Consumer Marketing
The global competition for tourism visitation escalates daily.
This competition makes it imperative for AOT to elevate the state’s competitiveness to secure valuable visitor dollars, as these dollars are directly attributed to strengthening and expanding Arizona’s economic and social vitality. AOT competitively positions Arizona’s travel brand and maintains its tourism marketing momentum utilizing persona and targeted strategies and the following campaigns.
Domestic Campaign
The “Here You Are” campaign was introduced in FY23, measured for effectiveness, and optimized to run again in FY24 to continue increasing reach, frequency and awareness.
The campaign positioned Arizona as the ideal place for visitors to disconnect and truly live in the moment. The campaign is built on the desire to leave zoom calls, schedules, and routines behind and connect with the kids over a simple lakeside campfire or find exhilaration in solitude during a ride down a snow-covered mountainside.
“Here You Are” was deployed in the primary target markets of Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, New York, San Francisco, Southern California and secondary markets including Minneapolis and Denver. The key message to visitors was “Arizona immerses you in its undeniable wonders and has a way of making you stop and see that being present has never felt so good.”
Advertising Effectiveness Survey
Results
Advertising impact is evaluated by comparing the attitudes and behaviors of those who have seen the advertising to the same measures among those unaware of the ads.
- The FY24 “Here You Are” advertising generated 36% awareness nationally, reaching about 35.6 million traveling households.
- The level of incremental travel translates into nearly 1.2 million ad-influenced trips and about $3.1 billion in revenue.
- With a media investment of $4.7 million, the advertising returned $654 in visitor spending for each $1 invested. In terms of total tax revenue, the ROI garnered $51 for each $1 invested. The campaign ROI is the largest that SMARInsights has measured for AOT.
- The updated “Here You Are” advertising didn’t merely influence the decision to visit Arizona. By showcasing the state’s leisure travel product and generating information gathering, it also led to more active, better trips with higher average visitor spending.
Arrivalist Data January – March
Results
The Arrivalist data platform measures the effectiveness of digital marketing using anonymized location data of consumers exposed to our digital advertising and visit vs. consumers who have not been exposed to our digital advertising and visit. The exposed consumer should be visiting more and staying longer than the unexposed consumers.
- Exposure to advertising was 23.5% and arrivals rate was 63.2% indicating great exposure dispersion and a solid arrival rate.
- Arrivals Per 1,000 Exposures – Arizona is three times higher than the national average.
- Travelers came from markets where advertising ran and, as a result, stayed in Arizona longer.
