Courier August/September Courier | Page 20

BUSINESS

The Interview

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM NTA MEMBERS

Share your city with creative content and events

BY GABE WEBB
Prospective travelers want to see experiences that await in a destination . But how can DMOs promote only-in-their-city adventures while successfully sidestepping the traditional pitch ? Courier reached out to two destinations with wildly different approaches to answering this question .
Spinning the Emerald City into gold
Daniels
Ali Daniels is the senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Visit Seattle . Her organization has created several series of short documentaries for social media about Seattle ’ s music , food and visual art scenes , with an emphasis on local voices offering fresh , insider perspectives for potential visitors .
Tell me about a couple of the video projects that Visit Seattle has made and the origins of those ideas . Ali Daniels : We have produced seven projects so far and are in production of two more . It ’ s hard to choose just a couple to discuss as they are all special in their own way , but let ’ s focus on “ Been There , Made That ” and “+ Play .”
“ Been There , Made That ” started from the idea that Seattle is a place of inspiration . We have an incredible art community here — from fine art to culinary art , and everything in between — and we know that the artists here find inspiration in their surroundings . But it ’ s one thing to get a local ’ s perspective ; we wanted to see how visiting artists could be influenced or inspired by Seattle . Each artist — a singer / songwriter , an illustrator , an ice cream maker , a wallpaper designer and a 3D installation artist — traveled to the Emerald City for a couple days , then returned home to create something in their medium , inspired by their trip .
What resulted is an amazing tale of interpretation . Each one is able to tell a story through their own language , and each one is so special and unique . And these pieces of art live on , all across the country .
On the other hand , we were looking for a different way to showcase the incredible museums and cultural institutions that Seattle has to offer . What if we showed these places off from a different perspective ? In “+ Play ” we did just that . We invited a crew of children to play tour guide in their favorite museums and escort adults to their most cherished spots . The world looks a little different from a child ’ s eye , and we were able to highlight a different side of our arts and culture scene .
What messages about Seattle are you trying to convey with these localfocused videos ? Daniels : Each series is very different and focuses on a theme . We want to show people the many sides of our city — from arts and culture to food , wine and music — and each leans a slightly different way . What you won ’ t find are any “ travel-specific ” videos . We want to focus on entertainment first , with an underlying travel education thread .
Who is the primary audience for this type of content ? Daniels : Our target audience is the “ advenculturalist ”— someone that wants to get every moment [ out ] of their trip . They want urban , they want nature , they want to see where the locals go , they want to be the first of their friends to try something .
We know consumers are watching more video than ever before and that the “ travel cycle ” has changed now that technology has advanced so much . By creating entertaining content versus educational content , we can get in front of them even when they aren ’ t in the travel-planning mindset .
This type of content shows a more holistic view of Seattle . We do highlight attractions and iconic spots , but they are paired with some of the unexpected and local spots .
How do you judge the success of a content-driven approach like this ? Daniels : If only we had one big “ BOOK SEATTLE ” button that all travelers had to push , wouldn ’ t our lives be easier ? We measure success a number of different ways . The simplest is engagement : We look at view-through rates , clicks from the video , multiple videos watched . Then we look at data that shows who is looking , booking and traveling to Seattle . We also keep an eye on revenue-per-available-room growth year over year and social sentiment . While not a perfect science , all of those factors help guide us moving forward .
What was one obstacle your organization faced in creating a video series ? Daniels : The biggest obstacle has been letting go of control . When you put your brand in the hands of a stranger , it can be a scary thing , but also a very exciting thing . We have tremendous confidence in our brand , in our city , and the results have been really beautiful .
ArtPrize Pitch Nights : Using Grand Rapids as a grand prize
Dave Nitkiewicz is the specialty market sales manager for Experience Grand
18 August / September 2017