November 26, 2024 • 18 mins
Exploring AI, Data Strategies, and Creative Campaigns in Travel Marketing
Fresh from the eTourism Connect conference, Pat discusses the increasing interest in AI and data strategies among Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and emphasizes the importance of integrating community engagement and sustainability into marketing efforts. He also highlights the creative 'Hey, Aliens' campaign by Visit Lex that successfully leveraged humor and social media for impactful results. The episode concludes with actionable insights for implementing data-driven strategies and adapting to evolving marketing landscapes.
00:00 Welcome to Traditional Tourism Insights
00:49 Recap of eTourism Connect Conference
01:31 The Buzz Around AI in Tourism Marketing
02:21 Data and ROI: The Big Challenges
04:32 Community Engagement and Sustainability
08:16 Adapting to Economic Pressures
13:37 Campaign Spotlight: Hey, Aliens! Look at Lexington
17:38 Key Takeaways and Closing Remarks
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Pat (00:13):
Hello, and welcome to Traditional Tourism Insights, a
podcast by Digital Relativity.
I'm your host, Pat Strader,founder and CEO of Digital
Relativity, with 25 years ofexperience in travel and tourism
marketing.
I invite you to join me eachepisode for a quick look at
industry trends, research,emerging technologies, and more.
And real talk on what works,what doesn't, and why.
(00:37):
Grab a coffee, a beer, or acocktail.
There is no judgment here.
Let's have some fun with anhonest and irreverent look into
the nitty gritty of travel andtourism marketing.
Hey everyone, we just returnedfrom eTourism Connect.
And Washington, DC, he had areally great time meeting
marketing leaders in the traveland tourism space.
(00:59):
And today we're going to take alook at some of the questions
and conversations we had withmore than 30 destination
marketing organizations acrossthe US and Canada, these are the
kind of conversations that Ithink are pure gold.
It really tells me what DMOleaders are thinking about with
keeping them up at night, wherethey see the future of our
(01:20):
industry heading.
So buckle up.
Unpack some of these questionsand conversations and hopefully
we can extract some takeawaysthat'll help all of us stay
ahead of the curve.
One thing that jumps out rightaway is the sheer volume of
requests around AI.
It makes sense, right?
AI is and has been the biggestbuzzword in the marketing space.
(01:43):
Then there's so many tools andideas and stories about how AI
is being used that everyone islearning how to make the most of
these tools in their day to dayoperations.
DMOs are hoping to achieve bigresults with AI, but they're
also realistic about thechallenges.
They're asking for deep dives onbest practices for integrating
(02:03):
AI.
And this tells me that they'renot just interested in the hype,
but that they're looking forsome practical guidance.
How to actually implement thesetools, make them work for their
destinations, and solve aproblem.
Another hot topic.
You guessed it, data.
DMOs are really feeling thepressure to show return on
(02:26):
investment these days.
Attribution was a big, big topicas well as the data.
And basically they need to beable to show and demonstrate
that their marketing effortstranslate into tourist dollars
spent on their destinations.
Proving that connection isgetting more and more complex,
even in this data drivenlandscape in which we are
(02:48):
working.
For example, let's considergenerative search, where AI is
actually writing the searchresults instead of just listing
websites.
It's a game changer for sure,but it also makes it way harder
to track.
Like how do people find yourdestination?
How do you attribute thosevisits to specific marketing
campaigns?
What are DMOs doing about thiswhole data dilemma?
(03:12):
They're getting strategic.
Hello Burlington, for instance,wants to learn how to cross
reference and prioritize datasets.
It's kind of like having alibrary full of books, but
there's no way to find the onethat you need.
It's really easy to getoverwhelmed by the sheer volume
of information.
And they're realizing that theyneed to figure out which numbers
(03:32):
actually move the needle andfocus upon those.
Many folks are talking aboutthese things, and this is great
and exciting.
Uh, because the time has comefor us to reconsider what it is
that we measure and report on.
And good data strategies.
It's not just about collectingdata.
It's about making sense of it,turning it into actionable
insights.
