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VLMDAC JanMeeting v5VAIL LOCAL MARKETING DISTRICT JANUARY BOARD MEETING JANUARY 18, 2018 AGENDA / •SWEARING IN NEW VLMDAC MEMBERS •ELECTION OF CHAIR, VICE CHAIR, TREASURER •MONTHLY FINANCIALS & COLORADO CLASSIC BIKE RACE FUNDING •APPROVAL OF MINUTES •NYC PR UPDATE, MYPR •2018 STRATEGY & TACTICS, ALL •OTHER BUSINESS NYC PR UPDATE, MYPR PUBLIC RELATIONS UPDATE / NEW YORK MEDIA TOUR •Jan. 8-10 •In partnership with Vail Mountain •Two dinners and several one-on- one appointments •30 media in 2.5 days PUBLIC RELATIONS UPDATE / NEW YORK MEDIA TOUR PUBLIC RELATIONS UPDATE / NEW YORK MEDIA TOUR Observations/Trends: •Newspaper readers make up 37 percent of the world’s population •69 percent of US population still reads newspapers in some format •Daily newspaper circulation is up 5.7 percent over the last 5 years •Freelancers produce more than 70 percent of magazine content •More journalists transitioning to develop paid content (in-house and as social media influencers) •Industry consolidation continues: •Meredith Publications (Martha Stewart magazines, Shape, More, Family Circle, etc.) in conjunction w/Koch Brothers purchased Time Inc. (Travel + Leisure, People, Food & Wine, InStyle, etc.) •Hearst (Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Elle, Woman’s Day, Esquire, etc.) purchases Rodale (Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, etc.) PUBLIC RELATIONS UPDATE / NEW YORK MEDIA TOUR •“What’s New” continues to be No. 1 question/media interest •Importance of telling the year-round message •Media new to Vail cannot believe all the destination has to offer in summer •Animals are hot – goat yoga, llama hiking and DockDogs 2018 STRATEGY & TACTICS, ALL WHAT WE HEARD / RECAP OF THE BOARD REQUEST: Vail needs to regain its position as the best year-round mountain destination HOW WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS: •It is time to re-evaluate and re-calibrate our vision in order to stay in-front of our competition vs. being complacent with our success •Looking to elevate our marketing programs and strategies •Amplified clarity and inspiration is needed in our messaging to stay ahead of our competitors and anticipate guests’ needs •Expand strategies and tactics to be more ambitious and aspirational •Sourcing a consultant to assist us in examining and expanding our brand •Board will be working on our vision and positioning in parallel, taking updated Vail Mtn. positioning into consideration •As stakeholders, the board will be looking for opportunities to support expansion and improvement of town and mountain assets WHERE WE ARE TODAY / Content & Asset Audit “Big Idea” Implementation Insights & Path to Purchase Updated VLMD Strategies Under Way Jan / Feb 2018 Asset Collection March - Sept 2018 Go To Market Plan Iteration Asset Collection •Brand: Strengthen Vail’s position by constantly elevating our brand and expanding our strategies and tactics to be more ambitious and aspirational •Storytelling: Develop consumer-centric storytelling approach with amplified clarity to tell inspirational stories that support the consumer ecosystem •Data: Leverage summer data and research to increase engagement and consideration •Personas: Focus on core personas that are most interested in a mountain destination vacation 2018 VLMD STRATEGIES / STRATEGIC APPROACH / “Big Idea” Trends/Market Brand Consumer CONSUMER DYNAMIC FAMILIES / DAY IN THE LIFE: WAKES UP… and turns on the television to financial news. The last couple of days have been pretty volatile in the market, and could impact the deal he’s been working on for months. He hits the treadmill for a few minutes to keep the doctor happy. SPENDS THE DAY… on the phone. He has six conference calls scheduled for today. He has lunch brought in for his management team. TALKS ABOUT WEEKEND PLANS TO… play golf. He and his college friends take one weekend each year to play golf at Augusta National. His wife and her sister will take their kids to the beach house while he’s away. SPENDS THE EVENING… having dinner with his wife at a new all-organic restaurant. She encourages him to have the fish instead of the buffalo steak to lower his cholesterol. GOES TO BED… at 12:30 watching the late local news and scanning Business Week for financial trends. WHEN THEY GREW UP: WHEN THEY GREW UP: •PACMAN-MANIA •ELVIS PRESLEY DIES •CD = DECLINE IN RECORD SALES •CB RADIOS ARE POPULAR •THE BICENTENNIAL •WHO SHOT J.R.? ACTIVE PROFESSIONAL / WHEN THEY GREW UP: •9/11 •AMERICAN IDOL DEBUTS •GOOGLE HITS THE WEB •WIKIPEDIA IS LAUNCHED •WAR IN IRAQ •HURRICANE KATRINA DAY IN THE LIFE: WAKES UP… grabs her phone and turns on alt rock radio. She grabs a bottle of water from her kitchen, and goes to the third bedroom that doubles