eTourism Summit Recap – Data Driven Omnichannel Strategies: Turning Data to Stories
Tourism is returning to pre-pandemic levels and travel is leading the way as a top-spending advertising category so far this year. By leaning into data, technology, and creativity, destination marketers are building effective cross-channel campaigns that reach consumers throughout daily journeys, bringing captivating travel experiences to life that prompt consumer action.
Earlier this month, Talon US CEO, Jim Wilson moderated a panel, Data-Driven Omnichannel Strategies: Turning Data to Stories, at the eTourism Summit in Las Vegas.
For the destination storytelling discussion, Jim was joined by panelists: Stuart Butler, CMO, Visit Myrtle Beach; Donald Lilley, Director of Technology and Business Intelligence, Visit Baltimore and Anna Strider, Director of Digital Strategy & Online Marketing, Visit Lake Charles.
Key Quotes & Takeaways:
“Our brand is a juxtaposition of our different destinations and what we have to offer. We’re looking at new and creative ways to get in front of our audience and we’re using OOH to get our message in front of a new audience. In making decisions, we focus on where that OOH placement is and who’s seeing it as it’s about reaching the right audience at the right place.” – Anna Strider
“Content is king, visitor experience is queen and visitor data is the crown jewel. We look at data from a lot of different perspectives. We use data to help us tell stories, look at what content is resonating and for audience-building. We hook people through content as a gateway to get people to come to our destination.” – Stuart Butler
“We’re using OOH for experiential, and we try to have playful interactions with people. Last year, we ran an OOH campaign that calculated the distance to our beaches so people driving down from Ohio and New York can see how much further before they arrive. We heard a lot of feedback that people loved that campaign, and it was our most commented piece that we’ve done in OOH — and people in our local community loved it.” – Stuart Butler
“For us, destination storytelling is about three components — authenticity by keeping it real, the engagement with the audience and the data. From a data perspective, we know that 53% of visitors to Baltimore are visiting friends and families. So, it’s important for those same family, friends and relatives to be part of our storytelling. Tourism needs to impact your community and our stories need to be about our neighborhoods and our minority-owned and women-owned businesses.” – Donald Lilley