(03:53):
Speaking of actionable insights,our good friends at the
Charleston West Virginia CVV,they are using data to inform
their entire marketingstrategies.
Where they allocate resourcesand what kind of campaigns they
run.
It's about moving beyond vanitymetrics like website visits,
social media likes, diggingdeeper into what's actually
(04:14):
driving bookings and spending.
That kind of data drivenapproach is what sets successful
DMOs apart in today'scompetitive landscape.
But it's not all aboutalgorithms and spreadsheets.
DMOs are also really wrestlingwith some big picture questions.
They want to know how to engageon a deeper level with their
(04:35):
communities and get residentsexcited about tourism
initiatives.
They're also looking for ways topromote sustainable travel
practices and make sure thattourism benefits everyone, not
just a select few.
Let's take a look at VisitVirginia's Blue Ridge.
They're trying to keep up withall the changes in search.
Things like generative search,AI powered.
(04:57):
Searches and within apps and,you know, all the things that
folks are talking about rightnow.
And they know that if they'renot showing up in search
results, potential visitors aregoing to leave and have a hard
time finding them.
So they're being proactive,seeking out knowledge and
strategies to make sure thattheir destination stays visible
in this ever changing digitalworld.
Had a lot of conversations aboutthis.
(05:19):
How do I show up in the AIsearches?
There's a lot to this, but it'sall doable and it's all
manageable.
Yeah.
But the great thing is, too,we're seeing a real shift in
mindset here.
DMOs are realizing that theycan't just rely on traditional
marketing tactics any longer.
They need to be more innovative,more data driven, and more in
tune with the needs of theircommunities.
(05:41):
And, of course, with the needsof the travelers that they're
trying to attract.
That brings up another themethat I find really interesting.
This one focuses on the futureof marketing itself.
Folks are thinking about thelong term trends that are going
to shape our industry, and theywant to be prepared.
It's like they're trying to geta glimpse into the crystal ball,
(06:01):
I know, but instead of justvague predictions, they want
concrete strategies on how tonavigate the years ahead.
That's smart, right?
Because the world of marketingis changing faster than ever
before, and the DMOs that canadapt and evolve are going to be
the ones that thrive.
And it's not just abouttechnology either.
(06:22):
The Greater Wilmington CVB Up inDelaware, they're working on
building community engagement.
They're getting buy in fromresidents for tourism
initiatives, and they recognizethat tourism cannot exist in a
vacuum.
It needs to be integrated intothe fabric of the community.
That means buildingrelationships, fostering
understanding, really makingsure that everybody benefits.
(06:45):
The focus on sustainability is atrend we're seeing across the
board in the travel and tourismspace and it's something that we
as marketers need to take veryseriously.
Consumers are increasinglymaking travel decisions based on
a destination's commitment tosustainability.
So it's essential to highlightthose efforts in your marketing
campaigns.
So, we talked about AI, wetalked about data, community
(07:08):
engagement, sustainability.
But there is one more topicthat's top of mind for travel
and tourism marketing leaders.
Remember how we discussed thatpressure to demonstrate ROI?
Well, it's one thing to proveyour worth.
It's another to actually get theresources you need to do your
job effectively.
(07:28):
Several conversations we hadwere about marketing, budget,
advocacy.
In other words, how to make astrong case for why destination
marketing deserves a seat at thetable.
When budget decisions are beingmade, they need to be able to
connect their marketing effortsdirectly to economic outcomes,
and we know this is difficult.
And to make a compellingargument for why investing in
(07:52):
destination marketing is a smartmove, not just for the tourism
industry, but for the entirecommunity.
This is something I'm incrediblyexcited about.
For too long, destinationmarketing has been seen as a
nice to have.
Rather than an essentialinvestment.
But the reality is the strongdestination marketing strategy
can be a powerful engine foreconomic growth, job creation,
(08:15):
community development.
So you might be thinking this isall well and good, but where do
we begin?
It's easy to get overwhelmed byall the trends and challenges
that we have discussed both inthis short segment.
