Denise Miller of Strategic Marketing and Research was the general session speaker for the Fourth Annual Tourism Conference held in Price. “I have been to many tourism conferences and very seldom do I see the level of welcome from a community that Price has done for us. I am so glad to see so many people here who “Get It” when it comes to tourism,” said Miller.
Miller told about the image people outside of Utah have of this state. The scenery is familiar to some, but most do not know very much about Utah. With the Life Elevated brand, two marketing campaigns were completed. The areas covered were Los Angeles, New York, Denver and Las Vegas.
Following the campaigns, Miller’s company wanted to know if the marketing campaigns worked. Many surveys were taken in each area of focus. In the summer of 2006, 2.5 million people responded. That number has risen to 42.6 million up to this point in the summer of 2007.
The campaigns began with TV spots and expanded to many other elements including several semi truck wraps. These wraps adorn the trailer of the semi and serve as a traveling billboard.
When the cost analysis was completed, if was learned that Utah’s cost to reach customers is well below the national average. It was also discovered that the scenery ads are the strongest ads in reaching people with a message they will remember and act on.
As a result of the research, it was concluded that the Life Elevated campaign has been successful. It was determined that 189,000 trips to Utah were made that would not have been made if not for the ad campaign. This coming winter, it is projected that 515,000 more trips will be made into Utah following the coming winter campaign. For each advertising dollar spent, between $69-176 came back into Utah. The return on investment for the taxes, $5.47-13.27 came back for each dollar spent.
The average time spent in Utah is three days, with the average amount being spent is $1,000. Utah has a higher number of visitors and a larger amount spent during the winter months. Scenic drives, shopping, visiting state and national parks, rural sightseeing, and visiting quaint small towns are the top five reasons given for people who visit Utah. Another interesting fact gathered from the surveys is that 70 percent of the respondents who said they saw the ads, informed Miller’s company they had seen the ad in print media. The remaining percentages saw the ad on TV or on-line.
Miller advised people in this area who want to attract tourists, to build on the Utah-Life Elevated brand that is already established. Take advantage of cooperative opportunities for advertising. Learn from what Utah has done and expand on it. Conduct your own research to find what will work for you. Learn about the visitors who come and their motivations for coming. Then focus your efforts in the right markets with the right message.
“Utah Life Elevated is working and becoming more well known. Our summer campaign was shorter that the winter one, that may be the reason for more winter visitors. The campaign for summer 2007 will be longer, and we are hoping that will make a difference in travel this season,” said Miller.
She added the basic value of attracting a family of four to an area is $234.
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