VisitWiltshire Marketing Strategy and Plan 2015

Transcription

1 VisitWiltshire Marketing Strategy and Plan 2015

2 Contents Strategic Objectives Target Markets International Markets Brand Positioning Product Values Personality Values Products and Experiences Key Actions Objectives and Tactical Overview Choice of Marketing Channels Planned Schedule of Media / Activity Evaluation and Measurement Creative and Messaging

3 Strategic Objectives Implement effective marketing programs that communicate the destination attributes with clearly defined targets, tactics and measurable results, that will result in increasing visits and additional 12.5 million spend to the county. Key areas :- Consumer marketing Website, digital and social media marketing Collateral, publications and fulfilment Travel trade & B2B marketing Research, evaluation and monitoring

4 Strategic Objectives Activity is split 50% brand awareness and 50% tactical this is split via core marketing activity and campaign activity Activity is split 70% staying visitor and 30% day visitor Continue to increase online activity - split 53% online and 47% offline To achieve over 12.5 million spend in tourism through marketing activity To increase overnight visits and extend stay To work in collaboration with partners, generating income for additional leverage on campaigns To use new positioning strategy in all communications to encourage longer stays

5 Target Markets During 2014 we commissioned Blue Sail to produce a 5 year destination management plan. As a result of this work we have widened our consumer segments to include Mature Mainstreams and Experience Seekers. Mature Mainstreams Mature Mainstreams are part of the baby boom generation (born ), a large and relatively prosperous cohort that is 20% of the UK population and has 80% of the wealth. Baby boomers take 40% of all UK short breaks. Numbers of people in the UK aged 55+ will grow by 10% over the next 10 years. This is a key life stage among Britain s largest overseas markets. Mature Mainstream are most likely to be repeat visitors, looking to explore further afield beyond the honeypots, and seeking quintessentially English countryside, small towns and villages plus heritage. Therefore they present an opportunity to grow the number of visitors.

6 Target Markets Experience Seekers Experience Seekers are high consumers of leisure trips. They are free to travel year round and are always looking for or planning their next break. They are relatively high spending adults aged without children and have the highest spend per trip (by life stage) for domestic holidays. As such, they offer good growth potential. We will continue to target our existing Experian types: Hardworking families, Yesterday s captains, Garden suburbia, Innate conservatives Hardworking families: Stay in Wiltshire. With focus on beautiful countryside for walking, highlight the short drive time. This group are interested in driving, good price and service, possibly not history or food). They are mainstream and risk averse, preferring trusted products. Couples. Both short breaks and 7 nights are relevant to them.

7 Target Markets Yesterday s captains: Stay in Wiltshire. They enjoy gardening, nature, cultural events and visiting National Trust places, so focus on history and heritage mainly, although countryside still relevant; also Salisbury. Quality and service are important to them. They tend to do short breaks out of season to mid range hotels in the country. They are conservative, with active minds, older, enjoy eating out and classical music. Innate conservatives: Stay in Wiltshire. They tend to be older and often widowed. Are well organised, like pre-planned experiences, enjoy lots of hobbies, including golf and classical music. Feel they owe themselves a treat with their partner. Trusted products and quality of service are important to them. All 3 brand values relevant, plus the range of things to do. They have a preference for 4-6 night breaks.

8 Target Markets Garden suburbia: Stay in Wiltshire. As they enjoy family holidays (with older, non-dependent children), gardening, hobbies, eating out, plus music, theatre and cinema, all 3 brand values are relevant. The best abundance of history and beauty, within easy reach of home. Both Salisbury and Stonehenge would be attractive. Quality of service, a quiet life and comfort are important to them. They are car dependent. Families will remain an important sector, in particular for visitor attractions and for day trips throughout the year. New patterns of visiting include the growing numbers of active boomer grandparents treating families with or without parents to leisure trips (there is some cross-over here with the Mature Mainstreams) and vertical families where several generations are on trips together. Other trends are increases in families with one child, single-parent families, samesex parents, step families (often resulting in a family group needing to meet the needs of a very wide age range of children). From East and West Midlands; Greater and Central London; and M4 corridor.

