Digital Marketing Initiatives for Increased Targeting

Google & Visit Florida Digital Marketing Cooperative Program

Google and Visit Florida, the state's official tourism marketing organization, have partnered on a digital marketing cooperative program that spans display, video and mobile, the companies said on Dec. 12.

The partnership enables Visit Florida to work with businesses in the state's tourism industry to run ads targeted to travelers who view content across the Google Display Network, YouTube and on mobile devices through Google's AdMob mobile platform.

The ads will be cobranded by Visit Florida and its partners. Visit Florida will match every dollar a business spends to run ads via the program," said Sarah Travis, head of travel for the Google Online Sales group. Advertisers will have access to premium placements through reserved inventory and will run on weather, travel, news and women's interest sites, Travis said. Additionally, ads will be geotargeted to consumers in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Detroit, Dallas and Washington, D.C, she said.

Travis said that cooperative marketing programs for destination marketers have historically run offline through print media, but a study conducted by Google earlier this year found that 85% of consumers cite the Internet as their primary source of information when making travel plans. She added that 20% of hotel queries are made on mobile devices and consumers visit on average 17 different sites when researching their travel plans. “Each one is an opportunity for destination marketing organizations to influence [consumers] to visit their destination,” Travis said.

Online media is a powerful way destinations can reach consumers during the travel planning process and shape interest in their destination. Businesses and CVBs invested in the Florida market can participate in this program to grow their brand and reach travelers as they plan across websites, video and mobile devices. Campaigns will span across premium content on the Google Display Network, YouTube and the Google AdMob mobile platform. The fully integrated co-branding package is part of a strategic push to reach a national audience and key markets to inspire travel to Florida.

Source: www.visitfloridablog.org

Tropical North Queensland Targets Adventure Market

NORWEGIAN backpacker Eline Bekkelund Hole is the bright face of a social media campaign to lure more free and independent travellers to tropical north Queensland.

She is travelling around the region after winning a $4500, 11-day adventure which includes all accommodation and tours plus a return bus trip from Sydney. "I am delighted to have won the adventure which I will be telling everyone about on Facebook," Ms Hole said. "This is a dream to dive on the Great Barrier Reef as well as doing all the other exciting things."

Backpacking Cairns Association is promoting the Cairns Epic Adventure on its Up Top Down Under website, launching it at the recent Backpacker Adventure Travel Expo in Sydney. Passions of Paradise chief executive officer Scotty Garden said the campaign was about positioning Cairns as the No.1 destination for this vital segment of the tourism market.

"More than a quarter of the people who attended the expo heard about it through social media and Backpacking Cairns is using the same medium to make Eline the face of a backpacking campaign to entice people to the region," he said.

Passions of Paradise is one of 17 operators to donate tours and accommodation to the campaign which will see Ms Hole diving on the Reef, hot air ballooning, bungy jumping and whitewater rafting.

Source: www.uptopdownunder.com, www.cairns.com.au

Singapore Tourism Board  Launches Differentiated Marketing Campaigns

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) just launched its series of differentiated marketing campaigns, starting with the New Discoveries campaign in Beijing, China. This has been tailored to suit the needs of consumers in China. In the coming months, customised marketing plans will be rolled out in phases across other key markets, including Australia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The new approach, which is focused on addressing consumer needs, marks a departure from the destination marketing strategy that STB used to employ across different markets. The consumer marketing approach has resulted in more targeted and integrated marketing campaigns that will comprise PR, above and below-the-line advertising and digital marketing.

"In the past year, we have deepened the understanding of consumers in the various regions. This has allowed us to develop strategies that are customised to the needs of individual markets. By understanding consumer needs, we can create and deliver better quality experiences to visitors. This is a natural evolution of the YourSingapore destination brand that emphasises the personalisation of experiences. We believe that this visitor-centricity will increase the appeal and relevance of Singapore, and help build a stronger brand in the long term." said Ms Sophia Ng, Executive Director, Brand and Marketing of the Singapore Tourism Board.

Earlier this year, STB embarked on various in-market engagements with consumers and trade which have provided an increased understanding of the consumers from these initial launch markets. This, coupled with STB’s market knowledge gleaned from years of operating overseas, enabled the team to develop customised marketing plans. With these insights, STB will also work with industry partners, both locally and in the markets, to develop and package more meaningful destination experiences.

Chinese Consumer Insights & New Discoveries Campaign

From conversations with various consumers and trade, STB found that whilst Chinese still come on packaged tours, many are increasingly making their own online bookings and travelling as free, independent travellers. More significantly, they sought a greater depth of travel experiences that include new, unique experiences.

"The New Discoveries marketing campaign leverages this consumer insight in order to enhance our engagement with the Chinese audience. Singapore is a city that is constantly evolving and renewing itself. On top of what consumers already know of Singapore’s well-known tourist attractions, we want to help Chinese deepen their understanding of our city, providing them with compelling reasons to visit Singapore again and again." added Ms Ng, "Not only do we want to share the new experiences that Singapore offers, we would also like to encourage our Chinese visitors to look beyond the surface and uncover for themselves the hidden gems."

STB has also partnered with three major travel agencies in China to launch a series of New Discoveries packaged tours. In addition to pre-arranged flight and accommodation options, these free and easy tour packages come with a fully personalisable itinerary. The New Discoveries launch event was held at Beijing’s edgy 798 art district with home-grown celebrity Stefanie Sun playing her part as Singapore’s Tourism Ambassador for Greater China by sharing her favourite spots in Singapore. In the coming months, the campaign will also feature local Chinese advocates at various PR and communication touch points, including social media platforms such as Sina Weibo, Douban and Renren to reach the Chinese audience.

Source: https://app.stb.gov.sg