And with our new friends at theeTourism Connect conference.
But I want to leave you withjust a key, few key things that
you can start implementing rightnow.
(08:37):
First, understand and embracethe power of data.
You don't need to be a datascientist to benefit from data
driven insights.
Start by identifying the keymetrics that matter most to your
destination.
Things like hotel occupancy,visitor spending, economic
impact, I don't know, you tellme.
Thank you.
Then use those metrics to trackyour progress, make informed
(09:00):
decisions, and develop yourstrategies.
As someone who works with DMOsand CEBs of all sizes, I'm
constantly impressed by theiringenuity and their
determination.
You know, they're facing somereally tough headwinds, but
they're not backing down.
They're seeking out newknowledge, adopting new
technologies, Finding creativesolutions to age old problems.
(09:23):
And that's why I find it soinspiring to be part of this
industry.
It's full of passionate,dedicated people.
People who are committed toshowcasing the best of their
destinations.
And creating those memorableexperiences for travelers.
So all the DMO, CVB, travel andtourism leaders out there, keep
asking those difficult questionsand keep pushing those
(09:43):
boundaries.
Today's research roundup, we'regoing to be taking a look at
wave 91 of the American TravelerSentiment Study.
This is a study conducted byMiles Partnership and Longwoods
International.
We're always really fortunate tobe able to access this
information because there's,there's a lot of great stuff in
(10:05):
here and there's some fantastic,um, and useful information in
this particular report.
This was fielded November 7th of2024.
And there's some reallyinteresting things here.
First of all, big takeaway, 92percent of Americans Plan to
travel in the next six months.
It's huge, especially with allthe economic worries.
(10:27):
We keep hearing about soobviously people are still
Prioritizing travel, but thatdoesn't mean that they're not
feeling some pressure when welook at the factors that are
impacting travel decisionsthings like personal finances
transportation costs gas pricesAll those things came up.
The biggest concern, inflationand airfare.
(10:50):
About 30 percent of travelerssaid those are having an impact
on their travel plans.
So how do we adapt our messagingand campaigns knowing this?
Well, first of all, let's justacknowledge the concerns.
Travelers appreciate honesty,and so let's not pretend costs
are not going up.
I think the key here is to shiftthe focus from price to value.
(11:13):
Instead of just promoting thosecheap options, let's highlight
those incredible experiences.
And the memories that travelprovides.
Focus on parts of yourdestinations and packages that
offer something special,something unique.
Experiences, personalizedservice, maybe some kind of
extra perks.
Things that really enhance thewhole trip, because ultimately
(11:35):
people are trying to make theirbudgets work.
They still want to have anamazing time, and you know what?
We can help them do that.
Another interesting trend fromthis survey, with airfares being
high, more and more people arehitting the open road.
33 percent of those surveyedplan to do at least one road
trip, and 16 percent say they'redoing road trips for all of
(11:56):
their holiday travel.
It's a big opportunity for us,road trips.
I mean, they represent thatsense of freedom, adventure,
chance to discover those hiddengems, and the places most
tourists miss.
We can create these incredibleroad trip itineraries, and the
best part?
Road trips can be super budgetfriendly.
It can showcase those bed andbreakfast, family friendly
(12:18):
campgrounds, affordable diningoption.
We can help people have anamazing experience without
spending a fortune.
So let's really capitalize onthe whole road trip thing about
positioning ourselves as theexperts in road trips.
The go to resource for planningthese epic adventures and create
campaigns.
The tap into that desire for thefreedom, exploration, the
(12:39):
authentic experiences.
So people are looking for.
So let's give it to them.
Turns out politics were actuallyinfluencing travel decisions.
For example, asked if thepresidential election would
impact travel plans, 69 percentof people said no.
It gets even more interestingwhen asked about state and city
(13:01):
political climates.
12 percent of people said theywould actually change their
destination to avoid placesbased on their political views.
It raises some questions, right?
How do we navigate this wholepolitical landscape?
Now the big question, how do weactually use all of this
information?
