8 Visit <strong>California</strong>’s 5-Year <strong>Marketing</strong> Approach VISIT CALIFORNIA STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 CTTC_5yr_ExecSumm_LINO.indd 8 2/16/12 9:02 AM
<strong>Marketing</strong> Program History & Success Visit <strong>California</strong>’s marketing approach for <strong>the</strong> next five years builds upon <strong>the</strong> tremendous success of Visit <strong>California</strong>’s current marketing program. With <strong>the</strong> Foundational <strong>Plan</strong>, Visit <strong>California</strong> laid a powerful strategic foundation, applying hard data and industry insights to craft a roadmap that would drive <strong>California</strong> far<strong>the</strong>st. A key part of that road map was finding out, through qualitative research, how <strong>California</strong> differentiated itself from its competitive set. Roughly 10 years ago, Visit <strong>California</strong> discovered that <strong>the</strong> <strong>California</strong> lifestyle is what truly made <strong>the</strong> Golden State unique among global destinations. The “<strong>California</strong> Attitude”—<strong>California</strong>ns’ unique approach to life (putting pleasure first and living life to <strong>the</strong> fullest)—is what drove <strong>the</strong> mystique of, and desire for, a <strong>California</strong> vacation. This message resonated strongly with consumers, particularly when <strong>the</strong> embodiment of <strong>the</strong> lifestyle included Hollywood celebrities. The quantitative tracking results were powerful and consistently positive. By capitalizing on <strong>the</strong>se brand assets in Visit <strong>California</strong>’s advertising program strategy, and integrating <strong>the</strong>m into tourism sales and public relations efforts, Visit <strong>California</strong> was quickly able to demonstrate positive results. As an example, most recently, during <strong>the</strong> “great recession” of 2009, Visit <strong>California</strong> maintained its domestic marketing investment. As a result, <strong>the</strong> <strong>California</strong> tourism industry realized 3.4 million incremental trips and $4.2 billion in spending. The $305 to $1 return on investment far exceeded advertising ROI seen for competing destinations, even during better economic times. <strong>California</strong>’s share of <strong>the</strong> U.S. market is nearly double that of its closest competitor (11.27% vs. 6.5%). SINCE 2006, THE MEASuRED ECONOMIC IMPACT GENERATED BY THE DOMESTIC PROGRAM HAS GROWN FROM $1.96 BILLION TO $6.55 BILLION. Brand Platform When Visit <strong>California</strong>’s budget grew to $50 million in 2007, <strong>the</strong> team invested in updated and more comprehensive qualitative research programs to study and explore <strong>the</strong> relevance and impact of <strong>California</strong>’s brand platform domestically. This research showed that <strong>the</strong> “<strong>California</strong> Attitude” was as relevant as ever. In fact, Visit <strong>California</strong> discovered an aspirational quality where consumers wanted to experience <strong>the</strong> <strong>California</strong> lifestyle—or at least see it for <strong>the</strong>mselves. Visit <strong>California</strong> also discovered that <strong>the</strong> idea of “Abundance,” <strong>the</strong> best of everything in one place, solidified <strong>California</strong>’s value proposition. When combining <strong>the</strong> “<strong>California</strong> Attitude” with “Abundance,” <strong>California</strong> becomes a “Superlative” destination—a place where consumers can live like a <strong>California</strong>n, essentially becoming a <strong>California</strong>n <strong>the</strong>mselves during <strong>the</strong>ir visit. Visit <strong>California</strong> used this important research and additional funding in 2007 to broaden its message platform. In addition to <strong>the</strong> core umbrella campaign (<strong>California</strong> Attitude), Visit <strong>California</strong> introduced three additional, distinct efforts: • <strong>California</strong> Wine & Food (wine and food appeals to more affluent travelers) • <strong>California</strong> Insider (re-inspiring “brand familiars” with rural regions beyond <strong>the</strong> gateways) • <strong>California</strong> Snow (supports <strong>the</strong> winter/snow experience, a younger/edgier side) With additional, consistent funding and <strong>the</strong> strategic deployment of <strong>the</strong> above programs, Visit <strong>California</strong>’s advertising ROI has soared. Since 2006, <strong>the</strong> measured economic impact generated by <strong>the</strong> domestic program has grown from $1.96 billion to $4.66 billion. This is a historic high, unmatched by our domestic competitive set. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9 CTTC_5yr_ExecSumm_LINO.indd 9 2/16/12 9:02 AM
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