inexpensive dining, Wisconsin has been making its mark in major national media.
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Wisconsin was spotlighted in the pages of the October 6th edition of Sports
Illustrated. Top sports destinations and alternative sports events
including Lambeau Field, Whistling Straits, Petit National Ice Center,
American Birkebeiner, Lumberjack World Championships, World Championship
Snowmobile Derby and the Dairyland Classic Surfing Championship were
featured in the magazine's series of 50 state spotlights to celebrate its
50th anniversary.
Food Network's $40 A Day star Rachel Ray savored the sites and tastes
of Milwaukee in an episode that aired in September. Set on a mission to
taste some of the best cuisine the city had to offer with only $40 to
spend, Rachel satisfied both wallet and taste buds with breakfast at
Katie's, lunch at Mader's, a sample of Milwaukee's own Sprecher beer at
the Safehouse while topping off the day with dinner at Three Brothers.
Media Leads
Web and freelance writers across the country are hot on the trail of new travel stories from luxury destinations to festivals this month.
Stacy Waite of Weblope.com, a site
that highlights weekly travel specials, is actively seeking information on
golf-, spa-, and festival-related packages. Send info to ideas@weblope.com.
Luxury is the name of the game for Stan and Cerie Segal, producers of Travel Tips on the 200+ affiliate ABC Radio Network. They are seeking information and press trip invitations to luxurious hotels, resorts, spas and destinations for their upscale radio audiences. Contact them at Travel Talk, 2105 Trellis Lane, Plano, TX 75075 or by e-mail at ceriesegal@aol.com.
10-second Writing Clinic
Avoiding Needless Adverbs
The strongest communication gets to the point precisely. One way to achieve this precision is to eliminate needless adverbs modifying adjectives - words such as "very," "quite," "rather" and "little" - by using adjectives that can stand alone. Strunk and White, in their Elements of Style, call these adverbs "leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words."
For example, instead of "very hot," try scorching, torrid, or blistering. Instead of "quite large," substitute huge, enormous or immense.
