Destination Branding – Fast, Cheap and Good

AD-SUCCESS arranged a savings of over $ 20,000 for the small regional visitor’s bureaus in Central Kentucky by coordinating a co-op full page buy in a special issue of Delta Sky Magazine. When the national publication offered a “one-time-only” advertising value in a special “Bluegrass Section” (June 2008), AD-SUCCESS got to work to create an opportunity for regional tourism bureaus. By combining 1/6 page ads to make a full page media placement, the ad cost was only $ 2,300 per tourism bureau to reach an audience of over 3 million readers.  The open rate for a 1/6 page ad is well over $ 6,000 in the publication.

ROI – Numbers Driven by New Programs

During our work with the Lexington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (LCVB) the number of annual inquiries generated by advertising increased steadily and without interruption.  AD-SUCCCESS developed the LCVB’s first web marketing program and a website that was in use for over 10 years.  We assisted in developing segmented marketing campaigns, and introduced “packaged” travel into the advertising.

Lexington's Bluegrass Region...Defined by its Experiences!

Lexington's Bluegrass Region of Kentucky is known as the “Horse Capital of the World.” Beautiful pastoral settings were the mainstay of the region’s advertising, until 2008 when visitor profile studies clearly showed that it is the family who travels to the region as a whole. The resulting branding campaign was titled “For the Fun at Heart” and rolled out complete with a new website (www.BluegrassKentucky.com), collateral, and advertising campaign. The campaign’s hallmark was its ability to depict experiential travel. The marketing materials for the campaign have been many awards including: A Public Relations Society of America award for the press kit, and a Kentucky Tourism Industry Association Award for the brochure, the website and the campaign as a whole. Today, as the Bluegrass Region expands to market in niche publications, the campaign has been broadened to add the experiences of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Central Kentucky Winery Tours, The Kentucky Artisan Center, and more.

If Opportunity Knocks, Don’t Just Open the Door, Let PR Tear it Off its Hinges.

It’s not every day a place the size of Elizabethtown, Kentucky (around 25,000) becomes the focus – and the title – of a major motion picture. With Elizabethtown, the movie, only three weeks from release, the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau contacted AD-SUCCESS about the best way to capitalize on what could be a PR & tourism windfall. Despite the brief lead time, AD-SUCCESS created and distributed PR materials for this once-in-a-lifetime chance to shine the bright lights of Hollywood on a small, scenic Kentucky city. Along with press releases, print materials, and a gala reception, AD-SUCCESS produced and distributed an “in-movie theatre promo” that told the REAL Elizabethtown story to theatre audiences in Ohio, Tennessee, and Illinois – key markets for the town’s thriving tourism business. The overall effort resulted in a PR bonanza, as the Elizabethtown movie/city story was picked up ay the AP, and in regional TV and newspaper coverage.