Running Head: A REPORT ON THE TRAVELNEVADA CAMPAIGN
Attracting Millenials: How TravelNevada Achieved Success
Alexa Turkovich
Amanda Vigil
Brooke Miller
Ashley Newman
Alexa’s section
TravelNevada brought on Fahlgren Mortine for a campaign to bring millennials to its tourism destination. The agency targeted the state’s young audience and increased people to visit anywhere from Las Vegas to Reno. The “Don’t Fence It In” campaign was curated to attract millennials by involving stakeholders and creating an authentic story (PRSA Content Connection). Typically, an older demographic from 40-65 years old was targeted by Nevada but with this campaign they had the opportunity to break into a new audience.
The situation analysis identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Some strengths TravelNevada already has on the tourism market is that people are is name recognition. Many americans are aware of the tourist destination and 53 million tourist enter the state each year (PRSA Content Connection). A weakness the area has is that its most typical traveler from age 40-65 has been not increasing in traffic. They needed to start appeal to a new demographic. The opportunity for this “Don’t Fence It In” campaign was to enter an entire new age of travelers, the millenials. However, a threat to taking this approach is that millennials are more difficult to reach through traditional advertising. The message created can be easily lost if it is not executed perfectly.
A variety of research was done by Fahlgren Mortine to prepare for the implementation of this campaign. The secondary research conducted millennial trend research to discover traits and personalities of the target audience they were planning to attract. Fahlgren Mortine also audited TravelNevada’s online presence and site to find what aspect of their site attracted the most traffic. The primary research for this campaign was conducted by Destination Analysts and found that: “social content is extremely influential, and the intersection points between millennial “wants” and Nevada’s “haves” center on freedom and wide-open road-trip experiences. This was used to refine the core content areas in the strategy,”(PRSA Content Connection). Also, a custom visitor profile was done to hone in on campaign targets, to gain the best possible understand of the demographic.
An extensive amount of planning went into the idea behind “Don’t Fence It In.” The objectives were incredibly specific, and the campaign wanted to secure 10 positive A-list stories and 50 positive B-list stories that focused on the storylines behind this campaign (PRSA Content Connection). Other objectives were to create 15 participating partners, and grow TravelNevada’s Instagram presence by 5 percent (PRSA Content Connection). More objectives included increasing the overall campaign return on investment by percent, to better perceptions of Nevada among more than 40 percent of those surveyed and to enhance the value of TravelNevada.com (PRSA Content Connection). After considering the objectives, it is clear that the goals of this campaign are to increase positive sentiment of the state of Nevada, and to gain more younger travelers. Based on the premise of the “Don’t Fence It In” campaign, the target audience of people ages 18-34 known as millennials is what is being targeted. The two main strategies that were developed were made around marketing and education. Without these two elements driving the campaign, it would not have been as successful. Tactics used throughout the implementation of this campaign revolved around: storytelling, a road trip press tour, Instagram influencers, a video experience and social media content creation (PRSA Content Connection). These tactics were all implemented during the appropriate needed times to create the best possible results for the “Don’t Fence It In” initiative. The messages released included a series of images that were specifically crafted towards target their sought after demographic.
The execution of the “Don’t Fence It In,” campaign was done well and received properly by the intended audience. The mixture of tactics Fahlgren Mortine used made this initiative creative and the mixture of the IMC strategy was proportional to what needed to be done to receive a successful evaluation. All of their objectives were met by a landslide, which is why this campaign was submitted to be considered for a silver anvil award.
Alexa’s Section End
Amanda’s Section Beginning:
TravelNevada, was predicated on the mission to promote statewide tourism of its natural wonders, cultural celebrations, and business attractions. They seek to provide a variety of tourists with activities and accommodations to fit their desired needs. With a list of unique partners all committed to promoting tourism in Nevada, each showcase the variety of diverse features that Nevada has to offer. Partners include Reno- Sparks Convention Center, Western Folklife Center, Nevada Northern Railway, Beatty Chamber of Commerce, Carson City Visitors Bureau, and Boulder City Chamber of Commerce.