as the workout room. She runs on the treadmill for 30 minutes. SPENDS THE DAY… researching a big liability case for the law firm where she works as a paralegal. TALKS ABOUT WEEKEND PLANS TO… go camping and get away from it all. The weather is supposed to be perfect for it, finally cooling down after that heat wave. SPENDS THE EVENING… driving to the athletic club and playing tennis with her groups of friends. Meets her husband for a late dinner at Jay’s Pizza. She has soup and salad with a Corona Light beer. Later they spend time online shopping for a new TV, hopefully one of those nice flat screens with HDTV and a Blu-ray player. GOES TO BED… at 11:30 after a half hour of pilates, watching her favorite sitcom’s reruns. SUPER BOOMERS / WHEN THEY GREW UP: •NEUTRON BOMB IS DEVELOPED •ROOTS MINISERIES •JONESTOWN •GROUCHO MARX DIES •ANNIE IS ON BROADWAY DAY IN THE LIFE: WAKES UP… and has her orange juice and a croissant in the garden while reading The New York Times. Her husband, Robert, has already left for work to catch the train for his hour and a half commute to the city. SPENDS THE DAY… on the phone with her travel agent to make arrangements for their trip to Europe for their wedding anniversary. Before coming home, they’ll head down to Tuscany for a few days to stay in a villa and see some old friends. TALKS ABOUT WEEKEND PLANS TO… go with the Davidsons to the theater, then go out to a new bistro after. SPENDS THE EVENING… discussing the latest fund raiser with the other members of her favorite charity’s board. Afterward, she and Robert meet some friends in the the dining area for some wine and brie, followed by dinner at the club. GOES TO BED… 11:00 in her antique bed with silk sheets and down pillows, while Robert stays up checking their portfolio. BRAND WIP VAIL BRAND / POSITIONING TRENDS / MARKET PATH TO PURCHASE / Inspiration starts with stories: •Friends, family and co- workers Exposure continues Inspiration: •Internet (search) •Videos •Images •Marketing •Travel-related Channels Validating the destination: •Trip reviews from peers •Trip reviews from experts •Past Experiences •Bloggers/Influencers Video & images prompt action: •Where to travel •Visit the website •Intro to the destination Creating micro-moments: •I want to know - how to •I want to go - near me •I want to book •I want to do Paid search, searching for: •Destination •Prices •Activities •Specific needs or wants - family friendly? Romantic? Logistics figured out: •Searching for deals •Deciding on dates based on work commitments, family availability •Flights compared •Lodging compared Searching for: •Maps or directions •Things to do on trip •Restaurants/attraction s nearby •Itinerary recommendations Travel booked via mobile/desktop: •Flights booked •Lodging booked •Transportation booked •Time requested off •Countdown begins until vacation •News shared with friends, family, co- workers •Searching for additional info/inspiration on destination Sharing: •Posting photos on social media •Posting status on social media •Writing reviews on experience •Influencing others post-trip TRAVEL DECISION MAKING CYCLE / TRAVEL DECISION MAKING CYCLE / TRAVEL DECISION MAKING CYCLE / According to Google and Ipsos, people visits up to 380 pages during the average trip planning process According to Millward Brown, consumers visit over 40 different sites in the six weeks leading up to booking TRAVEL DECISION MAKING CYCLE / Micro-moment: an intent-rich moment when someone acts on a need. TRAVEL DECISION MAKING CYCLE / 87% of these moments in the trip planning process are on mobile devices. STORYTELLING APPROACH / HERO HUB HYGIENE What content do we want to PUSH to a big, broad audience? What would be our SUPER BOWL moment? GO BIG PUSH Content developed on a regular basis to give a fresh perspective for consumers. What are travelers actively searching for? What are the most commonly asked questions? Hygiene content should be the most compelling answer to their questions. SOURCES OF CONTENT / Maximize social sharing during the experience phase, especially among influencers. Ensure that our owned and earned content is leveraging our understanding of the target audience and their specific need state and incorporating that language as live type to aid SEO for the content. As the hub of our digital ecosystems, ensure that our content not only lives on our resort sites, but is easy to find. While towards the bottom of the list, eCRM can still play a powerful roll in punctuating key themes of interest to our audiences PARTNER STRATEGIES AND EXAMPLES 2018 VIDEO STRATEGY / •Story based video content that will be delivered via Digital/TV ads and within social •Investigating original music licenses for content •Where appropriate we will promote social posts using