K. Peterson Geotourism Presentation

1. HITTING THE SWEET SPOT Montana’s Journey in Geotourism Katy Peterson Consumer Marketing Manager Montana Office of Tourism June 10, 2011

2. MONTANA’S JOURNEY Where We Were (2005) The Spark: Geotourism (2006) Montana’s Branding Process (2007-08) Marketing Campaigns: Bringing Montana to Life (2009-10) Results (2010) Montana & Geotourism Today (2011)

3. montana, CIRCA 2005…

4. 2006

5. 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

6. Then…THE GEOTOURISM SPARK.

7. THE GEOTOURISM SPARK Envisioning the future Acknowledging obstacles Outcomes: Montana Tourism Charter Crown of the Continent GeotourismMapGuide and www.crownofthecontinent.net Focus on emerging audience, the geotraveler Pride!

9. 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.

10. 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)

11. 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

12. 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.

13. Creative. Curious. Connected. Engaged. Adventurous. Independent. Individual. Mindful.

14. CONNECTING WITH GEOTRAVELERS Tell your story Convey expertise Everything is local Inspire your tribe Integrate mindfulness/sustainability into your business

15. montana’s branding process

18. 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

19. MONTANA ISASERIES OF SIDEWALK SQUARES NEXT TO DINERS WITH AMAZING HOMEMADE MILKSHAKES IN THATSERVEASGATEWAYSTOOUR NATURAL WONDERS

20. MONTANA IS A STORIED PLACE FILLED WITH WILD TROUT STREAMS MADE FAMOUS BY AUTHORS WHO WITNESSED BY DAY … AND RELAXING HOSPITALITY AT NIGHT

21. Bringing the brand to life MONTANA’S MARKETING CAMPAIGNS:

23. 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

24. 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

25. 2010 CAMPAIGN: Video

27. HITTING THE SWEET SPOT “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.” -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.

28. The right partners

30. EVOLVING THE APPROACH 1. THE NEW YORKER SECTION; 2. INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN

33. results

34. 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%)

36. Well-defined audience

37. Targeted media

38. Success metrics= awareness, intent

39. Quality over quantity