How do we create strategies andcampaigns that show results?
(13:23):
We talked about that 92 percentof Americans who are still
planning trips, that's ouraudience.
They want to travel, but they'redefinitely more careful about it
now.
They want value, authenticity,experiences that fit their
value.
In today's campaign spotlight,we are going to have some fun
and we're going to dive intoHey, aliens, look at Lexington.
(13:46):
This is a fun campaign.
As someone who's been working inthis space for many years, 25
years to be exact, I'm I'mtrying to find those campaigns
that really stand out from thecrowd.
And this one really did it forme.
Imagine trying to get touriststo come from outer space.
Sounds kind of crazy, right?
It's right out of a movie orsomething, but visit Lex.
(14:08):
That's the tourism board over inLexington, Kentucky.
They actually went and did itand they nailed it.
They work with an agency namedTeam Coronet on this project.
And they made this campaign thatjust blew up online.
And so.
What did they actually do?
Well, they kinda leaned into thehumor first off.
You know, playing with all theclassic alien stuff that we all
(14:30):
know they made videos and socialmedia posts that were quite
funny, quite hilarious.
And they invited aliens to comeexperience Lexington.
So think about it, bourbondistilleries and horse farms and
amazing food.
It's like they presented Lexingas this hidden treasure, even
for beings from other planets,you know?
(14:50):
But it wasn't just like throwingsome aliens on a billboard and
that's it.
There was a real plan behind allof this.
And as a marketer, that's what Ireally find interesting.
First of all, they were cleverto use the whole UFO thing
that's been trending.
In various places for quite sometime, everybody's been talking
about UFOs and aliens, I feellike just in all channels, but
(15:13):
so by joining in on thatconversation, they made
Lexington a part of thisconversation and they gave it a
feeling that it's happening now,it's relevant.
Then, they went all out onsocial media.
TikTok dances with aliens.
TikTok dances trying bourbon.
Instagram stories with UFOs overhorse farms.
Facebook posts written in alienlanguages.
(15:36):
The The whole nine yards here.
And it worked.
Pretty big.
Picture this.
You're scrolling through yourphone and bam, you see this
hilarious video about aliensvisiting Lexington.
You gotta stop and watch that,right?
You might even share it withsome friends.
And that's exactly what peopledid.
This campaign spread likewildfire.
Millions of people saw it.
(15:57):
Big magazines like Travel Pulseand Fast Company wrote about it.
But it wasn't all about hype.
The campaign actually got someresults.
Visit Lex said they got way moretraffic to their website and
they had more people askingabout visiting Lexington.
And to top it all off, TeamCoronet, the agency that made
the campaign, well, they won twoTravel Weekly Magellan Awards.
(16:19):
It's a pretty big deal in thetravel and tourism marketing
space.
So, what can we learn from this?
I think there's some keytakeaways here, especially for
people like us in the travel andtourism marketing space.
First off, don't be afraid tothink differently.
You know, Lexington isn'texactly a UFO hotspot or
anything.
They still went with it and itworked.
(16:40):
They made a campaign that peopleremembered and that actually got
results.
Sometimes, the best ideas arethe ones you don't expect.
Secondly, never underestimatethe power of humor.
There's so much advertising outthere these days.
People are just bombarded withit everywhere they look.
And so when you can makesomebody laugh, it really makes
a difference.
(17:01):
It makes your brand feel morerelatable, approachable,
shareable.
People are going to remember it.
This Hey! Aliens campaign, Proofalso that you don't need a ton
of money to reach tons ofpeople.
If you're being creative andsmart with how you use social
media to planning your nextcampaign, think about what makes
your destination special.
(17:21):
What's that thing about that'sunique or unexpected?
How can you make it fun?
And how can you use social mediato get the word out there like
they did at Visit Lex?
Remember, sometimes the craziestideas are the ones that get the
best results.
That's all for today's episode.
I hope that you found one smallpiece of information to help you
(17:43):
along your marketing journey.
