* Submission deadline extended through Friday, September 7 at midnight * Recognizing that many of you are still working on your entries, we are extending the deadline. Hurray! Don’t procrastinate any longer. Submit your innovative campaigns in order to be recognized as one of the best in tourism marketing and to be in the running to win an eTourism Summit Excellence (eTSY) Award. With 13 unconventional awards, there is surely a category where you shine. Winners will be recognized at the eTourism Summit in San Francisco on October 11. |
Award Categories:Video Awards
Digital Content Awards
For more details, visit the eTSY Award application site.
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Your Summer Vacation Reading: ‘500-Plus Tourism Facebook Ads’
Thank you, CrowdRiff. Here’s the summer reading we’ve all been waiting for: “500+ Tourism Facebook Ad Examples From America’s State DMOs.”
Be enthralled by dramatic discoveries rolled out across 241 e-pages of gripping reveals such as, “18 state DMOs were running zero Facebook ads at the time of our study.” (Really?) And, “No state DMOs were serving ads that mentioned a deal or offer.” (Hmm.)
Steal ideas, find out-of-the-box-thinking, see trends, get answers to the kind of burning questions that keep you awake at night:
- How many states are using Carousel? Canvas? Video? Single Image?
- What type visual theme images are most used? Landscapes? People? Food and Drink?
- How many countries are being targeted?
- How widespread is the use of UGC?
- What are the most common CTAs?
Check out five noteworthy Facebook ad campaigns from Tennessee, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Texas, and South Carolina. See what the other 27 states were up to as of the first week of July 2018 when this snapshot look book was compiled. Those states running simultaneous Instagram Stories campaigns are included, too…a bonus.
And there’s more. Download the e-book today and head for a hammock in the shade.
Guest Post: Culinary Tourism is Hot, However the Main Ingredient is Strategy
A well-thought-out strategy is your main ingredient.
Food tourism is “one of the most dynamic segments within the tourism market,” reports the UN World Tourism Organization.
“However, you must have a strategy for your overall marketing, and if you include culinary tourism in your marketing mix, it is imperative that you don’t do this willy-nilly,” reports Tourism Currents.
Related: Food Tourism Case Study: On the Buffalo Wing Trail
Related: Steal This Idea: Valley Forge Tourism is the Winner in the Pizza Wars
Tourism Currents found that their own blog post highlighting DMO culinary tourism examples from around the world was one of their Greatest Hits, so we re-post it here. To read “Culinary Tourism is Boiling Hot,” click here.
Move Over UGC…UDC (User Directed Content) for Video is Edited in Real Time
A fresh, innovative, UGC iteration comes to town—starting in Dallas. User Directed Content (or “UDC”) is a new approach that’s helping to make and tell stories in a completely different way. Is it authentic, humanized content? Absolutely!]
The Travel Vertical talked to Ryan Thompson, Founder and CEO at Odyssey Storyworks. Using the 50th Anniversary of the Frozen Margarita as the focus and Visit Dallas as the partner, a wild new concept of UGC was put through its beta paces…and brilliantly done, by all accounts.
The Inspiration
The 50th Anniversary of the Frozen Margarita. It was the brainchild of Mariano Martinez, current owner of Mariano’s Hacienda in Dallas. #DidYouKnow? The original frozen margarita machine now permanently lives in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
The Idea
Everybody wants the video, nobody wants the production spend. But what if we could use real people to help shoot video with their smartphones while providing them with real-time professional direction and shot lists? Focusing on the Frozen Margarita, that’s exactly what happened when folks fanned out to hit any and all of the Mexican restaurants/bars along “The Margarita Mile” near Mariano’s.*
*This is Dallas…there are plenty.
The Tricky Bit
“One of the things we’ve tried to do is bring UGC video forward as a storytelling vehicle,” Ryan explains. “But it’s the wild west out there. You can get something terrific or something that’s not appropriate.”
The Planning
The project requires a shot-by-shot needs list, a production facility to receive and upload videos in real time, professionals to provide live direction on angle, lighting, closeups and more to the contributors as they shoot. Skilled editors support project, working through hundreds of hours of content directly provided by consumers.
The Evergreen Aspect
A new video is released very three to four weeks over a period of nine months.
The Bonuses
The real time process replaces a typical three-week shoot. In addition to big cost savings and high shareability, Ryan suggests that, “You end up with the best of professional applied to the best of the spontaneity and enthusiasm of real people.”
Related: eTourism Summit 2018: DMO Case Study Highlights on Day Two Agenda
-> Hear from Ryan Thompson in person at eTourism Summit, Oct. 10-11, 2018. He’ll also be on hand at Pre-Conference Day on Oct. 9, 2018 to guide the Smartphone Video Storytelling Workshop. See the agenda and registration details.
Related: CREATE: Popular Smartphone Video Storytelling Workshop at eTourism Summit
Will LinkedIn QR Code Networking Feature Kill the Business Card for Good?
We’re all for (QR code) networking!
Post-conference surveys indicate that successful networking is a key feature for our fast-paced, intimate, professional community gathering at the annual eTourism Summit.
Getting back to the office with a pile of business cards or dozens of name badge snapshots? Well, that’s another matter…
FYI – Update your LinkedIn app and take a close look at the search bar. There’s now a digitalized business card in your smartphone. This new feature, available in both the iOS and Android apps, makes use of QR codes to connect LinkedIn profiles instantaneously.
You’re not only carrying your our own personal QR code, but you also have the capability to scan others. (No more concerns about running out of business cards.) Once you scan someone, you teleport to their LinkedIn profile to connect; it’s a lot smoother than passing phones around.
P.S. While we’re on the subject, please make a mental note to send The Travel Vertical updates from your professional world. Our newsletter’s “Who You Know” articles on people in transition within the eTourism Community are always popular. Just use the “Contact Us” button at the footer.
