Strategies for 2022:

• Advertising messaging focuses on Detroit’s key competitive advantage as a cultural and economic innovator through new “Detroit Conversations” campaign
• Reach markets in 3- to 5-hour drive time radius, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, and St. Louis
• Increase in-state advertising to promote weekend getaway bookings
• Take advantage of low-cost / high-reach national media placement opportunities as they arise
• Concentrate majority of online media spend to hotel booking platforms (i.e., Expedia) to generate room night revenue
• Demonstrate value to existing members by drive retail traffic to members through new citywide passport programs
• Strengthen use of organic and paid social media to identify and engage key traveler target
  audiences

 

 

ADVERTISING

Expedia

• 12-month program utilizing successful elements from 2021 campaign
• Add new Travel Spotlight pages to emphasize key Detroit messaging
• Continue to advertise in Expedia’s expanded portfolio including Tavelocist and Hotels.com

Adara

• 12-month campaign specifically driving and measuring room nights
• Advertising specifically targets in-market millennial, leisure, experience-seeking, and art/culture raerls
• Campaign will use competitive data to optimize campaign targeting

Epsilon

• Use mobile data to target potential repeat visitors to Detroit
• Custom audience targeting to uncover new traveler groups that are likely to visit Detroit
• Use new user/audience insights to further refine digital advertising tactics

Paid Search (Google) and Social (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)

• Use search and social’s targeting to Increase advertising reach among key audience
  segments (i.e., millennials, frequent travelers, weekend getaway)

INTEGRATED

Significantly Increase Social Media Activity and Reach

• Boost member retention and acquisition through dedicated posts promoting existing members
• Collaborate with local and national influencers to promote Detroit to specific niche audiences such as music, culture, and food.
• Launch TikTok profile to expand reach among 18–24-year-old demographic
• Relaunch Pinterest presence to target travelers who love to “dream” about their next adventure
• Utilize Crowdriff to dramatically increase use of “User Generated Content” (UGC) with the goal of increasing time spent on Detroit’s digital properties

Use Story-Telling Content to Show Travelers Detroit’s Cultural Innovation

• Invest in long-form video highlighting key cultural, environmental, and economic innovators
• Publish up to 12 “Side Cuts” that focus on specific members that deliver a unique traveler and/or meeting attendee experiences
• Collaborate with international marketing partners to identify content and editorial themes that can be repurposed for the UK and Germany markets

Launch New “Detroit Vibes” Newsletter to Build Leisure Traveler Database

• Launch new email marketing automation platform to power newsletter offerings
• Monitor and trigger email campaigns based on visitor website usage to increase repeat visits and bookings
• Leverage the Detroit Travel Guide to build leisure traveler email database
• Introduce email newsletter advertising options

Launch New Citywide Passport Programs to Drive Retail Traffic to Members

• Deploy new Brew Trail Digital passport to generate retail sales for restaurant and distillery members
• Use digital passport technology to power expanded D-Pass program
• Launch new restaurant pass to attract new restaurant members while driving traffic to existing restaurant partners

PRINT AND DIGITAL PUBLISHING

• Enhance the new digital Detroit Travelers Guide with 360 virtual tour content
• Add advertising options to the new Detroit Travelers Guide
• Continue to work with hotels to increase visibility of the Detroit Travel Guide with hotel guests
• Continue shift to visual content such as photo essays and photo galleries to increase time on site for website users
• Collaborate with services to revamp relaunch the member deals and D-Pass program
• Add a new sales video to the sales team’s existing collateral toolkit
• Create new digital media kit with updated rights-approved photography and video
• Add virtual site visit video to the sales team’s collateral toolkit