• Domestic Marketing Overview
• massvacation.com
• Visitation, Spending, Market Share
• FY2012 Marketing Programs
• Marketing Partnerships
• Public Relations
• Domestic Media Familiarization Trips

Domestic Marketing Overview

MOTT's domestic marketing programs focus on generating overnight leisure travel by consumers in selected markets within New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Research is used extensively to determine best customer prospects, markets, campaign timing, messages and collateral materials. It's also used to evaluate results. Advertising spending is focused heavily on the spring and summer seasons; secondary marketing programs; promotional activity cover the winter and fall seasons; and public relations is used year-round to help keep MOTT’s messaging in the marketplace. MOTT's marketing programs are fully integrated with a mix of broad-based media—television, radio, print, online and newspaper—and email components that target existing customers.

Marketing Initiatives:

• Online Advertising Campaign
• www.massvacation.com
• Public Relations
• Targeted Consumer Outreach
• Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Blog
• Niche Programming
• MA Green
• LGBT
• Small Meetings
• Multicultural
• Weddings
• Accessible Travel

All marketing programs target Massachusetts' best customer prospects: 35-64 years old with a household income of $75,000.

• Percentage of travelers who spend $300 or more per trip: 78%
• Percentage traveling with children: 30%
• Average Length of overnight trips: 3.5 nights
• Percentage of travelers who drive to MA: 66%
• Marketing agency: Connelly Partners
• Research services: TNS

www.massvacation.com

MOTT’s Web site, www.massvacation.com, is the platform for all promotional programs and provides comprehensive travel planning information. MOTT's Web site provides users with:

• Comprehensive information about where to go and what to see and do
• More than 6,000 lodging, attraction, restaurant, retail and event listings
• Information about special seasonal promotions
• Regional maps and Google travel directions
• Transportation information
• Events and exhibits up to 24 months ahead
• Special deals page for seasonal offers
• Special offers from MOTT's marketing partners
• Links to other Massachusetts travel sites
• Link to MOTT's LGBT microsite
• Forms to order free travel information & e-newsletter
• Sweepstakes for enter-to-win getaway trips

Visitation, Spending, Market Share

• On average, 18 million domestic visitors come to Massachusetts annually.
• Massachusetts sees on average $13.5 billion in domestic visitor spending each year.
• In 2009, visitor expenditures supported 128,800 jobs and $3.7 billion in wages and salaries

Domestic Origin Markets

(Top Five Markets, Ranked by Visitor Spending)

1. BOSTON DMA:
Visitation to MA (2009):   4,626,500 Visitors
Est. Visitor Spending (09): $2.9 billion

2. NEW YORK DMA:
Visitation to MA (2009): 2,993,000 Visitors
Est. Visitor Spending (09): $2.7 billion

3. HARTFORD & NEW HAVEN DMA:
Visitation to MA (2009): 1,416,000 Visitors
Est. Visitor Spending (09): $817 million

4. PROVIDENCE/NEW BEDFORD DMA:
Visitation to MA (2009): 1,369,600 Visitors
Est. Visitor Spending (09): $660 million

5. NEW HAMPSHIRE (BEYOND BOSTON DMA):
Visitation to MA (2009): 229,875 Visitors
Est. Visitor Spending (09): $537 million

Marketing Programs

FALL FOLIAGE MICROSITE
MOTT’s ground-breaking fall foliage advertising and marketing efforts is geared to position Massachusetts as an outstanding destination for viewing fall foliage and to raise awareness about all of the unique seasonal activities that are part of autumn in Massachusetts. The platform is an interactive microsite which accomplishes the following goals:

• Plots nine, AAA selected fall foliage driving routes across the state. Each driving route is accompanied by interesting things to see and do along the way.
• Outlines a color-coded peak fall foliage indicator which suggests the activity of the fall foliage throughout the state. A simple scroll over the nine weeks from September 8 to November 7 provides projected foliage condition. Also, provides ability to sign-up for weekly fall foliage alerts.
• Access, by weeks listed above, to a robust fall events calendar listed by week, by region.

A $100,000 fall advertising and media support for this campaign was developed at a $10K/SEM and $90K/online banner advertising ration; efforts were implemented from September 27 to October 25, 2011. Online sites include: boston.com, nytimes.com, bostonherald.com, thebostonchannel.co, yahoo, and masslive.com.

Spring/Summer

MOTT provides free links from massvacation.com to attractions and accommodations that are listed on the site. MOTT encourages travel businesses to link to massvacation.com. Link instructions are available on the Industry Info page.

For additional information about MOTT's domestic marketing programs, contact MOTT

Marketing Partnerships

MassJazz:

• MassJazz is a concerted, statewide effort initiated in 2009 to promote a full range of live jazz performances, community events, educational courses and related cultural activities to the convention and visitors industry. MassJazz is developing a singular program that brands Massachusetts as a jazz destination for domestic and international visitors. Its goal is to develop visitor packages with hotels, restaurants, performing arts venues and travel services to create an alluring new tourism campaign that stimulates the local economy. Go to massjazz.com for more information.

Public Relations

MOTT pursues an aggressive national and in-state public relations program including media interviews, frequent press releases, event newsletters and familiarization trips for travel writers.

MOTT's Executive Director, Betsy Wall, is available for media interviews and is frequently a guest speaker on tourism, its economic impact, travel trends, events and MOTT's programs. Please contact MOTT's Director of PR & Communications Lisa Simmons.

We welcome press releases from tourism organizations across the state to use in our releases and newsletters. Releases should be sent or emailed to MOTT and our domestic public relations agency, Connelly Partners. To find out more information please visit our press room.

• Business and local media requests:
  Lisa Simmons
  Director of PR & Communications
  Mass Office of Travel & Tourism
  Phone: 617-973-8508
•  
• Consumer media requests:
  Vicki Cimino
  Public Relations Supervisor
  Connelly Partners
  Phone: 617-521-5428

Domestic Media Familiarization Trips (FAM)

MOTT hosts more than 100 domestic journalists each year. Themed group trips and personalized individual trips are organized throughout the year with the help of MOTT's public relations agency, Connelly Partners.

A survey of 1,300 U.S. adults conducted by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) in July 2001 found that 61% of travelers said they read articles about travel destinations in the media or listen to travel shows on television. This is up from 55% of travelers who said they used travel media last year. The survey found that 45% of travelers said they contacted a destination after they read or heard about it in the travel media, and 44% said they visited a destination they learned about in the travel media.

The media exposure generated by MOTT's domestic FAM trips, press releases and media pitches totaled approximately $3 million in FY2002.

Writers often include detailed information on the accommodations, restaurants and the attractions they visit. If you would like to participate in upcoming FAMs in your area, please contact Ron D'Amico (info below).

• FAM Trip Inquiries:
  
  Lisa Simmons
  Director of PR & Communications
  Mass Office of Travel & Tourism
  Phone: 617-973-8508
• 
  Vicki Cimino
  Public Relations Supervisor
  Connelly Partners
  Phone: 617-521-5428