If you have any questions, atopic that you'd like to hear
covered, or a great example oftravel and tourism marketing in
the wild, I'd love to hear fromyou.
Just drop me an email, tti atdigital relativity dot com,
that's tti at digital relativitydot com.
Or you can text 209 300 5017,that's 209 300 5017, or message
(18:10):
me on X at Pat Strader.
I'm your host, Pat Strader,signing off, and I invite you to
subscribe wherever you get yourpodcasts, and join us next time
as we continue to explore thefuture of travel and tourism
marketing.
Hello, and welcome to Traditional Tourism Insights, a
podcast by Digital Relativity.
I'm your host, Pat Strader,founder and CEO of Digital
Relativity, with 25 years ofexperience in travel and tourism
marketing.
I invite you to join me eachepisode for a quick look at
industry trends, research,emerging technologies, and more.
And real talk on what works,what doesn't, and why.
(00:37):
Grab a coffee, a beer, or acocktail.
There is no judgment here.
Let's have some fun with anhonest and irreverent look into
the nitty gritty of travel andtourism marketing.
Hey everyone, we just returnedfrom eTourism Connect.
And Washington, DC, he had areally great time meeting
marketing leaders in the traveland tourism space.
(00:59):
And today we're going to take alook at some of the questions
and conversations we had withmore than 30 destination
marketing organizations acrossthe US and Canada, these are the
kind of conversations that Ithink are pure gold.
It really tells me what DMOleaders are thinking about with
keeping them up at night, wherethey see the future of our
(01:20):
industry heading.
So buckle up.
Unpack some of these questionsand conversations and hopefully
we can extract some takeawaysthat'll help all of us stay
ahead of the curve.
One thing that jumps out rightaway is the sheer volume of
requests around AI.
It makes sense, right?
AI is and has been the biggestbuzzword in the marketing space.
(01:43):
Then there's so many tools andideas and stories about how AI
is being used that everyone islearning how to make the most of
these tools in their day to dayoperations.
DMOs are hoping to achieve bigresults with AI, but they're
also realistic about thechallenges.
They're asking for deep dives onbest practices for integrating
(02:03):
AI.
And this tells me that they'renot just interested in the hype,
but that they're looking forsome practical guidance.
How to actually implement thesetools, make them work for their
destinations, and solve aproblem.
Another hot topic.
You guessed it, data.
DMOs are really feeling thepressure to show return on
(02:26):
investment these days.
Attribution was a big, big topicas well as the data.
And basically they need to beable to show and demonstrate
that their marketing effortstranslate into tourist dollars
spent on their destinations.
Proving that connection isgetting more and more complex,
even in this data drivenlandscape in which we are
(02:48):
working.
For example, let's considergenerative search, where AI is
actually writing the searchresults instead of just listing
websites.
It's a game changer for sure,but it also makes it way harder
to track.
Like how do people find yourdestination?
How do you attribute thosevisits to specific marketing
campaigns?
What are DMOs doing about thiswhole data dilemma?
(03:12):
They're getting strategic.
Hello Burlington, for instance,wants to learn how to cross
reference and prioritize datasets.
It's kind of like having alibrary full of books, but
there's no way to find the onethat you need.
It's really easy to getoverwhelmed by the sheer volume
of information.
And they're realizing that theyneed to figure out which numbers
(03:32):
actually move the needle andfocus upon those.
Many folks are talking aboutthese things, and this is great
and exciting.
Uh, because the time has comefor us to reconsider what it is
that we measure and report on.
And good data strategies.
It's not just about collectingdata.
It's about making sense of it,turning it into actionable
insights.
(03:53):
Speaking of actionable insights,our good friends at the
Charleston West Virginia CVV,they are using data to inform
their entire marketingstrategies.
Where they allocate resourcesand what kind of campaigns they
run.
It's about moving beyond vanitymetrics like website visits,
social media likes, diggingdeeper into what's actually
(04:14):
driving bookings and spending.
That kind of data drivenapproach is what sets successful
DMOs apart in today'scompetitive landscape.
