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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09. PR Report.Q3.24.Final October 9, 2024 TO:Vail Local Marketing District Advisory Council FROM:Kristin Yantis & Amanda McNally, MYPR CC:Mia Vlaar & Liz Gladitsch, Town of Vail RE:Q3 Public Relations Report Agency Support The third quarter is one of our busiest of the year with several hosted media, influencer and blogger stays in Vail. Following are sample tactics in support of the VLMDAC. Drafted and distributed the fall and winter media tipsheets. Submitted the Discover Vail ad for the Travel Classics West media conference in Scottsdale this fall. Ongoing content updates on the DiscoverVail.com media center. Pitched summer events including Vail America Days. Set up calls with various community partners that represent hotels and events. Followed up on CJ affiliate marketing partnership. Effort on hold until Ripe is up and running with more properties in 2025. Media, influencer and blogger outreach to secure visits this summer/fall. Ongoing trip planning including travel preference forms, setting up air and ground transportation, lodging and all activities during their visit to Vail. MYPR also meets/hosts these partners during their visits to Vail. Attended the fall Michelin announcement media event in Denver. Ongoing media outreach/pitching for summer/fall 2024messages. Met with select Front Range media to discuss summer 2024 story opportunities. Client management including monthly VLMDAC meetings, partner meetings, PR one-on-ones with Town of Vail staff, etc. Q3 Media Coverage As a reminder, last year we met with representatives of the VLMDAC board and TOV staff to discuss how to best illustrate PR successes moving forward. We decided to continue providing the content we’ve been sharing e.g. comp set comparisons, number of clips, key message tracking, media reach and sentiment. However, we also agreed to integrate two specific measurements related to our linkage strategy and target media coverage. Following are the two specific measurements that we will track moving forward. Secure at least a dozen stories that include DiscoverVail.com. Q3 KPI Update: 2 Secure at least two dozen stories inoutlets noted in our target list.(Please note we are still filling out and refining this list but wanted to provide the working document for your knowledge.And, these are MYPR specific placements – not other content secured by partners such as Bravo!, Mountain Games, etc.) Q3 KPI Update: 47(KPI met and exceeded!) We monitor against our comp set to gauge Vail’s performance versus Aspen and Breckenridge. Links to sample media coverage reports for all three destinations are noted below. Vail Coverage Report Breckenridge Coverage Report Aspen Coverage Report* As a reminder, the Vail report goes into greater detail with reach, key message coverage and top markets for coverage – all items we’ve previously tracked. We do not track for this level of detail in the other comp set reports. Aspen Fall foliage travel stories. Festival and quaint small town coverage. Bike and hike friendly travel destinations. *Note there was additional coverage of the Aspen Ideas Festival and Food & Wine that was too extensive to capture for the report. Breckenridge Fall foliage travel stories. Inclusion in “coolcation” travel stories. Several “picturesque small town” stories. Vail Fall foliage travel stories. Girlfriend getaway travel ideas. A lot of event coverage including BRAVO! and the Vail Dance Festival, etc. Our hotel partners were out in force in Q3 with a lot of coverage of the Four Seasons’ new spa, offerings at Grand Hyatt Vail and more. Vail Sample Media Placements JustLuxe.com – July 30, 2024 Headline/Link: No Snow? No Problem. The Best Time to Visit this Picturesque Mountain Town if Not When You Think Note: Key target outlet placement. Result of MYPR hosting writer Dorothy Cascerceri Simone for a visit to Vail this summer. Travel & Leisure/Mark & Kelly – August 2024 Headline/Link:Best Travel Destinations to See Fall Foliage Note: Result of pitching fall tipsheet. T+L editor Jaqui Gifford created her list of top fall foliage destinations and was on the Mark & Kelly show. The segment featured Vail as a top fall getaway. Denver Post – July 9, 2024 Headline/Link: Why summer is secretly Vail’s best season Note: Result of MYPR’s long-standing relationship with writer Shauna Farnell Paid Storytelling Blogger Program In summer 2024, we hosted four bloggers through Q3 who were contracted to produce blog content with a follow link to DiscoverVail.com. As a bonus, each blogger also posted on social media, however, this was not a part of their contracted stay. Following are the stories that resulted from the Q3 effort. TravelingMel.com – Things to Do in Vail, Colorado in Summer Travelingspud.com – The Best Things to Do in Vail, Colorado in Summer MyCurlyAdventures.com – Ultimate Guide to Fun Things to Do in Vail Village NicholeTheNomad.com – 12 Things to Do in Vail in Summer: Fun Vail Summer Activities Influencer Program Primary 2024 Campaign Goals: Expand organic reach and impressions through MYPR, organic efforts. Evaluate content for paid boosting. – Shifted from Miles to Town of Vail Launch affiliate marketing program. – On hold In summer 2024, we hosted five influencers through Q3 who were vetted based on their audience and content focus to inspire travelers inthe dreamingdecision-making phase. Each influencer was contracted to produce Story content and one Reel on Instagram tagging, and in some cases collaborating with,@DiscoverVailColorado. As a bonus, most of the influencers over delivered, posting multiple Reels and Stories beyond their contractual obligations. From a content perspective, we targeted influencers who focus on outdoor adventure and dining. We also evaluated each influencer to ensure their audience aligned with Vail’s target markets. 