Tourism WA’s marketing strategy comprises three key elements: 1. Brand marketing to inspire domestic consumers who want to visit Western Australia; this now includes content marketing to increase consumer knowledge and understanding about WA as an extraordinary holiday destination – for example, the creation and sharing of media and publishing content including PR, news, video, e-books, infographics , photos. It aims to educate consumers about a product they may have never considered before. 2. Co-operative Marketing by working with highly-recognised retail travel brands that have the ability to retail a wide range of Western Australian tourism products and generate bookings; 3. Major events calendar and accompanying Events marketing campaign to communicate that there is always something on in our extraordinary State. The primary objective of Tourism WA’s marketing campaigns is to grow visitation within and into WA from the intrastate, interstate and international markets, in order to generate yield and facilitate growth and prosperity for the Western Australian tourism industry. • Inspire consumers to want to have a holiday in Western Australia; • Move consumers from awareness to consideration to improve their chances of researching and planning a WA holiday; 1
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Tourism WA’s marketing strategy comprises three key elements:
1. Brand marketing to inspire domestic consumers who want to visit Western Australia; this now includes content marketing to increase consumer knowledge and understanding about WA as an extraordinary holiday destination – for example, the creation and sharing of media and publishing content including PR, news, video, e-books, infographics, photos. It aims to educate consumers about a product they may have never considered before.
2. Co-operative Marketing by working with highly-recognised retail travel brands that have the ability to retail a wide range of Western Australian tourism products and generate bookings;
3. Major events calendar and accompanying Events marketing campaign to communicate that there is always something on in our extraordinary State.
The primary objective of Tourism WA’s marketing campaigns is to grow visitation within and into WA from the intrastate, interstate and international markets, in order to generate yield and facilitate growth and prosperity for the Western Australian tourism industry.
• Inspire consumers to want to have a holiday in Western Australia;
• Move consumers from awareness to consideration to improve their chances of researching and planning a WA holiday;
• Compliment Tourism WA’s cooperative marketing programs in all markets;
• Increase the dispersal of visitors into regional areas; and,
• Generate increases in visitor spend and yield ensuring tourism and related businesses remain viable and jobs are retained.
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Of the 8.8 million visitors to WA, the domestic market represents 7.8 million overnight visitors, contributes 90% of all overnight visitors to WA and 66% of visitor spend representing $4.5 billion for WA. Therefore, the tourism industry in Western Australia is heavily reliant on domestic visitors.
Tourism WA’s brand media campaign is specifically targeted to the domestic audience of Aspirational Achievers and Dedicated Discoverers (Roy Morgan segments). This paid advertising aims to get consumers inspired to research and plan a holiday to WA. Every year, Tourism WA invests approximately $3.6 million on an integrated brand media campaign to communicate the state brand, Experience Extraordinary. This investment is supported by a complex media strategy that ensures we are reaching the right audience, with the right message, at the right time and through the right channels. The channel strategy for 2014/15 included TV, Cinema, digital, print and outdoor, complimented by social and PR in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.
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For 2014-15 saw the domestic campaign generate a return of $13 in domestic spend for every dollar spent on the campaign. The research estimates that approximately 55,000 visitors travelled within WA as a result of the campaign, spending just under $42 million. The creative used includes the Experience Extraordinary films that can be viewed on the Western Australia YouTube channel.
Tourism WA worked with National Geographic to produce 3 vignettes for Anzac Albany developed in conjunction with City of Albany, National Geographic, and Australia’s South West. There has been multiple distribution of this content including Virgin Australia In-flight as a result of our marketing partnership with Virgin, for 3 months Sept – November ‘15.
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Tourism WA’s cooperative marketing strategy is across both international and domestic markets; and aims to work with highly recognised retail travel brands and airline partnerships to promote Western Australia travel product to domestic consumers and international consumers in our key markets; to capitalise on awareness raised through brand advertising and public relations to drive conversion and bookings, and yield for the WA tourism industry. Tourism WA partners with travel distributors such as airlines, wholesalers, retailers and online travel agents who have the ability to sell a wide range of WA product and packages.
Campaigns are timed to support key travel periods in relevant markets; and consider seasonality and shoulder periods in WA; in the domestic market; the cooperative campaigns are also timed to take advantage of brand media investment to convert the awareness and interest generated by the brand campaign.
Tourism WA publishes a list of the trade partners we are working with every year on our corporate website, to allow you to leverage this investment particularly if you have supplied an offer for that particular trade distributor.
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This campaign with Virgin Australia aimed to create desire to travel to Western Australia utilising the Virgin Australia Ecosystem; a combination of VA’s owned channels such as their eDM, social media, VirginAustralia.com and Virgin Australia Holidays. This was supported by PR and paid media during the month of September. Inflight entertainment content included the 3 x Anzac Albany films by National Geographic as well as 2 x Great Southern food and wine vignettes (part of MRGE series) produced by Tourism WA.
The campaign included editorial features within VA’s inflight magazine and travel app; and was followed with tactical offers in the retail campaign in digital and press advertising. The whole of the WA network was on sale, but the campaign focused on Perth, Albany and Broome through fares, imagery and content.
Both point to point flights and packaged product were included in the campaign.
The packages were from Virgin Australia Holidays, who now utilize Expedia, Orbitz, GTA, Tourico & Hotelbeds as their sources of inventory.
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We also work with niche wholesalers, such as Broome and The Kimberley Holidays. In conjunction with Australia’s South West, the Albany Visitor Centre, Virgin Australia and Tourism WA the objective of the campaign was to secure bookings for products in Albany and Australia’s South West. It was also to increase awareness of the product range for the region and leveraging off the 100th Anniversary of Gallipoli, ANZAC Day and the new National ANZAC Centre in Albany as well as to highlight the events in the region.
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We also work with Online Travel Agents. This campaign is an all of state campaign that Tourism WA worked with on the wotif.com booking platform
• Wotif.com is now owned by Expedia
• Worked with Expedia’s creative partnerships team in London to develop this concierge microsite to improve consumer knowledge about WA
• It was a media first for Australia
• The consumer chooses, who they are travelling with, what their preferences are and what is their ultimate bucket list wish
• The microsite then pushes out a range of suggestions and links the consumer back to price and product options for WA
• Campaign occurred in June 15, and as well as the campaign microsite, included digital banners, social media and electronic mail
• We are planning to repurpose and use this concept again on the Expedia AU platform during 15-16 FY
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We also work with Britz - Maui to promote self drive campervan holidays to Western Australia.
Within the campaign (14 – 15 FY) there is content such Great Southern region drive itinerary trails and maps with richer content about Western Australia which reduces the knowledge gap about Western Australia.
The campaign included digital media, supported by social and eDM.
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A trade fact sheet has been developed and distributed to key domestic trade providing key information about the destination of Albany Region, being Albany, Denmark and Mt Barker. The trade fact sheet can be found on our website westernaustralia.com/trade. Tourism Western Australia also participates in regular training webinars with key domestic travel distributors when we have a cooperative campaign coming up with that coop partner. This allows us to communicate about the product in the campaign and that the campaign is on
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Events Marketing:
Renee has spoken about securing funding for events, however, I wanted to touch on how we then utilize events that have been funded by Tourism WA’s events team to generate international and domestic visitation
Each year, Tourism WA invests approximately $1.5 million (subject to budget allocations) in an always on event marketing campaign in the WA market. The campaign aims to showcase all the events happening around the State and provide a time-based reason for people to travel around WA. The channel strategy has evolved over time, including a mix of TV, print and online advertising during 2014-15.
So there is the TV commercial which many of you have probably seen, and the monthly ‘what’s on’ print in The West Australian newspaper. To date, the campaign target audience has focused on two behavioural profiles, Dedicated Discoverers and Aspirational Achievers, Roy Morgan segments in use since 2009.
Regular brand tracking measures the awareness and consideration of events in the WA market and the 14/15 results have shown campaign awareness averaged around 30% (target audience only) with campaign influence on consideration averaging around 50% (target audience only). However, there is opportunity to drive greater
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consumer action and continue to push consumers further down the decision making cycle.
The 2015-16 approach will see a budget of $1.8million :
• Continue with an always on approach to marketing events in WA;
• Introduce a digital campaign component in WA aimed providing consumers with more customised event and destination information;
• Extending this in the interstate market but with a focus on Dedicated Discoverers and those already with WA on their consideration list. In conjunction, Tourism WA will also be running a Perth campaign in the interstate market, promoting the key event period of February through to April;
• Continue to build event specific content and PR activities (like Gourmet Escape, Ord Valley Muster & Margaret River Pro) which can then be used across Tourism WA’s owned and earned channels.
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Distribution strategy - who are you contracted with and how are you leveraging
your involvement in retail campaigns?
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