But it's not all aboutalgorithms and spreadsheets.
DMOs are also really wrestlingwith some big picture questions.
They want to know how to engageon a deeper level with their
(04:35):
communities and get residentsexcited about tourism
initiatives.
They're also looking for ways topromote sustainable travel
practices and make sure thattourism benefits everyone, not
just a select few.
Let's take a look at VisitVirginia's Blue Ridge.
They're trying to keep up withall the changes in search.
Things like generative search,AI powered.
(04:57):
Searches and within apps and,you know, all the things that
folks are talking about rightnow.
And they know that if they'renot showing up in search
results, potential visitors aregoing to leave and have a hard
time finding them.
So they're being proactive,seeking out knowledge and
strategies to make sure thattheir destination stays visible
in this ever changing digitalworld.
Had a lot of conversations aboutthis.
(05:19):
How do I show up in the AIsearches?
There's a lot to this, but it'sall doable and it's all
manageable.
Yeah.
But the great thing is, too,we're seeing a real shift in
mindset here.
DMOs are realizing that theycan't just rely on traditional
marketing tactics any longer.
They need to be more innovative,more data driven, and more in
tune with the needs of theircommunities.
(05:41):
And, of course, with the needsof the travelers that they're
trying to attract.
That brings up another themethat I find really interesting.
This one focuses on the futureof marketing itself.
Folks are thinking about thelong term trends that are going
to shape our industry, and theywant to be prepared.
It's like they're trying to geta glimpse into the crystal ball,
(06:01):
I know, but instead of justvague predictions, they want
concrete strategies on how tonavigate the years ahead.
That's smart, right?
Because the world of marketingis changing faster than ever
before, and the DMOs that canadapt and evolve are going to be
the ones that thrive.
And it's not just abouttechnology either.
(06:22):
The Greater Wilmington CVB Up inDelaware, they're working on
building community engagement.
They're getting buy in fromresidents for tourism
initiatives, and they recognizethat tourism cannot exist in a
vacuum.
It needs to be integrated intothe fabric of the community.
That means buildingrelationships, fostering
understanding, really makingsure that everybody benefits.
(06:45):
The focus on sustainability is atrend we're seeing across the
board in the travel and tourismspace and it's something that we
as marketers need to take veryseriously.
Consumers are increasinglymaking travel decisions based on
a destination's commitment tosustainability.
So it's essential to highlightthose efforts in your marketing
campaigns.
So, we talked about AI, wetalked about data, community
(07:08):
engagement, sustainability.
But there is one more topicthat's top of mind for travel
and tourism marketing leaders.
Remember how we discussed thatpressure to demonstrate ROI?
Well, it's one thing to proveyour worth.
It's another to actually get theresources you need to do your
job effectively.
(07:28):
Several conversations we hadwere about marketing, budget,
advocacy.
In other words, how to make astrong case for why destination
marketing deserves a seat at thetable.
When budget decisions are beingmade, they need to be able to
connect their marketing effortsdirectly to economic outcomes,
and we know this is difficult.
And to make a compellingargument for why investing in
(07:52):
destination marketing is a smartmove, not just for the tourism
industry, but for the entirecommunity.
This is something I'm incrediblyexcited about.
For too long, destinationmarketing has been seen as a
nice to have.
Rather than an essentialinvestment.
But the reality is the strongdestination marketing strategy
can be a powerful engine foreconomic growth, job creation,
(08:15):
community development.
So you might be thinking this isall well and good, but where do
we begin?
It's easy to get overwhelmed byall the trends and challenges
that we have discussed both inthis short segment.
And with our new friends at theeTourism Connect conference.
But I want to leave you withjust a key, few key things that
you can start implementing rightnow.
(08:37):
First, understand and embracethe power of data.
You don't need to be a datascientist to benefit from data
driven insights.
Start by identifying the keymetrics that matter most to your
destination.
Things like hotel occupancy,visitor spending, economic
impact, I don't know, you tellme.
Thank you.
Then use those metrics to trackyour progress, make informed
(09:00):
decisions, and develop yourstrategies.