Over the years, TravelNevada has also partnered with Nevada Magazine to publicize the history of the state, upcoming events, tourist attractions, and other current information about the current events in the state. Funded through federal and state grants. Most recently in 2018 they received a $200,000 grant for the funding of 25 tourism infrastructure projects from the Nevada Commission on Tourism (NV Culture). In their most recent campaign “Don’t Fence Me In”, created in collaboration with Fahlgren Mortine the pair worked to reach a new audience of potential tourists. Due to a plateau in the “traditional tourist groups (ages 40-65)”, Travel Nevada decided to try to appeal to a younger audience- Millennials (ages 18-34).
Shifting their focus to adventure inspired advertising, “TravelNevada and Fahlgren Mortine created a content strategy with a heavy focus on stakeholder involvement, including hoteliers, attractions and tour companies, to help amplify the message and empower its storytellers” (PRSA). In addition, they also utilized “integrated communications elements included a content strategy focused on road trip experiences, and supported by other niche themes based on visitor preferences and research” (PRSA).
TravelNevada and Fahlgren Mortine set out to achieve this using a two pronged approach. First, by “developing and executing a result-driven strategic marketing program that compels consumer purchase decisions through effective use of key marketing and sales channels” (NV Culture). Secondly, by focusing on education of two main groups; members of the Nevada tourism industry and potential visitors. The education of the first group is essential to “create professional development opportunities for members…that raise the level of expertise across all industry sectors”. In terms of the later group, they are seeking to “educate potential visitors through a robust public relations- led integrated marketing program and Nevada Magazine to convey the experience available throughout the state” (NV Culture).
Their slogan “Don’t Fence Me In,” corresponds with their key message of educating and inspiring adventure in the younger generation and educating them on the o. In addition, the images in the advertisements showcase a variety of outdoor activities in picturesque sceneries that millennials can embark on both in a group or by themselves.
The “result- driven strategic marketing program” formulated their targeted social media strategy in order to appeal to the millennial generation and enable them to book accomodation and/ or attractions upon viewing the possibilities Nevada offers. The The use of the #DMFI was created in order to both track the impact and showcase the campaign on TravelNevada’s social media platforms. By creating this hashtag, TravelNevada enabled millennials to share their stories of their adventurous actions as well as educating their followers about the potential experiences awaiting them throughout the state. In addition, TravelNevada continued this educational storytelling strategy on their own social media pages (specifically Instagram), by reposting specific individual’s photo content who used #DMFI in their post.
Sample Instagram Post:
TravelNevada also utilized #DMFI on Twitter, enabling people to not only follow their account but the hashtag as well in order to keep up with people’s individual adventures.
Sample Twitter Post:
TravelNevada also shared key stories about upcoming and current events held by or related to their partners, as well as other opportunities for new places to explore throughout the state on their Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, pages. Thus, working in accordance of their strategy to educate their potential visitors about what is located in the state.
Sample Facebook Post:
Lastly, their youtube channel features a wide selection of videos related to a selection of topics that are broken into playlists in order to educate the user on the various features the state of Nevada offers. Topics include a variety of tips from Nevada insiders, information on their great outdoors and road trip ideas. They also feature a collection of the different commercials that have aired for their “Don’t Fence Me In” campaign.
Sample Youtube Video Playlist:
Overall the content presented on the news releases from TravelNevada and the message of the content they posted on their social media, advertising, and other platforms all promote a singular idea and do not contradict each other. Their strategies were implemented through their use of targeted tactics to raise awareness and education of the variety of experiences offered to one when they visit Nevada. Information about campaign updates, related events and more were all announced using news releases in order to provide the media with accurate information. All of their news release are also easily sourced on the TravelNevada’s website.
Sample News Release:
Their message, “Don’t Fence Me In” is clear and inspires millennials to find adventure and share their stories of exploration. In addition, the media coverage received provided accurate information about campaign including its mission, events, attractions as well as other key aspects about Nevada that TravelNevada was seeking to educate their target audience about.
Sample Media Coverage:
End of Amanda’s Section
Start of Ashley’s Section
TravelNevada has published their strategic marketing plan for the upcoming year and has identified their mission and vision. Their target audience is still focusing on millennials as this particular generation is larger and more adventurous than any other. This age group ranges from 18 to 34 years of age. The main focus of this year’s strategic plan is to effectively promote statewide tourism and enhance the states economic vitality (NV Culture). The goal from this is to provide a better quality of life for those living in Nevada. This strategy primarily aims to execute two components; strategic marketing and education.
