Can destinations attract tourists via branded entertainment?

I am ‘In Bruges’ this week presenting a paper at the Travel & Tourism Research Association annual conference. My paper is about America’s use of branded entertainment as a way of attracting international tourists. Branded entertainment is a relatively new term to describe a more contemporary, sophisticated use of product placement, and involves co-creation and collaboration between entertainment, media and brands. Although there are only a few examples of destinations employing branded entertainment as a communications tool, it has been acknowledged that placing a destination in a film or television is the ultimate in tourism product placement. Just witness the success of In Bruges. Tourists have been flocking to Bruges since the debut of the 2008 movie (despite the fact that it depicted a city full of contract killers, racist dwarfs and prostitutes), and I used the movie map yesterday to get around the beautiful city. 

 

But the resulting tourism from this film was more chance than actual marketing strategy, whereas the U.S. recently has been more proactive in using TV and film to attract tourists. Last year, Brand USA, the group that is spearheading the nation’s first global marketing effort to promote the US overseas, launched a website in London accepting confidential television ideas from producers. Following an external committee selection, entries were shortlisted to three, and the first program to be produced was Extreme Frontiers: USA, which was broadcast in the UK on Channel Five late in 2013. Produced by director Russ Malkin, owner of Big Earth, the four-part series followed well-known thrill-seeker and adventurer Charley Boorman, whose expedition began in Hawaii before he and Malkin travelled over 8,000 miles across 22 states. 

Brand USA developed a dedicated web page on their consumer website for the show featuring video excerpts from the series, photographs, and links to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. On the website were also links to travel information and to the show’s own website. The program is currently being sold globally and will appear in over 90 territories, but as a result of the program being broadcast in the UK alone, EagleRider, an official sponsor of the show created an, ‘Extreme Frontiers Guided Tour’, of which they have already sold 60 packages.  

Building on this initiative, this April, the US Travel Association, in conjunction with Brand USA, launched a new broadcast/production program at the annual IPW conference in Chicago. This allowed broadcast and production media from the UK, Ireland and Australia to participate in face-to-face appointments with US travel and film organizations to find out more about filming in the US. Once again, the idea was to encourage producers to feature the US as a premier destination and leverage the new brand promise. In addition, Brand USA is spending $10m on an IMAX movie that will showcase the country’s national parks, and the group has also teamed up with National Geographic Travel on a digital campaign to showcase iconic road trips across America to international travelers.

What all this shows is that if destinations can think creatively and work closely with the film and television industries to facilitate production, they will capitalize on the subsequent exposure. Brand USA not only exploited the power of entertainment to promote the US as a travel destination, they supported the initiative with a promotional campaign around the brand integration, a tactic that has proved successful in the past with consumer brands.

Center intern meets with entrepreneur and economic expert

Chip Harriford, Always Fresh Farms, LLC and Daniel Beasley

On June 9th, 2014 , the Center welcomed a new intern, Daniel Beasley. Daniel is a promising young student from the Governor's School of Mathematics and Science who has interest in economic development and economic drivers, such as tourism. Daniel will intern with the Center for approximately 6 six weeks this summer. Daniel, from Florence SC,will be assisting with tourism and brand development projects in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina and the Santee -Cooper region of South Carolina.   He will also have the opportunity to interview and visit with local economic experts such as Chip Harriford, pictured above. Welcome, Daniel!

What do the beaches of South Carolina have in common with the new Porsche Macan?