As someone who works with DMOsand CEBs of all sizes, I'm
constantly impressed by theiringenuity and their
determination.
You know, they're facing somereally tough headwinds, but
they're not backing down.
They're seeking out newknowledge, adopting new
technologies, Finding creativesolutions to age old problems.
(09:23):
And that's why I find it soinspiring to be part of this
industry.
It's full of passionate,dedicated people.
People who are committed toshowcasing the best of their
destinations.
And creating those memorableexperiences for travelers.
So all the DMO, CVB, travel andtourism leaders out there, keep
asking those difficult questionsand keep pushing those
(09:43):
boundaries.
Today's research roundup, we'regoing to be taking a look at
wave 91 of the American TravelerSentiment Study.
This is a study conducted byMiles Partnership and Longwoods
International.
We're always really fortunate tobe able to access this
information because there's,there's a lot of great stuff in
(10:05):
here and there's some fantastic,um, and useful information in
this particular report.
This was fielded November 7th of2024.
And there's some reallyinteresting things here.
First of all, big takeaway, 92percent of Americans Plan to
travel in the next six months.
It's huge, especially with allthe economic worries.
(10:27):
We keep hearing about soobviously people are still
Prioritizing travel, but thatdoesn't mean that they're not
feeling some pressure when welook at the factors that are
impacting travel decisionsthings like personal finances
transportation costs gas pricesAll those things came up.
The biggest concern, inflationand airfare.
(10:50):
About 30 percent of travelerssaid those are having an impact
on their travel plans.
So how do we adapt our messagingand campaigns knowing this?
Well, first of all, let's justacknowledge the concerns.
Travelers appreciate honesty,and so let's not pretend costs
are not going up.
I think the key here is to shiftthe focus from price to value.
(11:13):
Instead of just promoting thosecheap options, let's highlight
those incredible experiences.
And the memories that travelprovides.
Focus on parts of yourdestinations and packages that
offer something special,something unique.
Experiences, personalizedservice, maybe some kind of
extra perks.
Things that really enhance thewhole trip, because ultimately
(11:35):
people are trying to make theirbudgets work.
They still want to have anamazing time, and you know what?
We can help them do that.
Another interesting trend fromthis survey, with airfares being
high, more and more people arehitting the open road.
33 percent of those surveyedplan to do at least one road
trip, and 16 percent say they'redoing road trips for all of
(11:56):
their holiday travel.
It's a big opportunity for us,road trips.
I mean, they represent thatsense of freedom, adventure,
chance to discover those hiddengems, and the places most
tourists miss.
We can create these incredibleroad trip itineraries, and the
best part?
Road trips can be super budgetfriendly.
It can showcase those bed andbreakfast, family friendly
(12:18):
campgrounds, affordable diningoption.
We can help people have anamazing experience without
spending a fortune.
So let's really capitalize onthe whole road trip thing about
positioning ourselves as theexperts in road trips.
The go to resource for planningthese epic adventures and create
campaigns.
The tap into that desire for thefreedom, exploration, the
(12:39):
authentic experiences.
So people are looking for.
So let's give it to them.
Turns out politics were actuallyinfluencing travel decisions.
For example, asked if thepresidential election would
impact travel plans, 69 percentof people said no.
It gets even more interestingwhen asked about state and city
(13:01):
political climates.
12 percent of people said theywould actually change their
destination to avoid placesbased on their political views.
It raises some questions, right?
How do we navigate this wholepolitical landscape?
Now the big question, how do weactually use all of this
information?
How do we create strategies andcampaigns that show results?
(13:23):
We talked about that 92 percentof Americans who are still
planning trips, that's ouraudience.
They want to travel, but they'redefinitely more careful about it
now.
They want value, authenticity,experiences that fit their
value.
In today's campaign spotlight,we are going to have some fun
and we're going to dive intoHey, aliens, look at Lexington.
(13:46):
This is a fun campaign.