The strategic marketing plan follows similar guidelines as it did in previous years, however, this year in particular, TravelNevada is searching for new ways to incorporate technology into their campaign efforts and bring in more engagement with the millennial generation through various social media platforms. Nonetheless, TravelNevada is taking incorporating new ideas and riskier approaches than they are accustomed to with the hopes of transforming the current perception of Nevada and recreate their brand. The goal is to challenge traditional beliefs and views of Nevada and what it has to offer among the millennial generation and encourage conversations about the core of Nevada’s arts, culture, heritage and adventures. This new brand inspires a break-free attitude and aims to break boundaries.
Through combined research and various studies, TravelNevada has found that the millennial generation is best described as the generation that “lives to travel” and expects to “travel without boundaries.” Based on this information and TravelNevada’s aim to bring in millennial travelers, they have built their brand on four pillars which include uninhibited freedom, inspiring discoveries, rewarding adventures and unexpectedly diverse.
TravelNevada has been encouraging those who visit, to post pictures during their stay and use the hashstags #DFMI and #travelnevada. This serves as earned media for TravelNevada and shows the possibilities available to travelers. These posts are mostly found on social media platforms like Instagram. This campaign not only brought more followers to the TravelNevada account, but also shared the individual stories and experiences of millennial travelers visiting Nevada, which in return advocated what the entire state of Nevada has to offer.
Instagram sample photos:
Another marketing strategy that TravelNevada has recently brought to life is Nevada day, which also happens to be the day that Nevada officially became a state on October 31. They have used this as a means to encourage followers of their social media accounts to share their experiences in Nevada and celebrate it as a state.
Sample Photo:
The second component of TravelNevada’s strategic plan for this fiscal year focuses on education which is broken down into two areas of focus. Professional development among Nevada still remains a priority and TravelNevada is aiming to increase the level of expertise among the tourism industry and various sectors across the state. TravelNevada is also targeting potential visitors to educate them on the possible experiences Nevada can provide using public-relations-led integrated marketing program and the Nevada Magazine. According to TravelNevada’s strategy plan for the next Fiscal Year is focusing on international visitation, raising international travelers from 15 to 20% by 2020.
TravelNevada Strategic Plan Photo:
TravelNevada has been the headline of various newspapers and online journals all within the last few years. Many of these features shed light on TravelNevada’s plans to bring in more visitors and several had commended them on their campaign efforts thus far.
The Northern Star, a newspaper based in Carson City, Nevada published a newspaper stating, “Nevada is launching a fresh tourism campaign focused on attracting adventure-loving millennials to the state — especially to the rural areas less trafficked than Las Vegas’. Another publication, Saffron Synergies, explained the sales and Industry partners for TravelNevada and their efforts to bring in families and honeymooners to Nevada by promoting the scenic rural towns. The Las Vegas Business Press announced TravelNevada’s plan to begin their campaign efforts in a piece in 2015 writing, “Besides the hustle and bustle in downtown Las Vegas, the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs also makes sure to market the natural, serene part of the Las Vegas area that can be found in attractions such as Mount Charleston, Red Rock, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.’
Although there weren’t a lot of newspaper articles written about the TravelNevada campaign, there was a presence for the campaign on social media platforms, which helped them interact with their target audience, millennial travelers. Overall, the campaign received positive feedback from those who reported on it and has since been found as an effective campaign in their media efforts.
Start of Brookes section
As millennials, we can relate to many components within the Nevada “Don’t Fence Me in” campaign. After realizing the need to target millennials between the ages of 18-35, the campaign recognized that millennials and adventure-minded travelers prefer stories to ads. TravelNevada and Fahlgren Mortine created a content strategy with a heavy focus on stakeholder involvement, including hoteliers, attractions and tour companies, to help amplify the message and empower its storytellers. Recently, other businesses are facing the same problem that Nevada was facing prior to the “Don’t Fence Me in” campaign. We believe that every tactic that the campaign used successfully worked for them because they put so much thought and research behind each one.