2024 Organic Campaign PerformanceThrough Q3: Total Views/Impressions: 2.4M Total Engagements/Consideration: 64.5k Average Engagement Rate: 2.38% This is far better than the average engagement rate for travel influencer, which is 1.22%. Total Reels + Posts: 15 Total Stories: 37 Top Performing Posts: Screen shots provide live links to original posts. The @AdventuringEyes Reel went viral with more than 1.4M views. 2024 Campaign Influencers: KylieBearse Outdoor influencer and Denver based meteorologist, @KylieBearse visited Vail in late-September. Her coverage included a fall itinerary highlighting dining, hiking, activities and pet-friendly lodging options. Bonus: Kylie vastly overdelivered, producing three Reels, two static Posts and inclusion on herblog. Total Views: 56.4k Total Engagements: 8.8k MyCulinaryAdventures Texas based food influencer @MyCulinaryAdventures highlighted the best dining options in Vail for his largely Dallas and Houston based audience. Total Views: 11.5k Total Engagements: 290 MyCurlyAdventures Texas based outdoor and lifestyle influencer @mycurlyadventuresvisited in late August in order to promote fall visits from the important Houston and Dallas markets. Her coverage highlighted the destination as a great place to escape the Texas heat including activities and lodging. Bonus: The influencer overdelivered, posting a second Reelhighlighting llama hiking and writing twoblog posts. Total Views: 117.8k Total Engagements: 3.4k DenverFoodScence Denver based food and lifestyle influencer @DenverFoodcene offers a large and engaged Colorado based audience. Their coverage highlighted a Vail itinerary pushing midweek, including lodging, restaurants, events and activities. Bonus: They posted two additional Reels. One to DenverFoodScene and another to their new channel, RockyMountainRoutes. Total Views: 497.8k Total Engagements: 12.4k AdventuringEyes These Denver based outdoor influencershighlighted a three day adventure, including good wildflower hike options in Vail. The coverage included lodging, dining and activity options. Bonus: They posted a total of four Reels, including one highlighting llama hiking that went viral with 1.4M views and 33.2k engagements. Total Views: 1.7M Total Engagements: 39k Q3 Media, Blogger & Influencer Visits July 15-19 – Freelance writer Bill Newcott on assignment for Saturday Evening Post July 22-26 – Blogger Melynda Coble Harrison travelingmel.com Aug. 5-9 – Blogger Katie Williams travelingspud.com Aug. 10-13 – Mexican celebrity Erika Zaba Aug. 12-15 - @mycurlyadventures and @myculinaryadventures Aug. 15-18 – Freelancer Fiona Chandra who contributes to Thrillist, Matador, Eater and others. August 15 - CTO Global Foodie FAM AU: Matthew Shea - Luxury Escapes CA: Katie Bridges - Foodism/Escapism DE: Cornelia Lohs - Rhein Neckar Zeitung FR: Tiana Salles - BON MX: Elena Eguiarte - Food and Pleasure UK: Neil Davey - The Week Arts and Life / Tempus Sept. 5-8 – Freelance writer Asonta Benetti who contributes to Food & Wine, Thrillist, VinePair, InsideHook and others Sept. 12-16 - Kristen Richard – Freelance writer for Wine Enthusiast, Food & Wine, Backpacker, 5280 and others. Sept. 13-16 – Freelance writer Matt Kirouac who contributes to Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, Thrillist, AFAR and others Sept. 17-19 – Freelance writer Laura Beausire who contributes to Mountian Living, Colorado Homes & Lifestyles, Travel + Leisure and others Sept. 23-26 – Freelance writer Debra Bokur who is on assignment for Global Traveler Sept. 27-30 – Meteorologist and influencer Kylie Bearse Upcoming Q4 Media, Blogger & Influencer Visits Oct. 4-8 – Bloggers Nicky Omohundro and Jenna Walker Oct. 11-14 – Texas-based freelance writer Pam Leblanc who contributes to T+L, Austin Travels Magazine, Texas Monthly, Nat Geo and others Awards & Accolades In 2024, we also will track various awards and accolades that the destination and its events and hotels receive. Travel + Leisure Worlds Best – 10 Favorite Resorts in Colorado No. 3 – Sonnenalp Hotel No. 7 – Grand Hyatt Vail Focus for Q4 Following are priority tactics for Q4. Final blogger and media hosting for summer/fall effort. Explore hosting one or two influencers early winter to support the music and holiday messages. Drafting and distributing fall and winter media tipsheets. Attend Travel Classics in Scottsdale on behalf of Discover Vail. Develop sponsor materials and appropriate pitches for the event. Partner planning for 2025. Schedule and host annual Vail PR Partners meeting. Upon review, please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you!