As someone who's been working inthis space for many years, 25
years to be exact, I'm I'mtrying to find those campaigns
that really stand out from thecrowd.
And this one really did it forme.
Imagine trying to get touriststo come from outer space.
Sounds kind of crazy, right?
It's right out of a movie orsomething, but visit Lex.
(14:08):
That's the tourism board over inLexington, Kentucky.
They actually went and did itand they nailed it.
They work with an agency namedTeam Coronet on this project.
And they made this campaign thatjust blew up online.
And so.
What did they actually do?
Well, they kinda leaned into thehumor first off.
You know, playing with all theclassic alien stuff that we all
(14:30):
know they made videos and socialmedia posts that were quite
funny, quite hilarious.
And they invited aliens to comeexperience Lexington.
So think about it, bourbondistilleries and horse farms and
amazing food.
It's like they presented Lexingas this hidden treasure, even
for beings from other planets,you know?
(14:50):
But it wasn't just like throwingsome aliens on a billboard and
that's it.
There was a real plan behind allof this.
And as a marketer, that's what Ireally find interesting.
First of all, they were cleverto use the whole UFO thing
that's been trending.
In various places for quite sometime, everybody's been talking
about UFOs and aliens, I feellike just in all channels, but
(15:13):
so by joining in on thatconversation, they made
Lexington a part of thisconversation and they gave it a
feeling that it's happening now,it's relevant.
Then, they went all out onsocial media.
TikTok dances with aliens.
TikTok dances trying bourbon.
Instagram stories with UFOs overhorse farms.
Facebook posts written in alienlanguages.
(15:36):
The The whole nine yards here.
And it worked.
Pretty big.
Picture this.
You're scrolling through yourphone and bam, you see this
hilarious video about aliensvisiting Lexington.
You gotta stop and watch that,right?
You might even share it withsome friends.
And that's exactly what peopledid.
This campaign spread likewildfire.
Millions of people saw it.
(15:57):
Big magazines like Travel Pulseand Fast Company wrote about it.
But it wasn't all about hype.
The campaign actually got someresults.
Visit Lex said they got way moretraffic to their website and
they had more people askingabout visiting Lexington.
And to top it all off, TeamCoronet, the agency that made
the campaign, well, they won twoTravel Weekly Magellan Awards.
(16:19):
It's a pretty big deal in thetravel and tourism marketing
space.
So, what can we learn from this?
I think there's some keytakeaways here, especially for
people like us in the travel andtourism marketing space.
First off, don't be afraid tothink differently.
You know, Lexington isn'texactly a UFO hotspot or
anything.
They still went with it and itworked.
(16:40):
They made a campaign that peopleremembered and that actually got
results.
Sometimes, the best ideas arethe ones you don't expect.
Secondly, never underestimatethe power of humor.
There's so much advertising outthere these days.
People are just bombarded withit everywhere they look.
And so when you can makesomebody laugh, it really makes
a difference.
(17:01):
It makes your brand feel morerelatable, approachable,
shareable.
People are going to remember it.
This Hey! Aliens campaign, Proofalso that you don't need a ton
of money to reach tons ofpeople.
If you're being creative andsmart with how you use social
media to planning your nextcampaign, think about what makes
your destination special.
(17:21):
What's that thing about that'sunique or unexpected?
How can you make it fun?
And how can you use social mediato get the word out there like
they did at Visit Lex?
Remember, sometimes the craziestideas are the ones that get the
best results.
That's all for today's episode.
I hope that you found one smallpiece of information to help you
(17:43):
along your marketing journey.
If you have any questions, atopic that you'd like to hear
covered, or a great example oftravel and tourism marketing in
the wild, I'd love to hear fromyou.
Just drop me an email, tti atdigital relativity dot com,
that's tti at digital relativitydot com.
Or you can text 209 300 5017,that's 209 300 5017, or message
(18:10):
me on X at Pat Strader.
I'm your host, Pat Strader,signing off, and I invite you to
subscribe wherever you get yourpodcasts, and join us next time
as we continue to explore thefuture of travel and tourism
marketing.
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