Changing consumer tastes, evolving technology, corporate complacency, and bad business decisions are all factors that can contribute to a company becoming unsuccessful. Toys “R” Us who has recently been in the news after they announced its original plan to sell or close all 800 U.S. stores which eventually turned into the retailer closing all locations. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2017 as they were struggling to pay almost $8 billion in debt. The company was having trouble getting consumers to come into their store instead of purchasing toys on Amazon or other online websites. However, it was previously reported that Toys ‘R’ Us Inc. lenders, who took control of the company when it was in its liquidation stages, was working on bringing the company back. The news of this forthcoming store comes days after the store’s mascot Geoffrey the giraffe appeared at the Dallas Toy Preview, wearing a cape that featured the company’s new logo and store name. Toys ‘R’ Us is successfully using rebranding tactics by incorporating their widely recognized giraffe, Geoffrey. The store is apparently set to be called Geoffrey’s Toy Box, “Wholesale toy distributor and intellectual property company whose focus is on popular play patterns across trusted brands that kids and parents love. Geoffrey’s Toy Box is a fully outfitted organization with design, development and global sourcing expertise.” Geoffrey’s photo has been shared all over social media wearing a cape that says “back from vacation”. We will have to wait a few months in order to measure the success of this rebrand. However, I believe just like the “Don’t Fence Me in” campaign, Toys ‘R’ Us will have great success if they target a specific audience and use social media heavily to reach their consumers.
A successful campaign requires more than a revamped logo. It demands a vision that inspires customers, investors, and others to see the company in a new light. Another company that has had great success thanks to rebranding is UPS. UPS was desperately looking for a way to beat its competitor in the late ’90s. It was FedEx, after all, who introduced overnight deliveries and the ability to track packages with computers. UPS’s main solution was to remind customers of the ways UPS can meet their needs. UPS replaced its slogan “Moving at the speed of business” with “What can brown do for you?” and created ads with characters like the “Mailroom Guy,” and the “CEO” to show that no matter where somebody fell on the managerial ladder, UPS could help that person. The new approach started to show results. UPS raked in a profit margin that was roughly double FedEx’s margin in 2001, prompting Bloomberg Businessweek to declare, “on many fronts, UPS is winning the battles.” A decade later, UPS continues to show customers what it can do. UPS claims its latest slogan, “We [Heart] Logistics” is the shipping giant’s first global slogan, designed to highlight its position as a company that serves customers worldwide. Much like the “Don’t Fence Me in” campaign, UPS used forward-looking slogans that tell customers your company is continuously adapting and providing new ways to meet their demands. UPS successfully identified and implemented many similar tactics such as digital, social and mobile content creation.
For years Old Spice was considered untouchable for any man under the age of 60. That was until 2010, when a viral ad campaign turned the product around. The ad featured former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa telling women to “Look at your man, now back to me” while sitting on a horse or taking a shower instantly appealed to the younger consumer and generated tens of millions of online views. A hugely successful social media campaign followed. As a result, sales of the Old Spice Body Wash rose 11% in the 12 months following the rebrand. While the product itself remained unchanged, its image underwent a large transformation. Old Spice showed that a sense of humor can go a long way. Also similar to the “Don’t Fence Me in” campaign, Old Spice realized that they needed to target millennials in order to sell more of their products. They both enhanced relationships with stakeholders and industry partners by creating public relations opportunities that encouraged their participation, focused on digital, social and mobile content creation, and added more authentic and user-generated co
Works Cited
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Nevada to launch fresh tourism campaign for fall. (2015, Sep 30). University WireRetrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1718092284?accountid=13158
Pandey, A. (2016, Feb 04). Travel nevada to promote destinations beyond las vegas to tap families & honeymooners. TravelBiz Monitor, Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1762401688?accountid=13158
PRSA Content Connection. “2018 Silver Anvil Award of Excellence Case Study: Nevada’s ‘Don’t Fence Me In’ Campaign Opens Door to Expanded Tourism.” PRSA Content Connection.
Research / Strategy. Retrieved from http://nvculture.org/travelnevadabiz/research-strategy/
TravelNevada grants funding for 25 tourism infrastructure projects. Retrieved from http://nvculture.org/travelnevadabiz/travelnevada-grants-funding-for-25-tourism-infrastructure-projects/