Tourism tip: Ditch 'generic' pitch

NORFOLK, Neb. — Fill in the blanks with the name of your community.

“Discover ______''

“Visit ______'s historic downtown''

“ ______: So much to see and do.”

Now substitute any other community's name.

Nebraska's tourism professionals squirmed when they performed this exercise Wednesday. They were busted and they knew it.

Roger Brooks of Seattle, a community marketing guru, said he knew what most of his listeners where thinking: “Holy smokes! We've got it backward.''

“You must jettison the generic,'' Brooks said. “If your marketing message can be applied to virtually any community, it won't make you stand out from the competition. You're all saying the same old thing. After a while, it falls on deaf ears.''

Brooks is founder of Destination Development Inc. He brought his message of how communities or states rise to the top of lists for visitors, new residents and new business to the annual Nebraska Travel and Tourism Conference. About 250 people from across the state are attending the two-day event at Norfolk's Divots Conference Center.

Tourism is Nebraska's third-largest earner of revenue from outside the state, after agriculture and manufacturing. Travelers spent more than $3.7 billion in Nebraska in 2008.

Brooks said states make a mistake when they cut their travel and tourism promotional budgets.

“It's the one industry that's an investment, not an expense,'' he said. “Tourism is about putting new cash into the state.''

The total budget of Nebraska's Travel and Tourism Division was about $4.8 million in 2007-08. That compares to an average $17.4 million among all state travel offices. Much of the Nebraska office's revenue comes from a 1 percent lodging tax.

Nebraska's lodging tax collections are projected to drop about $200,000 this year compared to a record $3.7 million in 2008, said Christian Hornbaker, director of the state's travel office. Despite the decline, it would be the third-highest total since the tax was imposed in 1981. Brooks said communities need to stand out from the competition. In an age of fast and easy Internet information, the world is at people's fingertips. Competition is fierce.

“With more than 1,200 marketing messages bombarding us each day, we tune out everything that doesn't directly appeal to us,'' he said.

An effective community brand can cut through the clutter and grab people's attention. That means being known for something specific, he said.

“When that brand promises us the experience we're looking for, we take notice,'' he said.

A brand is what sets a community apart from others, Brooks said. The community name must become synonymous with the brand, such as Omaha and steaks, he said.

Other places and brands include Salem, Mass., and the witch trials; Hershey, Pa., and chocolate; Anaheim, Calif., and Disneyland; and Nashville, Tenn., and country music.

“Each of these communities has much more to offer than just country music or chocolate,'' Brooks said, “but that's the one thing that puts them on the map and sets them apart.''

Brooks said the people seeking places to travel have two basic questions: What do you have that I can't get or do closer to home, and are you worth the added cost and hassle of getting there?

“Whatever it is, hang your hat on that,'' he said.

Brooks said communities — with the rare exceptions of iconic sites such as Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon — should promote activities and not their location.

Brooks said people have three “places'' in their lives: their homes, their work and the places they hang out.

“If you don't hang out in your towns, neither will visitors,'' he said. “Create these ‘third' places.''

Brooks gently gigged promotional brochures found everywhere that headline a county or other unremarkable spot, rather than an activity that sets a community apart.

“Have you ever gone anywhere because it was a county?” Brooks said.

The crowd's nervous chuckles said it all: Back to the drawing board.

Contact the writer:

444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com

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