 

 

Well, both were recently advertised in distinctive window displays at the world-famous Harrods store in London. As Harrods Media Director, Guy Cheston, says "Harrods' iconic exhibition windows are one of the most sought after and visited retail display areas in the world,” so it is refreshing to see marketers of South Carolina reach out to potential international travelers in such an innovative fashion. The initiative was partly funded by Brand USA, the organization established by the 2009 Travel Promotion Act to spearhead the nation’s first global marketing effort to promote the US as a premier travel destination. Brand USA is funded through a fee on tourists from the 37 countries whose citizens don’t require a visa to visit the US (called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization – ESTA - program). The organization is allowed to use up to $100 million a year, provided it obtains matching contributions from its private partners in the travel and tourism industry. In addition to the window displays, South Carolina was also promoted on the store’s multi-media video displays, in its 500,000 circulation publication, and on the side of its trademark green double decker buses. If you would like to know more about Brand USA, I published a white paper recently in the Journal of Destination Management & Marketing that digs a little deeper:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212571X14000055

ArtFields in Lake City Gathers Strength

I was in Lake City today where ArtFields was in full swing. The 10-day event is a celebration of all things creative, and features the largest art competition in the Southeast. Hundreds of artists compete for $100,000 in cash prizes, displaying their art in more than 50 downtown businesses, outdoor spaces and other venues. While I sat in the Downtown Bakery & Deli, people were wandering in off the wind-swept streets to view the spectacular art on the walls behind me – and if they wanted to, they could then vote for their favorite piece. Public votes factor into the top $50,000 prize, and a panel of visual art professionals name the $25,000 juried panel prize-winner.

The event is part of a larger effort to put Lake City on the map. When I first visited five years ago, there was barely a traffic signal to light up the city, but now crumbling buildings have been transformed into high-class restaurants, cafes, shops and museums, and a boutique hotel will be opening in the fall.  The Lake City Partnership Council is the key impetus behind this revitalization, with Darla Moore the catalyst supporting this economic development group that has invested generously in the rehabilitation of Lake City.  As a vehicle for economic revitalization, artistic expression, and community pride, Artfields itself attracts thousands of visitors, providing an estimated $5.4 million impact for Lake City community, and incalculable benefits for the merchants, artists, and citizens of the Pee Dee. More information about the festival can be found at http://www.artfieldssc.org/

Breaking through with tourism research

Dr. Hudson was presented with a prestigious award last week by the University of South Carolina’s Research Office. He was recognized as one of eight Breakthrough Leaders in Research university-wide. Recipients were given the award not only for their research contributions but also for their efforts above and beyond their funded research, such as community outreach and support of graduate students. Dr. Hudson is pictured below speaking at the Breakthrough Awards Dinner held at the Capital City Club in Columbia, SC on April 24. The evening celebrated the achievements of both USC’s Breakthrough Leadership in Research award recipients, and the Breakthrough Star award winners

Raising Awareness to Benefit SC's Tourism Industry

(From left) Legislative Assistants Matthew Ellison (Rep. James Clyburn) , Deputy Chief of Staff Legislative Director Melissa Chandler Murphy (Rep. Joe Wilson), SmartState Endowed Chair Simon Hudson, and Legislative Assistant Jessica Phillips Tyson (Sen. Lindsey Graham) discuss tourism’s economic impact on South Carolina.

 



As tourism is a major economic driver in the state of South Carolina, responsible for supporting 1 in 10 jobs and generating a fiscal impact of $1.3 Billion in state and local tax revenues in 2013, the industry relies on the support of state and local leaders to build sustainable and strategic growth of the tourism industry. Above,  Dr. Hudson meets with the representatives of several key leaders to inform the lawmakers on industry needs and trends. 

Like Father like Son

Dr. Hudson was in Denver this week attending the Great Western Travel & Tourism Research Association Conference. This morning, he presented a paper with his son Rupert, a senior in the International Business program at the Moore School of Business. The paper was about the use of social media in music festivals, the duo finding that social media has a significant affect on emotions and attachments to festival brands, and that social media-based relationships lead to desired marketing outcomes such as positive word of mouth. It has been an exciting week for Rupert. Not only was he presenting at a top academic conference, he also received an award at the annual USC Awards Day ceremony, started his own record label – Scenario Records, and was offered a job in New York with an up-and-coming music company called Gigit. His Dad of course taught him everything he knows.