9 International Target Markets 18m day visitors 240,000 overseas visitors (18% of all staying visitors) Target international markets, in line with South West group targeting to include Germany, France, Benelux, Italy, Ireland, Spain, North America and Australia/New Zealand and Canada, travelling both independently and in groups. It is important that we continue to invest in relevant national marketing activity and campaigns, to retain profile in priority countries and exploit opportunities to attract visitors from other countries including emerging international markets.

10 Brand Positioning In 2014 we commissioned Heavenly to carry out research for our brand positioning. The brand positioning covers all sectors of the industry and sits alongside the Wiltshire Futures work covering: Destination Management Plan Accommodation Study Industry Training Programme

11 Brand Positioning Timeless Timeless builds on powerful truth about Wiltshire. No other place in England can make such a strong case. Timeless is about history and provenance time and place. And literally, it s time free, a place which calms, revives and is full of magic and wonder.

12 Brand Positioning International Proposition - Welcome to Timeless Wander through time in Wiltshire. Wonder at England s fascinating history. Enjoy timeless places. No visit to England is complete without experiencing the magic of this ancient county. UK Proposition - It s Wiltshire Time Escape to Wiltshire, press pause and let time stand still. Immerse yourself in timeless pleasures. Feel calm soothed and refreshed. If you re tired of the everyday then it s time for Wiltshire. You ll be here in no time.

13 The Narrative Somehow time has more meaning in Wiltshire. It s a magical place where you feel close to the land and the sky. Here you can touch the past. Sit on the downs at sunrise or sunset. See how the light changes the mood of the land. Wonder at the ever changing big sky and imagine others admiring this same spectacle for thousands of years. It s easy to understand why the ancient Britons believed this place was special and still today Stonehenge is a magnet to people from all over the world. History in Wiltshire is not just ancient. Here you can wander through time. The Romans, Normans and Saxons have all left their mark. You can touch manor houses, castles, churches and Salisbury Cathedral is home to the charter which helped to shape the law in England and beyond, the Magna Carta.

14 The Narrative Perhaps it s this connection with the past which helps us appreciate time in the present. So when you visit just press pause and let time stand still. You ll feel unhurried. Wiltshire is calming, comforting, refreshing. It puts back what the everyday takes out. The Wiltshire countryside alters with the changing seasons and that s what makes you feel so connected not just to nature but to time itself. Wiltshire is timeless wonders, timeless pleasures and timeless places. Wiltshire. Welcome to timeless.

15 Product Values Elemental Wiltshire is atmospheric. Here you feel closer to the land, the sky and the forces of nature. Original Images and stories that have helped shape England. Authentic and individual experiences

16 Personality Values Engaging Human and humorous. Open and welcoming. Imaginative Creative and resourceful. We stimulate ideas and take people away from the everyday.

17 Products and Experiences Products and experiences in Wiltshire can be grouped in 4 areas:- Timeless Wonders Timeless Pleasures Timeless Places Timeless Nature

18 Attack Brands Stonehenge use of imagery and World Heritage Status Salisbury use of imagery and VisitSalisbury URL throughout campaigns to hook people in Highlight key icons across the county White Horses, Avebury, Kennet and Avon Canal, AONBs and the picturesque market towns And dispersal from Bath and London attack brands (mainly for day visits)

19 Key Actions Our strategy and actions are split between raising brand awareness with long term legacy and tactical promotions through activity taking more of a customer focused approach and highlighting experiences. Digital & Website VisitWiltshire.co.uk will undergo a refresh, making the site fully responsive and incorporating the new brand positioning within the design and content. Areas such as user generated content and pushing content out via digital channels will be considered for development. Work will continue with paid for and organic optimisation for the site to ensure we reach our KPIs. We will develop a new Salisbury channel site in partnership with Salisbury. Our two Apps VisitWiltshire and VisitSalisbury will continue to be developed with a design refresh and the addition of geo fenced notifications keeping them up to date with the latest technology. Social media will continue to be a priority integrating with our campaigns, brand positioning and digital content. We will continue to use #timeforwiltshire. We will continue to research new channels.

