U.K. & Ireland FY13/14

Transcription

1 U.K. & Ireland FY13/14 Market Update The U.K. was California s largest overseas market with approximately 702,000 visitors to California in Collectively, visitors from the U.K. spent approximately $901 million in California, up from $731 million the prior year. U.K. visitors to California in 2011 spent $143 per day during a nine-night average stay, or approximately $1,284 per visitor. The average spending for all overseas visitors to California in 2011 was about $1,883 ($170 per day; 11.1 nights in California). The U.K. is one of three Consumer Brand Markets markets where Visit California deploys consumer-focused brand advertising and promotional programs through all media channels. In the U.K., Visit California achieved awareness of 74 percent with a layered media campaign using TV, out-ofhome, national media and digital elements. By advertising in the U.K. over the past five years, California has enhanced interest in visiting the state. In fact, this year, U.K. consumers expressed stronger interest in visiting California than Florida. California has increased its share of the U.S. market overall and continues to do so year on year. KEY STRATEGIES Communications Over the past 12 months, the communications strategy in the U.K. has worked to support brand and trade activity, while focusing proactive outreach around the themes of Entertainment, Culinary and Outdoor. These themes were identified as those that resonated most strongly with Visit California s key target markets while tapping into current media trends. Visit California s five experience pillars for FY13/14 prompted a two-phase approach to communications strategy. Phase 1 Family fun Target Premium Families through structured campaigns aimed at children themselves to promote pester power. Expand the concept behind Kids at Play to encourage kids that there is a world away from gadgets, while acknowledging California as a mecca for technology, innovation and 3

2 movies. Capitalize on California s family offering by positioning the nonimmersive theme park experience. Luxury & indulgence The concept of luxury travel has moved a long way from the days of bling to how it is now defined quality time. As identified in research, 47 percent of U.K. consumers value R&R above anything else on a holiday. Visit California will position the variety of luxury available in the state. Additionally, California can capitalize on the emergence of destination weddings. In 2011, nearly 1 in 4 couples opted for a destination wedding as a cost-efficient way to tie the knot, and for the first time a non-european country (Canada), topped the list of most popular countries for British couples. Phase 2 Culinary Food and wine, in relation to long-haul travel, has become a media trend for the first time over the past year. Phase 1 activity will include initiating and assisting with a series of individual media Fams, establishing contact with food bloggers and initiating a focused media newsletter to coincide with California Restaurant Month. As part of phase 2, Visit California will work to promote the smaller, lesser-known destinations and attractions newer wine areas, artisan producers and farmers markets to position emerging trends in California alongside the iconic. Entertainment & Culture California s place as the world capital of entertainment is undisputed. During FY13/14, Visit California will work to make this more tangible, both by bringing entertainment to life and by capitalizing on high-profile feature releases in the U.K. Outdoor & Recreation The Olympic legacy has inspired a rise in demand for active holidays, with 5 percent of the U.K. population expected to take an adventure or challenge holiday in The adventure tourism market has increased by 70 percent since 2010, a trend that has been reflected in the mainstream media with the launch of standalone sections including Telegraph Adventure. Phase 1 activity in FY12/13 included leveraging the Out There TV spot and a focus on the rural areas. Moving forward, Visit California will look at new trends in the outdoor experience and incorporate significant anniversaries being marked as 125 weeks are counted down to the 125th anniversary of Yosemite. 4

3 Travel Trade Visit California will continue to build on core activities and day-to-day outreach to maximize impact and maintain visibility with the U.K. trade through the following activities: Agent Education: Face to face training, Fam trips, Promotion of the California Expert program Product development: Product Fams, meetings with product managers across the trade, trade resource development (e.g. travel trade portal, e-newsletters), sales missions Industry intelligence: TOAB, Outlook Forum Strong presence in the marketplace: Trade co-op marketing, trade and consumer shows B2B relationships: World Travel Market and pre-wtm VIP event, Visit USA Ball, corporate and trade events Visit California will support the five experience pillars through key trade activity. From a trade perspective, all messaging can be drip-fed through dayto-day relationships with key decision makers and through trade communications. Luxury & indulgence, outdoor adventure and family fun are the most natural pillars in which to fulfill trade activity. The luxury market is booming within the trade, with most luxury tour operators reporting double-digit growth for California sales, and there are plenty of luxury companies who are featuring California for the first time because of the opportunity it lends as a first-rate U.S. destination. Outdoor adventure is more of a niche topic within the trade, but there are plenty of opportunities to compete with the traditional adventure destinations by engaging with this sector of the industry. And finally, the Hall & Partners research suggested that the U.K. is much more familiar with Florida as a family destination. However, there is opportunity to push California s assets beyond just theme parks to appeal to the market as an ideal family destination. 5

