Based on the success of tourism marketing last year, the Department of Tourism will continue to aim advertising at the demographic that city officials call their target audience: women ages 25-49 with children in their household and annual income between $35,000 and $100,000, living in 14 selected markets.
During the Pigeon Forge City Commission meeting Monday, Tourism Director Leon Downey and other officials discussed the department’s 2015 spring and summer engagement plan, which was unanimously approved by the commissioners.
Selected markets are broken into two categories, sustained and reinforcement. Sustained markets represent the most overnight travel to Pigeon Forge and include Greenville, S.C.; Asheville, N.C.; Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Birmingham, Ala.; Louisville, Ky.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Greensboro, N.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Nashville.
Reinforcement markets are closer and bring less overnight travel. They include the Tri-Cities area, Knoxville and Chattanooga. Sustained markets will receive more advertising than reinforcement markets.
The decision to continue to target the demographic was based on market research. Last year the department had more than 300,000 requests for travel planners, marking a 56.6 percent increase from 2013, and the most the department has experienced to date.
Last year’s ads directed consumers to the Pigeon Forge website to find more information about the city, which is where a large portion of the requests for travel planners originated.
Tourism officials said the city’s 2014 partnership with the Hallmark television channel was fruitful, yielding about 65,000 inquiries for travel planners. Because of those results, the department intends to continue the partnership this year.
“We certainly hope we can duplicate or exceed the success from last year,” Vice Mayor Kevin McClure said at the meeting.
Advertising will be made up of 30-second television and radio commercials, as well as advertisements on gas pump televisions in some gas stations and radio DJ endorsements. Commercials will run from March 13 to June 28.
Other advertising avenues will include consumer trade print, with ads in women’s lifestyle publications.
The tourism department will also have an “amazing kid” competition, in which children may be nominated for some extraordinary action. The winning child will win a free trip to Pigeon Forge.
The competition will be promoted in schools, and the school of the winning child will receive a donation.
Tourism officials estimate that the advertising campaign will reach more than 165 million households during the months the ads run.
“You all do a really great job of coming up with ways to promote Pigeon Forge,” city commissioner Joyce Brackins said at the meeting.
The estimated cost of the engagement plan is $4.8 million, and all funds are available within the current budget.
jold@themountainpress.com
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