(Originally published in TOURISM)
The CTC’s US leisure marketing manager Ernst Flach is candid about what he expects to achieve in the US market in 2008: “We are capitalizing on our 2007 achievements. The segmentation strategy we implemented following the US Travel Study released in February of 2006 provided us with some key demographic information about our highest yield prospects. We layered the CTC’s own proprietary Explorer Quotient (EQ) research on top of that to impart more personality to these demographics, and we further focused on three EQ segments identified as most promising for us in the US: the Authentic Experiencers, the Free Spirits and the Cultural Explorers.”
Flach indicates that ideally, the campaign will reach the highest yield prospects no matter where they live. However, research has highlighted three geographic areas where the targets are clustered: California, the New York tri-state area and Massachusetts (Boston-New England). “We are comfortable with the results we have seen in 2007, and we are moving forward on that basis”, he says. “For example, the post-campaign ad-tracking results have told us that the targets — both in terms of geography and the EQ segments — are experiencing a higher recall of Canada and CTC ads than the control market. And, there has been a 9% cumulative positive influence on visitation to Canada; this tells us we are reaching the right people through the media, the message is resonating with them, and a program that is fully integrated from consumer media to PR/MR to Sales/Trade is paying off. ”
For 2008, the US Leisure team matched the EQ segments with the US PRIZM segments from Claritas. The PRIZM research classifies Americans into 66 different consumer types, each of which tend to be clustered geographically. The spirit behind Prizm and Claritas is that birds of a feather live together: “Combining the two sets of research further enhances our knowledge of travellers to provide more accurate information about media choices and other relevant behaviour,” says Flach.
The impact is far from negligible, Flach explains, especially when it comes to tactic deployment intelligence along specific communications channels. “Two key things came out of it (in 2007). In California, results emphasized that San Francisco is a very important market for us. While we have always been present there, most recently with the ski and niche programs, research indicated that San Francisco is a market worth investing more heavily in. The intelligence also told us that in Los Angeles, the “Free Spirits” segment is present in huge numbers, so we factored this information into our tactics.”
Flach explains that San Francisco is the newest addition to the CTC’s core program as a result of this research. There will be a media presence in Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains, and the campaign will also make use of the Whispering Windows system in San Francisco. Whispering Windows is an advertising medium using an amplifier and small puck-like objects that stick to any smooth surface, turning shop windows into loudspeakers. The CTC was the first to use this technology in North America for its summer campaign in New York, where it had great success, garnering much attention from consumers and the press.
“New to L.A. this year will be radio campaigns because that medium has a high index with Free Spirits, who are found in higher numbers in that market. Also new will be elevator advertising in L.A., and Sunset and AAA magazines inserts.”
But before 2008 comes, 2007 will go out with a bang. The Bryant Park Canada-branded ice rink is on the program for New York City, Flach comments. “Tourism Quebec will be sponsoring the Christmas tree, and it all starts November 27 with the lighting of the tree to kick off the CTC event. Ontario (OTMP) and Travel Alberta have also come onboard as partners. The Celsius Café at the Park will again be a great opportunity to create a vivid presence at Bryant Park. Plus, there will be a lot of on site activities like wine tastings, ice sculpting, a life-sized snow globe, and more.”
The US creative campaign launched in 2007 (known as the “Intrigue” campaign for its theme of creating involvement with consumers) will continue for 2008 with the intent of changing Americans’ perception about Canada.
“The issue with Americans has always been 'Canada is like the girl next door... it is nice but there is not particular sense of urgency or sexiness about it,’” concludes Flach. “The Intrigue campaign addressed that by highlighting select vacation experiences which are unexpected for Americans, and which really position Canada as an exotic, fascinating destination. So you can expect more amazing Canadian experiences to be featured in our global campaign as well.”
The CTC’s US leisure marketing manager Ernst Flach is candid about what he expects to achieve in the US market in 2008: “We are capitalizing on our 2007 achievements. The segmentation strategy we implemented following the US Travel Study released in February of 2006 provided us with some key demographic information about our highest yield prospects. We layered the CTC’s own proprietary Explorer Quotient (EQ) research on top of that to impart more personality to these demographics, and we further focused on three EQ segments identified as most promising for us in the US: the Authentic Experiencers, the Free Spirits and the Cultural Explorers.”
Flach indicates that ideally, the campaign will reach the highest yield prospects no matter where they live. However, research has highlighted three geographic areas where the targets are clustered: California, the New York tri-state area and Massachusetts (Boston-New England). “We are comfortable with the results we have seen in 2007, and we are moving forward on that basis”, he says. “For example, the post-campaign ad-tracking results have told us that the targets — both in terms of geography and the EQ segments — are experiencing a higher recall of Canada and CTC ads than the control market. And, there has been a 9% cumulative positive influence on visitation to Canada; this tells us we are reaching the right people through the media, the message is resonating with them, and a program that is fully integrated from consumer media to PR/MR to Sales/Trade is paying off. ”
For 2008, the US Leisure team matched the EQ segments with the US PRIZM segments from Claritas. The PRIZM research classifies Americans into 66 different consumer types, each of which tend to be clustered geographically. The spirit behind Prizm and Claritas is that birds of a feather live together: “Combining the two sets of research further enhances our knowledge of travellers to provide more accurate information about media choices and other relevant behaviour,” says Flach.
The impact is far from negligible, Flach explains, especially when it comes to tactic deployment intelligence along specific communications channels. “Two key things came out of it (in 2007). In California, results emphasized that San Francisco is a very important market for us. While we have always been present there, most recently with the ski and niche programs, research indicated that San Francisco is a market worth investing more heavily in. The intelligence also told us that in Los Angeles, the “Free Spirits” segment is present in huge numbers, so we factored this information into our tactics.”
Flach explains that San Francisco is the newest addition to the CTC’s core program as a result of this research. There will be a media presence in Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains, and the campaign will also make use of the Whispering Windows system in San Francisco. Whispering Windows is an advertising medium using an amplifier and small puck-like objects that stick to any smooth surface, turning shop windows into loudspeakers. The CTC was the first to use this technology in North America for its summer campaign in New York, where it had great success, garnering much attention from consumers and the press.
“New to L.A. this year will be radio campaigns because that medium has a high index with Free Spirits, who are found in higher numbers in that market. Also new will be elevator advertising in L.A., and Sunset and AAA magazines inserts.”
But before 2008 comes, 2007 will go out with a bang. The Bryant Park Canada-branded ice rink is on the program for New York City, Flach comments. “Tourism Quebec will be sponsoring the Christmas tree, and it all starts November 27 with the lighting of the tree to kick off the CTC event. Ontario (OTMP) and Travel Alberta have also come onboard as partners. The Celsius Café at the Park will again be a great opportunity to create a vivid presence at Bryant Park. Plus, there will be a lot of on site activities like wine tastings, ice sculpting, a life-sized snow globe, and more.”
The US creative campaign launched in 2007 (known as the “Intrigue” campaign for its theme of creating involvement with consumers) will continue for 2008 with the intent of changing Americans’ perception about Canada.
“The issue with Americans has always been 'Canada is like the girl next door... it is nice but there is not particular sense of urgency or sexiness about it,’” concludes Flach. “The Intrigue campaign addressed that by highlighting select vacation experiences which are unexpected for Americans, and which really position Canada as an exotic, fascinating destination. So you can expect more amazing Canadian experiences to be featured in our global campaign as well.”
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