Okaloosa County BOCC — Apr 25, 2013 — 2013 - 2014 Strategic Marketing Plan Draft — reading text

October 1, 2013 – September 30, 2014 Strategic Marketing Plan - DRAFT May 30, 2013  Table of Contents 2013 Snapshot 3 Objectives & Strategies 7 Marketing Initiatives 13 Research 15 Year-round Campaigns 20 Public Relations 27 Ongoing Social Media 30 Measuring Success 35 Marketing Plan Budget 37 2 2013 Snapshot 3  Occupancy Source: Smith Travel Research, Inc. 4  2% Monthly Collections 1.2 Thousands 1 0.8 0.6 2012 2013 0.4 0.2 0 Source: Okaloosa County March Tax Revenue Report 5  Conversation Cloud Visual representation for keyword text data across the web from March – May 2013 6 Objectives & Strategies 7  Objectives • Drive leisure, group and meeting visitation during the Shoulder Seasons • Maintain top-of-mind awareness during peak seasons • Leverage awareness of Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast brand • Maximize impact of media spend 8  Strategies • Communicate year-round messaging while focusing on driving business during the Shoulder Seasons • Utilize research to motivate consumers to select the Emerald Coast as their vacation destination • Target consumers with a combination of traditional and online marketing • Promote and track special events and sponsorships via website • Communicate a value message while growing revenue • Utilize festivals and special events to drive trial and repeat visitation 9  Target Audience Profile Demographics • Adults • Ages 25 – 64 • Annual HH Income of $50,000+ skewing higher Mindset/Lifestyle • Traveler – at least a 3-night stay • Interested in the beach, fishing, shopping, restaurants and more • Looking for an accessible escape 10  Media Markets Primary target audiences will include leisure travelers within a 13-hour–drive radius of the Emerald Coast as well as meeting/group business travelers 11  Media Markets Secondary target audience will include travelers with nonstop lift access 12 Marketing Initiatives 13  Initiatives • Conduct annual consumer research to measure ROI • Develop and implement the following campaigns: • Fall Shoulder Season Campaign, September – October • A Very Emerald Christmas Campaign, November – December • Snowbird Campaign, January – February • Spring Shoulder Season Campaign, Post-Spring Break – Memorial Day • Summer Campaign, Memorial Day – Labor Day • Generate earned media through Public Relations • Create Social Media awareness and engagement through community management and cross-channel campaigns 14 Research 15  Consumer Research • Conducting consumer research to increase efficacy of marketing efforts • Understand consumers’ attitudes, awareness and perceptions of Destin, Ft. Walton and Okaloosa Island • Uncover opportunities to increase visitation • Obtain understanding of what drives visitation • Understand leisure travel planning process • Explore meaning of Emerald Coast • Uncover any barriers to visitation 16  Initial Findings • Travelers plan their trips according to a variety of factors such as special events, deals or interests • Beach vacations tend to fit into two categories: easy getaways and the annual vacation • Planning for any vacation is primarily done online • Beach travelers have a particular set of priorities (budget, ease of travel, activities and interests, etc.) • Non-peak season beach trips are attractive for their lower prices and smaller crowds • Beaches of Emerald Coast are familiar to regional travelers Source: Marketing Dynamics Research Group Study 2013 17  Visitor Profile Research • Partnering with University of West Florida to develop visitor profile information in order to: • Measure ROI and effectiveness of marketing efforts • Define marketing parameters • Media Markets • Demographics • Target Insight • Outline growth of the destination and forecast for the future 18  Visitor Profile Research • Findings to include: • Visitation • Visitor Expenditure • Length of Stay • Cities of Origin • Demographics • Hotel Nights/Condo Nights • Forecasting for Future • Economic Impact 19 Year-round Campaigns 20  Shoulder Season Campaigns Objectives • Drive new visitation and increase bookings to Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast post-Spring Break through Memorial Day and post-Labor Day through October Strategies • Build and maintain visibility across all steps in the travel planning and booking process • Paid search, travel content and booking/deal sites and Social Media • Utilize media to drive consumers to campaign landing pages • Communicate value messages to drive bookings 21  Shoulder Season Campaigns Target Audience • Primary Audience • Adults 25-54 without children in the home • Annual HH Income of $50,000+ skewing higher • Secondary Audience • Senior adults Media Spend • $200,000 per Campaign 22  A Very Emerald Christmas Objectives • Drive new visitation and increase bookings during the entire month of December Strategies • Create a new season by developing a new product, A Very Emerald Christmas • Capitalize on existing events, room discounts, restaurant specials and more to create a unique consumer experience during the holiday time period Target • Primary Audience • Adults 25-64 • Annual HH Income of $50,000+ skewing higher Media Spend • $525,000 23  Summer Campaign Objectives • Maintain top of mind awareness among consumers when choosing their summer family beach vacation Strategies • Highlight family – friendly activities in Okaloosa County to drive visitation • Reach target audience across all platforms in the travel planning process Target • Primary Audience • Adults 25-64 Media Spend • $100,000 24  Snowbird Campaign Objectives • Drive visitation to Okaloosa County during the winter months among Snowbird travelers Strategies • Communicate the unique activities and value that Okaloosa County offers during the winter • Develop tactical approaches to directly reach consumers and encourage them to choose Okaloosa County as their winter escape Target • Primary Audience • Adults 55+ Media Spend • $130,000 25  Groups, Meetings & Conventions Objectives • Raise awareness of Okaloosa County as the premier destination to hold events, meetings and groups • Drive incremental bookings Strategies • Position Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast’s unique offerings as the premier location for groups and meeting business • Develop collateral material to support top niche audiences (e.g., military video) • Identify key media opportunities to effectively reach target audiences • Utilize lead generation outlets to directly solicit RFPs (e.g., Cvent) • Work in collaboration with Public Relations and Social Media to position Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast as the top group and meeting destination 26 Public Relations 27  General Awareness Objectives • Raise awareness of Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast • Leverage the natural assets of the area to highlight the Emerald Coast during Shoulder Seasons Strategies • Support Shoulder Season Campaigns • Work in collaboration with Social Media to utilize existing media channels (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) • Utilize news coverage to establish Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast as the top choice for a vacation destination • Position Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast’s unique offerings as the premier location for group and meeting business 28  Tactics Provide Event-Focused Outreach • Outreach to target publications • Identify newsworthy events for corresponding trade publications Target Regional/National Media Outlets • Pitch story angles that highlight Okaloosa’s assets • Facilitate media opportunities and inquiries • Invite media to participate in familiarization tours • Establish a presence at the Society of American Travel Writers 2013 Convention, October 20-25, 2013 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast • Create a pre- or post-destination tour for select travel writers 29 Ongoing Social Media 30  Overview Objectives • Utilize social channels to reach current Okaloosa County visitors, future visitors and the local community • Provide a unique, two-way communication channel to call fans to action • Glean consumer insights from all social networks to enhance content and generate brand awareness Strategies • Generate awareness about Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast as a tourist destination through current and new social channels • Drive consideration by educating fans about the Emerald Coast through live content and repurposing user experience • Integrate Social Media into campaigns throughout the year, keeping messaging consistent through all channels • Encourage preference by identifying and engaging key online influencers in conversation 31  Channels Fans/Followers (As of URL Network 5/20/13) Facebook www.facebook.com/FloridasEmeraldCoast 447K Twitter twitter.com/EmeraldCoastFLA 3.5K Pinterest pinterest.com/emeraldcoastfla/ 248 Instagram To Come To Come 32  Key Initiatives • Launch Instagram • Fastest growing image – based social