paid channels (Instagram and Facebook) •Video assets storage solution - ensure community partners have easy access to video assets as well as partners abroad •Video collaboration with influencer effort 2018 DIGITAL MEDIA STRATEGY / Continued investment in video, considering opportunities for new formats: •360° •Vertical video Expanded use of social media to promote and support influencer content as well as campaign assets: •Facebook Canvas Ads •Instagram stories •Mobile AI social listening Introduce content marketing and native display •Clever – The Influencer Marketing Agency partner •Native placements SOCIAL VIDEO EXAMPLES/ SOCIAL VIDEO EXAMPLES/ 360 VIDEO EXAMPLES / VERTICAL VIDEO EXAMPLES/ VERTICAL VIDEO EXAMPLES/ CANVAS AD EXAMPLES / 2018 TRADITIONAL MEDIA STRATEGY / Strategy: Elevate storytelling by delivering multiple messages to a consistent audience •Maintain control of frequency •Reach the same consumer repeatedly, but with a creative rotation •Consider creative mediums, as appropriate, to execute big idea(s) 2018 TRADITIONAL MEDIA EXAMPLES / Destination Markets •Reduce Addressable TV to scale and cap frequency at 6 – 8 times overall •Use Set Top Box analysis to purchase advance zoned cable as a complement to Addressable TV •Consistent presence in notable mini series (Nat Geo’s Long Road Home) •Add short bursts of Video on Demand - one week on and one week off – allowing for higher frequency when viewers are watching and multiple stories to be told. 2018 AIR MARKETING STRATEGY / Flight Market(s) •Agreement to provide $75K in summer air marketing support for Destination market(s) •Consider targeting connecting flight markets •Increase Brand/Air Storytelling with high level production of air marketing video asset(s) with 3-year shelf life (EX of winter piece) •Continue high-impact targeted out of home billboards in Dallas; consider purchasing both front/back with different messages •Investigate retargeting banners on American Airlines website •Consider geo-targeted social media and digital media •Geo-targeted summer air email message(s) 2018 AIR MARKETING EXAMPLE / 2018 TRADITIONAL MEDIA EXAMPLES / Front Range •Reduce focus on individual events and expand into “themes/stories” of event categories •Flight Brand Stories one week on and one week off to efficiently use funds and allow for the frequency required to tell multiple stories •Add Out-of-Home Rapid Rotary (vs static billboards) •Rotate frequently to new locations in Denver metro •Change creative message frequently on consistent units •Radio DJ Endorsements •Choose top rated AM and/or PM drive programs, with loyal followings and popular DJs •“Thursday morning update on the “Summer in Vail”. 2018 WEB STRATEGY + EXAMPLES / 2017 Web Key Learning The new responsive website will provide us with the opportunity to create an enhanced and reimagined summer dreaming, planning and booking experience to improve natural site traffic conversion and capitalize on vail.com SEO value. Hypothesis Through increased investment in a year-round dreaming, planning, booking, flow for summer and the effectiveness of our media landing pages we will improve conversion, on site performance and media effectiveness. Draft Objective Leverage Vail.com new enhanced experience and SEO value to attract and convert more guests to visit Vail in summer 2018. Example Tactics •Develop lifestage personalized landing pages aligned to media experience. Monitor and optimize landing pages by site pathing. •User test current content to identify summer planning and booking gaps. Enhance online summer planning resources (event listings, free summer activities), increase video usage. 2018 EMAIL STRATEGY + EXAMPLES / 2017 Email Key Learning Vail’s summer data capture is limiting, causing consistently limited performance in our Summer Preference audience. Hypothesis By broadening our storytelling approach to ensure relevance for a winter guest while subtly seeding the idea of summer visitation, we can prime our winter guest to increase summer interest. Draft Objective Leverage Vail’s entire winter guest database to gain additional exposure to Vail summer offerings. Example Tactics •SEASON AGNOSTIC CONTENT: Video Story showing the transition from winter to summer with an “Explore Summer” CTA . Time -lapse of best of Vail cuisine being assembled by world renown chef with a “Dine in Vail this Summer” CTA . •WINTER LOYALIST SUMMER: Test summer content in Vail’s most loyal winter guest to compare engagement. •FULL DATABASE LIFESTAGE TEST: Test content against the three key lifestage from our full database to see if any persona is more likely to consider summer visitation. 