WHAT INSPIRES YOU?We did it! We landed on a brand promise that will have us defining our state to our advantage rather than having competitors defining us to their advantage. Now, let’s embrace the vision. For you see, if we all loop into this new brand platform, it will raise the voice and image of Wisconsin Tourism to levels never before heard or seen. While this will play over a period of months as we create new marketing campaigns, there is one immediate result you all should enjoy, and that’s the immense pride of knowing that who you are and what you offer is seen as unique, relevant and valued by the world.
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WHAT’S NEWIt’s a new day dawning for Wisconsin and the tourism industry. Earlier this month at the annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism, we unveiled the new brand platform for the state. Read on. Wisconsin Brand New After months of research and statewide collaboration, we believe we’ve unearthed, once and for all, the Wisconsin brand platform that will set us apart from our competitors and gives the state a unifying competitive strategy. It is a brand platform that celebrates the state’s culture of original thinkers who apply their originality to create a place that is more productive and more fun than anyplace else. While a brand platform is not a slogan or an ad headline, but rather an emotionally charged connection on which people base behaviors, it will provide a strategic framework from which a new theme line, advertising concepts and marketing materials will be developed. So, mark these words, as they represent the brand promise and soul of Wisconsin: “Because of the passionate nature of the state’s people to create fun, express themselves in original ways and feel more comfortable doing it here than anywhere else, in Wisconsin originality rules.” As architects of the brand positioning, we believe the benefit is that Wisconsin’s brand of originality is both the fun kind that makes life worth living and the serious kind that gives business a competitive edge. For those not in attendance at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism, we thought you’d like to hear how Governor Jim Doyle described the brand platform: “The new brand platform captures the people of Wisconsin and their legacy of originality, innovation, pride and passion. Whether it’s Frank Lloyd Wright or Aldo Leopold, the leaders of the state’s biotech industry or our beloved Packer fans decked out in cheeseheads, Wisconsin is a place where imagination and creativity abound.” "Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin" Helps Wisconsin Tap the Culinary Travel Market In the last three years, 27 million American travelers were looking for culinary or wine-related activity while on vacation and for many, this is their key reason for traveling. Wisconsin is uniquely poised to take advantage of this rapidly growing trend. The much-anticipated Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin bill to expand agricultural tourism has passed. The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection now offers a competitive grant program to farmers, community organizations, nonprofits and businesses to develop regional food markets and food and culture tourism trails. If you have a great idea for a culinary trail or marketing a local food product, you may be interested in pursuing grant funds. Check out the guidelines online. The deadline for the first round of grants is April 22. Travel Green, Travel Well, Travel Wisconsin The website supporting our Travel Green Wisconsin certification program now has a fresh look and a consumer-friendly navigation. In addition to the site, the Department is participating in several “green” consumer shows in May including the Green Festival in Chicago and the Going Green Expo in Madison. A travel green press trip is in the works for spring and ads promoting green travel are included in this spring/summer marketing campaign. More and more U.S. travelers are embracing eco-conscious values and seeking businesses that share their environmental concerns. The Travel Green Wisconsin program offers another marketing tool to reach these travelers. Getting certified is likely easier than you think, so please do take a moment to visit www.travelgreenwisconsin.com. You may also want to consider attending the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference, April 24-26 in Ashland. The conference provides an opportunity for small businesses to learn the nuts and bolts of implementing sustainable business practices. New Multicultural Research Findings We
recently conducted consumer focus groups in Milwaukee and Chicago to
gain new insights into African American and Hispanic travel
priorities, barriers and decision drivers. One key finding:
Activities are the what, not the why. For the most part,
Hispanics and African Americans are not traveling to participate in
a specific leisure activity. To be sure, they want to know
what activities are available, but activities tend to serve as a
backdrop to other primary drivers like rest, relaxation and
rejuvenation and family obligations. For an executive summary
of all of the focus group findings, contact Dave Scheler at dscheler@travelwisconsin.com.
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