destination branding and marketing iv conference | keynote

Source | Flickr | kitskel

Destination Marketing A content marketing story?

Jon Munro | Visit Wales

First, of all a little bit about me

So, a little bit about me

@ flyjon

Destination Marketing

Fashion and Online Retail

Plant Hire

Charity and More … …

Source | Flickr | lucyparry1

Destination marketing is a content led business … How can we deliver better integrated marketing? How does content strategy help join things up? How can you make things happen? The big opportunity for destinations …

The Visit Wales Story

Source | Flickr | lucyparry1

More than a content marketing story!

Source | Flickr | lucyparry1

A content led business

Change You know this stuff!

71% of travellers use search as part of the planning and booking process Source : Google (2010)

82% prefer consumer reviews over a hotel’s description of itself Source : Forrester (2006)

One quarter of US 18-34 year olds use mobile and tablets when booking air tickets Source : Amadeus (2011)

Social

Mobile

Search

People of the screen The “and” economy

Conversation culture over information culture

Learning to live within the earned media space

Convergent lifestyles and hyper collaboration

Source | Flickr | DeusXFlorida Reference | www.mediafuturist.com

Enter the Tourist Board Land of contrasts Something for everyone Fun for all the family Whatever you’re looking for Inspirational scenery Coastal splendour Majestic mountains Best-kept secret Why not? A unique blend

Content is all we have and have ever had!

The content a brand creates is everything A world where

the content a brand creates is everything

Targets, Objectives and Strategy Influencing £150 million in additional value Big focus is improving reputation Awareness, consideration and advocacy

“Those people who have not yet considered Wales”

Destinations have embraced social

Brilliant ideas are so important!

Trust Control Scale

But social comes with challenges

Source | Flickr | lucyparry1

How can we deliver better integrated marketing?

Thinking beyond paid media

Source | iCrossing| Slideshare

Develop themes and tell a story

Source | Visit Wales | Tracked search terms and volume (Log10)

We watch search like a hawk

Identify where the opportunities lie

Source: PIRE , Google Adwords , iCrossing competitive framework – Data May 2010

Little presence either directly or indirectly

Useful and engaging content on our site

Getting our engaged users involved

Develop creative and credible content

Reach out, place content and widgets

Find suitable partners and engage them

Maintain momentum

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Positions 1-1:

Positions 2-5:

Positions 6-10:

Long Tail Analysis and Optimisation Adjustments

Romantic Break Section Live

Widget creation and placements started

Improving search visibility

Increasing share of relevant traffic

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Sear

ch In

tere

st

Visi

ts

Romantic Break Related Organic Traffic

Google UK Search Term Interest for 'Romantic Breaks'

Comparing brand and non brand traffic

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

Bra

nd

Vis

its

Non

Bra

nd

Vis

its

Non Brand

Brand

Rinse and Repeat “Useful, engaging and sharable (sometimes community created) content placed in the environments where people were already discussing holidays and breaks. Linked back to pages on the Visit Wales website – providing more in depth information but also supporting natural search visibility”

The Big Idea

Awareness Advocacy

Scale

Targeted engagement

Crowd sourcing

Content development Community development

Creative and paid media amplification

So, what about paid media?

Activity on facebook

Piers invite goes live

Piers is on TV VOD / Online / FB Ads

Piers trip Radio/ DOOH

FB Ads

So what happened? 70%+ saw the campaign

100k got involved

196 video invites 19,000 facebook followers 128,000 requested views of content 11,500 subscribers, 37,000 brochures 34m UK Adults Reached Contribution to over £100 million of additional visitor spend during 2011

Source | Flickr | lucyparry1

Using paid media in a different way Scaling our efforts across owned and earned Taking a longer term view to planning

So, where are we?

Source | Flickr | lucyparry1

How does content strategy help join things up?

The ubiquitous marketing funnel

Source | Forrester (2007)

Complexity and off site engagement

Source | Forrester (2007)

Right content Right person Right device Right time Right action

Source | Flickr | Discover Carmarthenshire

SE

O

Soc

ial

PR

UX

PP

C

Data

Strategy

Content

Adapted | Brilliant Noise (2012)

Objectives for content

Useful Engaging Findable Sharable Authority Credibility

Digital Outputs

Business Outcomes

What about brand purpose?

Strategy Substance Symbolic Actions

Adapted | Simon Anholt (2012)

Source | Flickr | lucyparry1

How can you make things happen?

Five things we learnt along the way

 Develop themes in line with the brand story you are trying to tell. It will help you innovate, deliver more than the sum of the parts and support consistency across your communications.

 1

Five things we learnt along the way

 Deliver those themes across multiple channels. Develop conversations and buzz in the short term that help support the longer term and associated strategy. Search visibility is a good example.

 Use paid media to amplify your efforts …

 2

Five things we learnt along the way

 Leverage existing content assets and repurpose the assets you develop for delivery across multiple channels.

 Create once. Publish everywhere. COPE!

 3

Five things we learnt along the way

 Commit budget with clear objectives behind it. Think findable, sharable, engaging but above all useful. Leave a bit aside for experimentation. Continue to test and learn. Take calculated risks.

 4

Five things we learnt along the way

 Success in digital is often about the sum total of many small parts. It requires a close working relationship between your internal team, agency teams and anyone else you work with.

 Create an environment for that to work!

 5

Organisational Change

In fact it’s more than that. Mindset change!

Not just channels. It’s people, agencies and organisations

How do we drive change? Source | Flickr | UggBoyUggGirl

Become more content “mature”

From To Understanding Superficial Deep Communication Monologue Dialogue Budgeting Channel-led Conversation-led Marketing Campaigns Programmes Organisation Product-centric Customer-centric Results Random Sustainable

Source | ariad.ca

Source | Flickr | lucyparry1

What’s the big opportunity for destinations?

Piloting an approach on Flickr

#sharewales

A platform for curating and distributing great destination content

But one where we invest in adding content value

But one where we invest in adding content value

And built on a data driven content specification

Final thought

 “Collaboration is increasingly becoming the business model of the future. Whilst not impossible, it is going to become increasingly difficult to achieve things on your own. The smartest stuff is often proudly found elsewhere”

Gerd Leonhard, Media Futurist Share it. Embrace it. Add to it. Make it better

Destination Marketing A content marketing story?

Source | Flickr | kitskel

Contact | jon.munro@wales.gsi.gov.uk Call | 0300 061 6124 Connect | http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmunro Follow | @flyjon | www.slideshare.net/flyjon

Thanks J