2018 SOCIAL STRATEGY + EXAMPLES / 2017 Organic Social Key Learning Segmenting content by lifestage in organic social inhibited contents’ success in Summer 2017. Hypothesis By executing a controlled storytelling test we will identify key motivators for our social audience and improve summer engagement. By accelerating our efforts to promote strategically times events through increased reach and we will drive awareness and visitation during key time periods. Draft Objective Leverage Vail’s social following to drive local guests during key time periods and improve learnings around guest motivators in order to drive engagement. Example Tactics •Develop Burke aligned motivator storytelling content and develop a controlled, scientific testing cadence to gain learnings into social audience motivations. •Drive Memorial Day event awareness through a robust, high reach promotional strategy including regular cadence of static content, Instagram stories and live feeds in the weeks leading up to the event. 2018 PR STRATEGY / PR strategy to be refined once the final marketing direction/campaign has been established. However, we will continue to do the following: •Identify media outlets that are in alignment with the Vail customer e.g. MRI overlay to establish key target media. •Continually look for new ways to enliven the Vail story with media e.g. visual pitches, in-person conversations, through quotes from past guests, expert insights, community partnerships, etc. •Invite media to explore Vail and experience the destination for themselves e.g. craft itineraries that showcase the destination in a way that is appropriate for their readers. •Utilized appropriate hashtags that reflect the campaign and track media social posts e.g. #vailmoments, #vailsummer, #myvailstory •Identify message KPIs that are in alignment w/the campaign. 2018 PR EXAMPLE / In-Market Media Tours: •New York Media Tour (1/8-10) – in partnership w/Vail Mountain •Chicago Media Event (2/21) – in partnership w/United •Texas Media Tour & Event (Week of April 9) •Austin Event in Conjunction w/GoPro Mountain Games, Vail Valley Foundation & Yeti •Friday, April 13 •Yeti Flagship Store – consumer event w/media •Chris Robinson, Black Crowes OTHER CONSIDERATIONS / •Competitive Analysis •First Time Visitors •Group Sales (with regards to special events CSE) •Target Personas and Event Approvals/Funding Process •Vail: Top 100 Sustainable Destination •Surveys •Dashboard Reporting •Customer Experience NEXT STEPS / •Board confirmation on strategic direction – 1/18 •Partner planning meeting to define the big idea(s) and tactical executions – 1/18 •Tactical recommendations as part of 2/15 Board Meeting •Final creative executions for approval during 3/15 Board Meeting THANK YOU!! NEXT MEETINGS: VLMDAC MEETING, FEBRUARY 15, 8:30 – 11:30 AM, ANTLERS LODGE APPENDIX •Increase Customer Relationship capacity to maintain repeat guests and re-engage lapsed guests •Optimize mix to drive revenue: Percent of Destination, Front Range Overnight and International (Mexico/Latin American) guests •Increase awareness of Vail as a group & meeting destination and to drive quality leads to the lodging community •Support EGE flights with targeted and integrated efforts in flight markets •Leverage summer events and identify new events to build overnight guests and mid week traffic 2018 VLMD STRATEGIES - CONTINUED INTEGRATED PARTNER APPROACH 3-YEAR ROADMAP •Yr1 – Build and test •Yr2 – Accelerating the marketing •Yr3 – Continued growth Yr1 Yr2 Yr3 •Step 1: Strategy/Insight (In progress) –Revisit strategic platform and further develop insights –Greater persona insights using behavioral and attitudinal data •Step 2: Planning (In progress) –Reevaluate media approach to be even more driven by consumers and to provide greater insights for future campaign planning •Revisit continue, start, stop tactics –Introduction of larger influencer program that is focused on storytelling and consumer reach –Audit existing assets YEAR 1 ROADMAP / Build and test using human-centric storytelling •Step 3: Jan-Feb –Develop marketing asset and storytelling content plans –Identify needs for 2018 collection • Step 4: March and Beyond – Further refine and expand destination assets and goals – Identify Brand Opportunities – via Consultant –Revisit and update goals – Board YEAR 1 ROADMAP / Build and test using human-centric storytelling YEAR 2 ROADMAP – 2019 •TBD •Open up new media opportunities that may require longer lead times to go to market (e.g. PR, installations, etc.) •Develop new stories based on Vail infrastructure projects (e.g. conference center hotel, capital improvements, parking, etc.) YEAR 2 ROADMAP / Accelerating the marketing YEAR 3 ROADMAP – 2020 •TBD •Develop new stories based on Vail infrastructure projects (e.g. conference center hotel, capital improvements, parking, etc.) YEAR 3 ROADMAP / Continued growth