4 KEY TACTICS Paid Media In the U.K., Visit California will participate in the Brand USA ski/snow co-op to elevate California and its participating resorts within the program. Based on the success of an inaugural partnership with Air New Zealand in FY12/13, Visit California will continue to build upon the relationship with enhanced programming in FY13/14. Additionally, Visit California will explore new opportunities for strategic alignment with British Airways. The FY13/14 U.K. media plan will include: National TV Digital: Video, display, social, SEM and Brand USA co-ops Digital out-of-home Press (Print): Brand USA snow/ski co-op Communications Visit California will partner with San Francisco-based chef Daniel Patterson as he launches his new book, Coi. Chef Patterson s approach involves foraging, using aromas and essential oils as part of the dining experience. In partnership with the publishing company, Visit California will host foodie media in California to visit Coi, meet the chef and visit the surrounding areas with him. Visit California will also have access to bring him to London to create a media and/or consumer event around the Cook it Raw phenomenon. U.K. cooking legend Michel Roux Sr. will take a gastronomic tour of Northern California on a Harley Davidson this summer, accompanied by six leading U.K. chefs James Martin, Brian Turner, Tom Kerridge, Angela Hartnett, Sat Bains, Paul Rankin and Claude Bosi. The tour will take in local characters, iconic restaurants and local wineries and will be accompanied by a journalist who will document the trip for an extended feature and online content. This who s who of the U.K. culinary scene offers massive scope for social activity. Fun Kids, the U.K. s only radio station dedicated to children younger than 12 and their families, has an audience of 250,000 children and 46,000 adults per week, with 200,000 monthly downloads of on-demand content. Working with the Where in the World? series, Visit California will introduce children to the 6

5 cultures, landscapes, history and people of California via the Iflyalot family s adventures across the State. Working in partnership with Air New Zealand, who has agreed to supply five business class flights, Visit California will organize a luxury group Fam of U.K. media driving along the Central Coast in a convoy of Mustangs. The itinerary will supply scheduled meetings points but with suggested deviations from the route to allow each car to follow its own path and achieve a slightly different experience and get more partners involved in the activity. The recently opened Electric Cinema on London s Portobello Road has pioneered the Edible Cinema concept a collaboration between Soho House, renowned experience organizer Polly Betton, experimental food designer Andrew Stellitano and Bombay Sapphire mixologist Sam Carter. As part of the experience, each guest is supplied with a tray of numbered mystery boxes containing a bite-sized tasting menu tailored to specific moments in the film. Visit California can explore this concept, taking advantage of the existing California Classics social media following. December 2013 will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of John Muir. His strong links with California, and roots in Scotland, make this an ideal talking point for rural California, especially with several significant rural anniversaries on the horizon. It also ties in with the current trend for RV trips in the U.K. Visit California is working with El Monte and Cruise America to develop itineraries and pitches to media to experience this hands-on approach to touring. Visit California will proactively target culinary programs in line with the global broadcast strategy for FY13/14. Such programs include Masterchef (amateur, professional and celebrity), Sunday Brunch, Saturday Kitchen, Lorraine Pascale, Food and Drink and Great British Bake Off. Building on the success of the travel trade s agent drop this year, Visit California will replicate the California in a Box promotion to include items representing each of the five pillars. This will be delivered to newspaper travel desks on Blue Monday the last Monday of January, and officially the most depressing day of the year in the U.K. - as a slice of California sunshine and to aid story development and encourage social activity. 7

6 Travel Trade Following on the success of California in a box last year, Visit California will send approximately 100 boxes of California goodies and collateral to key retail stores and call centers across the U.K. and Ireland to achieve trade PR and push online training incentive. Six to eight product managers will visit rural regions in Northern California, since brochure analysis demonstrates this region isn t widely featured across travel programs. With the Hall & Partners research demonstrating that areas in Northern California are high travel motivators for U.K. travelers, Visit California can exploit this opportunity and curiosity within the consumer. Brochure analysis figures over FY14/15 and FY15/16 will demonstrate return on investment. Visit California will maximize training efforts of the past two years (awarded best training program by Travel Bulletin, TTG) by working with in-market partners to undergo regional training blitzes across the U.K. and Ireland. This will continue the momentum provided by July training roadshows and maximize budget and reach. A responsible California message will be pushed to the trade using content and the responsibletravel.com online guide. Content can be surfaced in each quarterly newsletter edition, and Visit California can create a look to create a special guest responsible travel module on the California Expert program. All activity can be promoted via PR channels. Now in its sixth year, Visit California will continue to run and promote the highly successful SuperFam in partnership with British Airways. Themed itineraries will coincide with the five experience pillars, and these themes and experiences will be promoted through trade press advertising and PR. Visit California will continue its strategy to channel the majority of the trade advertising budget into two or three large-scale campaigns with mass market tour operators who are able to shift significant booking numbers and can pull market share from worldwide competitors. Draw from the co-opportunities model to allow for further partner support and buy-in to maximize co-op opportunities. Additionally, draw on the experience pillars as main inspiration 8

7 and drivers for campaign messaging. Use remainder of funding to work with niche operators from luxury and adventure sector to promote these messages to the consumer and trade. BUDGET: $4,175,000 9