20 Publications & Fulfilment Key Actions For 2016 we will amalgamate our Accommodation and Great Days Out brochures to produce one Time for Wiltshire Destination Visitor Guide in line with our brand positioning. Alongside this we will also produce a foldout Time for Wiltshire visitor map highlighting the county s timeless pleasures. The Group Visits and Travel Trade Guide will continue. These will integrate with all online and digital work, promoting the website, social media and APPs. The brochures will continue to be distributed to potential visitors through a clear distribution strategy via key outlets and online as a digital media rich brochure. PR PR activity will integrate with the overall marketing as well as developing new media channels such as bloggers and vloggers. A new photo library aimed at press and national/international operators is to be developed to help promote the county. Evaluation We will continue to evaluate our marketing activity using South West Research Company.

21 Partnership Working Key Actions Work with all key partners and stakeholders as identified in the business plan and continue to build new partnerships. Work in partnership with other DMOs in the South West region on opportunities for international marketing with the South West fund. Salisbury Cathedral and VisitWiltshire currently work in strategic partnership. Salisbury Cathedral are platinum partners of VisitWiltshire which includes access to a wide range of offline and online activity via VisitWiltshire marketing channels. This relationship also extends into travel trade activity and they are a key travel trade partner sees the 800 th anniversary of Magna Carta. We will work collaboratively on the national Magna Carta campaign, run a joint Magna Carta promotion and also use this as a theme for our main Salisbury campaign at the start of the year.

22 Key Actions Partnership work will continue with the local tourism industry, on specific partnership marketing campaigns, which will be jointly funded. (e.g. town branding projects, BID marketing campaigns). Projects include Christmas in Salisbury, Saints and Sinners trail with Churches Conservation Trust, Calne and Visit Salisbury channel site with Salisbury BID. Development of our marketing partnerships with transport rail providers First Great Western, South West Trains, National Express working jointly online with content, offers and E-CRM. We will also continue to offer partners additional opportunities for joint activity. Travel Trade Development of our travel trade strategy, our groups and travel trade package, building itineraries and increasing group travel familiarisation visits to Wiltshire, working with VisitEngland and VisitBritain on overseas travel trade.

23 Objectives and Tactical Overview Core Marketing Objectives Target Audience Channels/ Activities Timeline KPI / Measurement To generate additional 12.5m spend and visits to Wiltshire Reach new audiences Encourage repeat visits Drive visitors to website Build database Increase awareness of Wiltshire as a destination Mature Mainstream, Experience Seekers, Hardworking Families, Yesterdays' Captains, Garden Suburbia and Innate Conservatives. Geographic Areas East and West Midlands Greater and Central London M4 corridor Production and Distribution of a new Time for Wiltshire Visitor Destination Guide Produce a new Time for Wiltshire map Refresh of website including integrating brand positioning, making the site fully responsive, SEO, Search and Display advertising Development of Visit Salisbury channel site Development of both Apps Social media Facebook Twitter YouTube new aspirational films / Pre-roll Advertising Instagram January 2016 January 2016 Refresh to go live Summer 2015 Summer 2015 On-going On-going To develop the guide into an inspirational lifestyle piece for print for To reach 95,000 average unique visits per month, increase desktop dwell times to over 3 minutes and increase page views to average of 4. On site goal tracking. Mobile and tablet stats. 15,000 downloads To achieve over 15,000 followers on Twitter and over 8,000 likes on Facebook Over 15,000 views on YouTube Database marketing Monthly e-newsletters supporting events and themed activity including competitions PR Research - marketing evaluation On-going Monthly On-going October 2015 To focus messaging on events, festivals and arts. Increase database to 65,000. To achieve open rates of 20% Increase value to 1m in 2015, achieving reach figures of over 200 million people 20 press releases 20 visits attracting in excess of 50 journalists & 10 bloggers

