State’s tourism ads hone message
Posted on Friday, September 19, 2008
The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism is narrowing its advertising focus to destinations in the state instead of the state as a whole, the perception of which is negative. A marketing study shows people who haven’t visited Arkansas have an unfavorable impression of Arkansas. “The state is having trouble getting on the consideration list of potential first-time visitors,” states the report by Economic Research Associates, based in Los Angeles, and Longwoods International of Toronto.
The study reported an imbalance — natural beauty and outdoor recreation being promoted over urban attractions. It also suggested that Arkansas hasn’t tapped “lowhanging fruit” — markets with high propensity to travel in the region — including metropolitan areas in Illinois, Tennessee and Texas.
The good news is that people who did visit Arkansas had their expectations exceeded and ranked the state much more positively, according to the study.
Tony Poe of Little Rockbased Poe Travel said that there can be a misperception about Arkansas outside the state. However, if people have had a taste of Arkansas, they want to come back, he said.
“That is what I think is the main thing that Arkansas has going for it,” Poe said. “We know living here that we have a lot to offer, but the perception out there is so low, is so wrong, that when people do get here, they’re so overly impressed that they’re naturally inclined to gush about it and spread the word.”
The newly announced $ 5. 9 million spring and summer advertising program is focusing on changing the minds of people who haven’t visited the state.
New television ads feature equal time with nature and urban settings, set to a song composed for the campaign. Magazine ads now focus on such specific destinations within the state as Eureka Springs, Hot Springs, Little Rock, Northwest Arkansas and the Delta, while also mentioning other places in the state to visit. Ads show people shopping for art, bathing at the newly refurbished Hot Springs Quapaw Bathhouse, dancing in a club and dining in fine restaurants.
Beyond more traditional venues, the department is advertising in movie theaters and at about 220 checkout areas at Wal-Marts and Jewel-Osco stores in Houston and Chicago with commercials on the store’s TVs every 12 minutes.
“Demographics of the visitors to a Wal-Mart store will surprise you,” said Shelby Woods, chairman of the board of Little Rockbased CJRW marketing agency, which built the advertising campaign for the department. “There are many upscale shoppers that go to Wal-Mart.”
The state’s lodging occupancy was down 0. 7 percent in the first seven months of the year, said Joe David Rice, director of tourism for the department. That’s better than the Southeast’s occupancy as a whole, which was down 3. 1 percent, and Branson, which was down 10 percent.
Bad weather in the spring particularly took a toll on tourism in Arkansas, he said.
“In retrospect, that’s not too dang bad,” Rice said. In addition, the state’s collection of the 2 percent tax on tourism was ahead, rising 5. 3 percent over fiscal 2007 to $ 11. 8 million.
Arkansas drew 23. 9 million visitors last year, compared with 23. 3 million in 2006.
In 2007, 3. 5 million trips to the state resulted from advertising, according to the research from Longwoods International. On average, each tourist spent $ 239, which comes out to more than $ 800 million in spending. The state received $ 10. 32 in state and local taxes in return for every dollar spent on advertising.
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