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Fall Marketing Campaign In Full Swing

About $1 million has been directed towards television, print and online advertising to promote fall travel this year. Travelers will recognize the Life's So Good music, which has been enhanced to evoke a more relaxed mood. Other campaign elements include a promotion with AAALiving.com that will entice consumers to sign up for the weekly fall color report emails and to win a $500 gas card. Outdoor advertising in the Grand Rapids market will encourage travelers to "See the color beyond the lake." All advertising is currently running, with print inserts that started in August and television spots that began after Labor Day. See the campaign creative and read the campaign summary online. 

The phone has been ringing steadily with calls from reporters at papers ranging from the Wall Street Journal to the Wisconsin State Journal looking for comment on fall travel. Other public relations activities to compliment the fall advertising campaign include a fall electronic media kit with releases on the best food at autumn festivals, gas-free ways to see fall color and travel itineraries that "chase" the fall color season from north to south. Finally, a Spanish language translation of several of the fall releases was developed and released.

Wisconsin Welcome Centers worked with the Communications team to develop a promotion to feature fall golf. Each center has set up mini-putting greens and is distributing free copies of the book Wisconsin Golf Getaways by Jeff Mayers and Jerry Poling. A drawing to win two drivers rounds out the promotion.

Online marketing strategies include fresh fall content posted on travelwisconsin.com, including a section on top scenic drives selected by writers for Wisconsin Trails magazine. The electronic Fall Color Report kicked off the season in early September. The first email prompted 6,000 click-throughs to travelwisconsin.com.

Revamped Fall Sampler Highlights a Tasty Wisconsin 

If you missed the 2006 edition of the Fall Sampler, you can see it right now electronically.  The revised guide is still the same size and length but new content focuses on "savoring" Wisconsin's autumn harvests. Three freelance writers were selected to write about six destinations, focusing on the area's harvest activities, fall color drives and great restaurants and food. In August, the guide appeared in newspapers missed by regular print advertising in the cities of Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Iowa City, Dubuque, Davenport and Des Moines, IA; Duluth and, Rochester, MN; Lansing, MI; and, Rockford, IL. Another 10,000 were distributed at the Wisconsin State Fair.

On the Road Again …Chicago Media Marketplace 

On the heels of last February's successful New York City media event, comes another opportunity to meet top travel writers and editors, this time in Chicago. The Department is currently in the planning stage to host a media marketplace on Nov. 16 at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. It's expected to have a similar, but expanded, format so twice as many industry partners can participate in the event. More information and details about how to get involved will be available soon.

To Summit All Up… 

The Wisconsin delegation, 19 strong from the state's travel industry, marched on Capitol Hill last week to lobby Congress on several important travel industry issues. The first annual Travel Leadership Summit attracted 250 delegates from 30 states who advocated for reasonable immigration reform, improved visa policies, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and a national tourism marketing campaign.

The Wisconsin team met face to face with both Wisconsin Senators and four Congressmen and then huddled with senior staff for two other federal legislators from the Badger State.

A Travel Industry Association (TIA) news conference Wednesday morning unveiled a new initiative called the Discover America Partnership. The purpose of the Partnership is to use travel to America as a diplomatic tool to reverse this country's image problems abroad. Read all about the Partnership at www.poweroftravel.org or give Jim Holperin a call at 608-266-2345, if you are anxious to know about the summit.

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