24 Objectives and Tactical Overview Late Spring Campaign Time for Wiltshire - Press Pause Objectives Target Audience Channels/ Activities Timeline KPI / Measurement To generate additional spend and visits to Wiltshire Reach new audiences To increase profile of Wiltshire as a short break destination Encourage repeat visits Drive visitors to website Build database To build awareness of high quality and wide offering of products Mature Mainstream, Experience Seekers, Hardworking Families, Yesterdays' Captains, Garden Suburbia and Innate Conservatives. Geographic Areas Greater and Central London Partnership work with partners National Media The Daily Mail and Telegraph 120,000 A4 insert Digital display adverts on Daily Mail and Telegraph sites Digital display adverts VisitEngland website Social media E-newsletter Landing page on visitwiltshire.co.uk Pre-roll advertising New Press Pause video distributed via YouTube, social media, website Themed blog Competitions PR campaign June 2015 June 2015 Referrals and click through Open rate of 18% Traffic to webpages 15,000 page views YouTube views 3,000 ROI of additional spend of 714,000 ROI of 3,000 additional visits

25 Objectives and Tactical Overview Autumn Campaign Time for Wiltshire- Made of England Objectives Target Audience Channels/ Activities Timeline KPI / Measurement To generate additional spend and visits to Wiltshire Reach new audiences Encourage repeat visits Drive visitors to website Build database Mature Mainstream, Experience Seekers, Hardworking Families, Yesterdays' Captains, Garden Suburbia and Innate Conservatives. Geographic Areas East and West Midlands Greater and Central London M4 corridor Partnership work with partners VisitWiltshire themed campaign activity E-newsletter Specific web pages and URL Social media E-newsletters Campaign print Display adverts Pre-roll New video Engagement adverts Sep/Oct ,000 page views to campaign web pages Open rates of e-newsletters 18% over 1500 entrants 3,000 views on YouTube ROI of additional spend of 1million ROI of 5,700 additional visits

26 Objectives and Tactical Overview City Campaign Objectives Target Audience Channels/ Activities Timeline KPI / Measurement To generate additional spend and visits to Wiltshire Reach new audiences Encourage repeat visits Drive visitors to website Build database Mature Mainstream, Experience Seekers, Hardworking Families, Yesterdays' Captains, Garden Suburbia and Innate Conservatives. Geographic Areas East and West Midlands Greater and Central London M4 corridor Partnership work with Salisbury and surrounding area partners and Salisbury BID VisitWiltshire themed campaign activity E-newsletter Specific web pages and URL Social media E-newsletter Campaign print Outdoor advertising Jan/ Feb ,000 Unique visits to campaign web pages Open rates of e-newsletters 18% over 1,500 entrants Number of views ROI of additional spend of 1.3 million ROI of 5,000 additional visits

27 Objectives and Tactical Overview Day Visitors Objectives Target Audience Channels/ Activities Timeline KPI / Measurement Increase the number of day visitors to over 18 million Day Visitors Locals Encourage engagement through social media. Develop themes and topics Ongoing Drive data capture by running competitions to build database. Develop new Time for Wiltshire foldout map with 200,00 distribution plan January 2015 Position what's on and events calendar on home page of website To maximise page views of What's on Produce downloadable special offer vouchers for consumers Number of downloads Wiltshire and Salisbury apps push notifications and offers to drive awareness Ongoing Social Media Blogs

28 Objectives and Tactical Overview Travel Trade and Groups Objectives Target Audience Channels/ Activities Timeline KPI / Measurement To increase volume and value of group visits and travel trade to Wiltshire Raise awareness of Wiltshire as a destination Build a database of group travel organisers Geographic Up to 2 3 hour drive time London Surrounding counties Demographic Groups, social clubs and associations, 50 + age bracket Coach and tour operators Continue to develop the Group Travel Trade Guide print Develop group information on website Quarterly e-newsletter Trade Exhibitions (partnership activity as per travel trade package) World Travel Market November 2015 (TBC) Excursions January 2016 South West Travel Show February 2016 BOBI March 2016 November 2015 Ongoing May onwards Increase our group database by 10% Page views on website Open rate of 25% and click through rate of over 2.5% To increase awareness of Wiltshire Follow up and deliver leads accordingly. Aim to increase databases Advertising and editorial in Travel Trade press Direct mail of Group Travel Trade print Autumn / Winter Number of requests for information Educational and Fam Trips PR generated in trade press Host fam trips Attend national trade events Year round 2 fam group visitors AVE Sales meetings with operators communicate the product offering delivering leads to partners where possible To include Germany, France, Benelux, Italy, Ireland, Spain, North America and Australia/ New Zealand and Canada Work alongside Visit Britain / Visit England with International Strategies

29 Choice of Marketing Channels Continue using a media buying agency Ratio of spend is 53% online to 47% offline Support for these campaigns with brochures for 2015/16 season, include online and offline promotion and fulfilment PR resource behind campaigns Social media behind campaigns Partnership marketing activity On-going website and social media development Targeted travel trade & B2B activity including exhibitions

30 Online Media Digital campaign with a mix of search optimisation, display advertising, bidding (geo-targeted) and search In App display with call to action to download Apps Seasonal themed monthly e-newsletters Social media engagement all year round TV on Demand YouTube films, pre-roll adverts, engagement adverts Online competitions

31 Social Media Twitter / Facebook - Target specific Wiltshire audiences and relevant partners, run competitions, engage with followers Engage with existing and new partners form solid relationships Blogs engagement work with bloggers LinkedIn Instagram - provide appealing Wiltshire imagery, run Wiltshire Instameets and Instagram photo competitions YouTube - provide aspirational pan Wiltshire films Google Plus

32 Offline Media Outdoor advertising Direct mail inserts in magazines for thematic campaigns (National newspapers and regional magazines, geo-targeted) Specific print advertising Lead generation campaigns

33 Print Advertising Collateral Fulfilment Fulfilment of brochure requests by Catalink Distribution of publications by Take One Media and Places To Go Lead generation advertising to promote Time for Wiltshire Visitor Destination Guide through Catalink

34 Travel Trade Advertising features in key travel trade magazines and websites - Travel GBI, The Pass, Group Travel Organiser, Group Leisure magazine, Group Travel world, Coach Monthly Direct mailing of brochure to specific target groups International trade events (FITUR, ITB Berlin) Travel trade exhibitions Overseas market with VisitBritain and VisitEngland and with South West group

35 Online Media Schedule Media Area April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Search Things to do Search Accommodation UK excluding Wiltshire UK excluding Wiltshire Display Engagement Adverts UK Geo and lifestyle targeted UK Pre Roll UK Twitter Facebook

36 Digital Activity May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb E-newsletters Blogs Social Media Lead generation PR Thematic Campaigns Apps Push notifications Optimisation

37 Offline Activity Schedule Media Reach April May Jun July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Lead generation 19,000 PR Over 2 million Campaign direct mail insert City campaign direct mail insert 240, ,000 Publications 250,000 Outdoor Advertising

38 Evaluation and Measurement Number of unique views of website (currently 1 million unique visits to website KPI 1.3 million) Dwell times on website to 3.5 minutes, page views to 4 Click through rates on display advertising Conversion rates on social media Audience growth rates on social media Engagement on social media Call to action on all campaigns Brochure distribution analysis Volume & Value survey Marketing evaluation / ROI Growth of Wiltshire economy and creation of jobs

39 Creative and Messaging Inspire immediacy for visitors to come now and to stay longer Aspirational and engaging Inspiring images Focus on brand positioning with thematic messaging Focus on target segments Brand values and propositions Clear call to action as well as raising awareness