TW shifting its marketing strategies

Source: Whistler Question

Author: Jennifer Miller

Regional campaigns and price point make way for destination markets and overall experience

In the post-2010 Olympic world, the board of Tourism Whistler (TW) has taken stock, regrouped, consulted the organization’s members and reviewed the latest research.

The results are some significant shifts in the way TW markets Whistler.

Instead of regional campaigns that focus on a price point, which have been the norm in recent years, upcoming advertising will target destination travellers and focus more on what makes Whistler unique.

Barrett Fisher, TW president, said the organization’s marketing dollars are shifting more to broadcast and social media, instead of print, to tell more of a visual story and be able to share the ambiance of the Whistler experience.

“Content is important, but we have this bigger brand story to tell,” she said on Monday (July 19). “It’s really a collection of the entire resort experience that makes Whistler so unique.”

Plans for the winter 2010-’11 marketing campaign build on the “celebratory platform” of the Winter Games, showcasing Whistler as a joyous place full of wonder and magic, Fisher said. It’s about the personality of the resort, not the bricks and mortar or a single activity offering, she said.

TW’s website (whistler.com) is being redesigned to be more “experiential,” with a launch planned for fall, she said.

In direct response to feedback from TW members, which include business operators and property owners, the board has also decided it’s time to return to focusing more marketing efforts on Whistler’s destination markets. For the past two years or so, a conscious decision was made to spend more marketing dollars on regional markets such as the Lower Mainland.

Fisher said that decision was made because of the economic downturn, research that showed long-haul markets were sticking closer to home and the anticipated Olympic aversion leading to fewer visits from overseas guests and those from non-regional U.S. areas. The board knew TW needed to focus its marketing on the groups that would come, she added.

But members expressed concerns about that approach in the listening sessions held over the past couple of months. Typically, destination visitors stay longer and spend more money than do regional guests, Fisher said.

Despite research that indicates the economies in the U.S. and U.K. won’t turn around quickly, the board agreed it’s time to shift dollars back to destination marketing, she said. Regional markets are still “very important for Whistler,” but with high awareness levels in short-haul markets, members have asked TW to “shift its focus outward,” Fisher added.

Long-haul U.S., U.K. and Australia are top on the list, with Mexico and Japan is also on the radar. TW is also trying to see where future growth might be found, with Germany, Brazil, China and possibly India as opportunities.

TW is also calling on its members to help with marketing efforts. While TW focuses on destination markets, members can advertise regionally. Social media efforts can be passed on through members’ contacts, she said.

“Every member is an important piece of our marketing reach and frequency,” Fisher said.

In turn, TW officials are committing to seek more regular feedback from members, with the possibility of monthly listening sessions and a marketing committee with representatives from each resort sector.

A newsletter about TW’s new strategic directions will be sent by email to all members later this week, Fisher said.