Marketing Artist L.L.C.

Corporate Communications Consulting by Andrew Tytla

Monthly archives "May 2009"

Montana: There's Nothing Here

I love it. To promote tourism to Montana, they’re pitching “nothing.” The write-up in the Billings Gazette was favorable:

Tourism marketers seeking to lure visitors to Montana are trying a bit of reverse psychology with a new promotional motto that advertises “there’s nothing here.”

“The message of the ad really is that nothing is something. Having all of this unspoiled spectacular nature is something few other places have,” said Katy Peterson, marketing manager for the state’s tourism bureau Travel Montana.

At first, the state’s marketers worried that selling nothingness could backfire, but the pitch tested extremely well with panels representing its target tourists.

“We weren’t sure if people were going to interpret that headline the way we wanted them to. It’s definitely pretty bold,” Peterson said.

The ad campaign, costing about $800,000, was launched in February. In the ads, the motto “THERE’S NOTHING HERE” runs as the marquee text across wilderness photos of Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park, locations that research indicates most people visit on their first trip to the state.

The campaign is running in Smithsonian Magazine, BackPacker, National Geographic and other publications to reach the state’s typical new visitor, who Peterson describes as a well-educated and passionate traveler looking for an experience that is not “manufactured.”

“They’re just as likely to go to New York as they are to Montana,” Peterson said. “They’re just looking for a place that’s really authentic and true.”

Along with promising pristine landscapes, the ads also exalt the down-home charm of the quintessential small town, where there’s a corner store, people are friendly and pies are still made from scratch. “Nothing but fresh huckleberry pie for breakfast – with a friendly conversation on the side” reads the text accompanying the Glacier ad.

Over the years, Montana has been variously tagged the “Land of the Shining Mountains,” “High, Wide and Handsome,” “Big Sky Country,” “Naturally Inviting” and “Unspoiled, Unforgettable.”

“The people definitely like our open spaces and our uncrowded areas,” said Norma Nickerson, director of the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research in Missoula.

About 10 million visitors seeking to explore the state’s mountains, forests and rivers spent more than $3 billion in Montana during 2007, according to the institute.

Still, the state has to distinguish itself from other Rocky Mountain states that are also popular travel destinations.

While Colorado flaunts its high-end amenities, and Wyoming “just owns Western” as a brand, Peterson said, Montana’s best pitch may be making the most of what it lacks.

“It’s not known for its nightlife or its malls or its superhighways or its skyscrapers. It’s really known for its untouched scenery,” Peterson said.

They also did a great job with their kids site.

I’m not surprised the ad creative tested well.  So many of us are constantly connected — by phone or otherwise — that it get increasingly difficult to get away and clear your mind. As for me, my escape is visiting the Northern Catskills of New York, only 160 miles away.  Planning to be there over the Memorial Day weekend.

0

Hip Cities

Years ago, I visited Portland, Oregon, for business. Learned Mt. Hood was about an hour away — and it was March — I packed my ski boots. Hopped into my rental car after my business was done and drove out to Timberline Lodge.  Although it was a solitary experience, I did enjoy myself.It was the only time I was ever able to combine skiing with business.

I liked Portland, too.  Thought it might be a really good city to live in some day. Apparently, thousands of others share my opinion, resulting in Portland’s higher-than-average unemployment rate. The story, via The Wall Street Journal:

This drizzly city along the Willamette River has for years been among the most popular urban magnets for college graduates looking to start their careers in a small city of like-minded folks. Now the jobs are drying up, but the people are still coming. The influx of new residents is part of the reason the unemployment rate in the Portland metropolitan area has more than doubled to 11.8% over the past year, and is now above the national average of 8.9%.

More photos and interactive graphics Some new arrivals are burning through their savings as they hunt for jobs that no longer exist. Some are returning home. Others are settling for low-paying jobs they are overqualified for.

With his search for a journalism job coming up short, Mr. Singer has spent thousands in savings, and is now earning $12 an hour at a temporary job scanning loan documents, a task he says is so mind-numbing he listens to his iPod all day. “Careerwise, it’s definitely not what I’d like to be doing,” says Mr. Singer.

The worst recession in a generation is disrupting migration patterns and overturning lives across the country. Yet, cities like Portland, along with Austin, Texas, Seattle and others, continue to be draws for the young, educated workers that communities and employers covet. What these cities share is a hard-to-quantify blend of climate, natural beauty, universities and — more than anything else — a reputation as a cool place to live. For now, an excess of young workers is adding to the ranks of the unemployed. But holding on to these people through the downturn will help cities turn around once the economy recovers.

Portland has attracted college-educated, single people between the ages of 25 and 39 at a higher rate than most other cities in the country. Between 1995 and 2000, the city added 268 people in that demographic group for every 1,000 of the same group living there in 1995, according to the Census Bureau. Only four other metropolitan areas had a higher ratio. The author of the Census report on these “youth magnet” cities, Rachel Franklin, now deputy director the Association of American Geographers, says the Portland area’s critical mass of young professionals means it has a “sustained attractiveness” for other young people looking for a place to settle down.

Meanwhile, back in New Jersey, it won’t be long before Trenton, Newark and Camden “get hip.” My little town my not be hip, but it’s still cool.

0