Cotswolds and Forest DMO Marketing Plan to 2009 The Cotswolds and Forest of Dean 1. Budget 2. Marketing – Underlying DMO Principles 3. Market Research 4. Acting on the Research 5. Britain’s Rural Capital of Culture 6. UK Marketing 7. Overseas Marketing 8. Budget Summary 08/09 1. Budget The annual DMO budget is made up of a core (year-to-year) budget, any grant funding (eg flood recovery) and income from private/public sector partners. DMO budget in 2009 will be circa £200,000. The local tourism industry is also substantially supported by a spend by individual local authorities, county and districts who run Tourist Information Centres and undertake local initiatives from media work and print projects to the organisation of festivals and events. In addition, much of the DMO’s activities are substantially supported in kind by accommodation and attraction operators. 2. Marketing – Underlying DMO Principles This plan is intended to ensure high quality and impact communications by proposing targeted marketing and the best use of time and money. The DMO has invested in perception and attitiude research and will use the insights gained to inform marketing. As a predominantly rural county, amongst many in England, the DMO will differentiate the destinations from the opposition, by identifying and promoting what makes us better. The DMO will work with partners to maximise resources and deliver what it promises by securing the participation of the industry. 3. Market research Consumer Research The DMO has, on behalf of the destinations, commissioned the first ever research into perceptions of the destination amongst both those who have visited and those who have not visited the area. The aim is to confirm or challenge some of the DMO’s assumptions about the destinations and inform future marketing. Arkenford, the research company use an in-house research model, which has also been adopted by VisitBritain. STYLE HOUNDS Innovators ‘Young Free Single’, impulsive Fashion counts COSMOPOLITANS Brand counts Strong, active, confident Looking for fun with friends Style & brand important, but as an expression of their self Mass• Market Most not seriously sporty made identity. High spenders especially on innovation and technology Looking for new challenges, new experiences, HIGH STREET •Globetrotters Main stream early adopters • Followers of high street fashion Care what others think DISCOVERERS • Happy to buy packaged options Independent in mind and action • Little influenced by style or brand but interested in new options FOLLOWERS Buy on function and value to them Strongly influenced by what others will think Looking for new and educational experiences Don’t want to be seen as old fashioned • Less active • Slow to adopt • TRADITIONALS Avoid risk • Self reliant internally referenced • Slow to adopt new options Independent • Strong orientation towards traditional values Value individual attention & service Market HABITUALS • FUNCTIONALS • Largely inactive, low spending group Self reliant Very traditional, strongly Price driven e resistant to change Value function over style Risk adverse Traditional values, but interested in Value relaxation, peace and quiet new experiences, not risk advers Sustainers ARKENFORD – The Market Model The research includes, also for the first time, research of perceptions in European markets. Action: 1. Research findings to inform future action. 2. Annual Volume and Value research to be compiled. 3.1 Key Research Findings How the Customer sees the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean: • Attractive countryside • Attractive villages • Walking • