Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism - Industry Info

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Domestic Marketing Overview
Mass Value Pass [MVP] Program
2009 Spring/Summer Brand Campaign
massvacation.com
Free-Standing Newspaper Inserts (FSIs)
Marketing Partnerships
Public Relations
Domestic Media Familiarization Trips

Domestic Marketing Overview

MOTT's domestic marketing programs focus on generating overnight leisure travel by consumers in selected markets within New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Research is used extensively to determine best customer prospects, markets, campaign timing, messages and collateral materials. It's also used to evaluate results. Advertising spending is focused heavily on the spring and summer seasons; secondary marketing programs; promotional activity cover the winter and fall seasons; and public relations is used year-round to help keep MOTT’s messaging in the marketplace. MOTT's marketing programs are fully integrated with a mix of broad-based media—television, radio, print, online and newspaper—and direct mail and email components that target existing customers. MOTT’s Web site, www.massvacation.com, is the platform for all promotional programs; the Web site and the Massachusetts Getaway Guide provide comprehensive travel planning information.

MOTT's FY10 marketing budget totals $5.0 million, including a media budget of $3.1 million net.

All marketing programs target Massachusetts' best customer prospects: 35-64 years old with a household income of $75,000.

Percentage of travelers who spend $300 or more per trip: 78%
Percentage traveling with children: 30%
Average Length of overnight trips: 3.5 nights
Percentage of travelers who drive to MA: 66%
Marketing agency: Connelly Partners
Research services: TNS

For additional information about MOTT's domestic marketing programs, contact MOTT.

Mass Value Pass [MVP] Program

The MassValuePass is a statewide savings program that is available, at no cost, to all Massachusetts lodging, retail, restaurants and attractions. Participants may offer 15%, 20% or 25%+ off of their regular prices to consumers and may upload their offers to www.massvacation.com using their own secure password and username. Consumers may download MassValuePass for free and show it to participating properties to enjoy the savings. Also, for even greater convenience, consumers may have a free digital version of the pass sent to their handheld electronic devices.

MOTT committed $200,000 towards the winter MassValuePass program for the media buy and PR support including a mix of :30 and :10 second in-state radio spots [metro traffic and weather], online banners, rich media, and weekly blasts to MOTT’s best customers database. Plus, $100,000 in barter supplied as room nights from the Massachusetts Lodging Association.

MOTT committed $120,000 towards the spring MassValuePass program for the media and PR support including a mix of :30 and :10 second in-state radio spots [metro traffic and weather], online banners, rich media, and weekly blasts to MOTT’s best customer database.

More than 65,000 MassValuePasses were downloaded since the inception of this program and MOTT utilized these emails throughout the summer by sending “Deals of the Week’ emails promoting specials to the more than 70% of consumer who have requested more information from the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism. Plus, each participating business was listed in at least one email.

First MVP round: January 14 – March 31, 2009:
There were 364 participants
Savings requirement was 25% off of regular pricing

Second MVP round: April 13 to June 30, 2009:
There were 387 participants
Savings requirement was 25% off of regular pricing

Third MVP round: July 6 to August 30, 2009:
There were 254 participants
Savings requirement was 25% off of regular pricing

Fourth MVP round: October 1 to December 13, 2009:
Currently there are 260 participants
Savings requirement altered to 15%, 20%, 25%+ off of regular pricing

2009 Spring/Summer Brand Campaign

"The Colors of Massachusetts"

The brand campaign is typically in-market from April – June and focuses on generating spring and summer travel by Massachusetts' best customer prospects. The campaign uses broad-based media—print, newspaper, television, online, and radio – as well as targeted email communications to MOTT's customer database. The 2009 ‘Colors of Massachsuetts’ campaign focused on transcending the entire state via a ‘primary color wheel’ which identified and equated various colors to various regions in the state. I.e.: green is the color of the hills of the Berkshires and the Green Monster at Fenway Park; red is the color of lobsters and the Freedom Trail, and so forth.

Two television commercials were economically produced using a mix of recycled footage from the 2008 advertising campaign, still photography, and mixed with 3D animation elements in Autodesk Maya animation and was set to the ‘Big Band’ sounds of “There’s a Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder” recorded in 1994 by The Brian Setzer Orchestra [from the film “The Singing Fool”, 1928, written by: Dave Dreyer, Al Jolson, Billy Rose]. Three print ads were developed stating Massachusetts is Blue, Red, and Green. The primary call-to-action was to send customers to www.massvacation.com to plan a getaway and to order the Massachusetts Getaway Guide. All online transactions result in new or updated records in MOTT's customer database.

Highlights of the brand campaign:

Tag line: It's all here.
Markets: New York and Hartford DMAs and Massachusetts
Schedule: April-June 2009
Television: 30-second spots
Spots ran for 8 weeks in MA, New York and Hartford DMAs,plus Albany, Providence and New England as secondary markets
Print: One and 1/3-page, four-color print executions in 17 magazine titles
AAA Car & Travel; AAA Journeys; Architectural Digest*; Bon Appetite*; Boston Magazine; Boston Magazine's New England Travel & Life; Coastal Living; Conde Nast Traveler*; Connecticut Magazine; Endless Vacation; Gourmet*; House & Garden*; New York Magazine; Passport; Travel and Leisure; Vanity Fair*; Yankee

*Media Max combo buy

Email Guide offer to existing customer database
Radio and TV contests and sweepstakes
Concurrent spring lodging promotion

www.massvacation.com

MOTT's Web site provides users with:

Comprehensive information about where to go and what to see and do
1,500 lodging listings plus online reservations
Information about special seasonal promotions
Regional maps and Google travel directions
Transportation information
Online booking agent through Travelocity
Events and exhibits up to 24 months ahead
Seasonal lodging promotions
Special offers from MOTT's marketing partners
Links to other Massachusetts travel sites
Link to MOTT's LGBT microsite
Forms to order free travel information & e-newsletter
Sweepstakes for enter-to-win getaway trips

You can now add your event, lodging property or attraction yourself.

You can also update your existing Massachusetts lodging property or attraction on massvacation.com.

Please contact our Web Manager if you have any questions or problems.

MOTT provides free links from massvacation.com to attractions and accommodations that are listed on the site. MOTT encourages travel businesses to link to massvacation.com. Link instructions are available on the Industry Info page.

Free-Standing Newspaper Inserts (FSIs)

On May 10, 2009, MOTT published a spring FSI which distributed 1.2 million circulation in key markets. The FSIs provide the Massachusetts travel industry the opportunity to market their businesses through advertorial space and guide directories. FSIs are subsidized by MOTT and published by Madden Preprint.

2009 FSIs:
Spring 2009. Insertion date: May 10, 2009, circ. 1.2 million in metro and upstate New York New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and southern Maine
43 advertisers yielded 363,857 leads from consumers who requested more information about that advertiser

For more information about advertising in future FSIs, contact MOTT's Director of Domestic Marketing

2009 Marketing Partnerships

Massachusetts Cultural Council:

In the summers of 2008 and 2009 MOTT partnered with the Massachusetts Cultural Council to develop WorldFest, a compilation of the many cultural and ethnic events, festivals, and performances featured across the Commonwealth during the summer. This unprecedented partnership yielded a brand campaign in which more than 72 cultural event organizations participated at no cost. Together, we created an extensive listing of heritage-based events which were showcased on www.massvacation.com.

MassJazz:

MassJazz is a concerted, statewide effort initiated in 2009 to promote a full range of live jazz performances, community events, educational courses and related cultural activities to the convention and visitors industry. MassJazz is developing a singular program that brands Massachusetts as a jazz destination for domestic and international visitors. Its goal is to develop visitor packages with hotels, restaurants, performing arts venues and travel services to create an alluring new tourism campaign that stimulates the local economy. Go to massjazz.com for more information.

Public Relations

MOTT pursues an aggressive national and in-state public relations program including media interviews, frequent press releases, event newsletters and familiarization trips for travel writers.

MOTT's Executive Director, Betsy Wall, is available for media interviews and is frequently a guest speaker on tourism, its economic impact, travel trends, events and MOTT's programs. Please contact MOTT's Director of PR & Communications Lisa Simmons.

We welcome press releases from tourism organizations across the state to use in our releases and newsletters. Releases should be sent or emailed to MOTT and our domestic public relations agency, Connelly Partners. To find out more information please visit our press room.

Business and local media requests:
Lisa Simmons
Director of PR & Communications
Mass Office of Travel & Tourism
Phone: 617-973-8508

Consumer media requests:
Ron D'Amico
Account Supervisor
Connelly Partners
Phone: 617-521-5428

Domestic Media Familiarization Trips (FAM)

MOTT hosts more than 100 domestic journalists each year. Themed group trips and personalized individual trips are organized throughout the year with the help of MOTT's public relations agency, Connelly Partners.

A survey of 1,300 U.S. adults conducted by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) in July 2001 found that 61% of travelers said they read articles about travel destinations in the media or listen to travel shows on television. This is up from 55% of travelers who said they used travel media last year. The survey found that 45% of travelers said they contacted a destination after they read or heard about it in the travel media, and 44% said they visited a destination they learned about in the travel media.

The media exposure generated by MOTT's domestic FAM trips, press releases and media pitches totaled approximately $3 million in FY2002.

Writers often include detailed information on the accommodations, restaurants and the attractions they visit. If you would like to participate in upcoming FAMs in your area, please contact Ron D'Amico (info below).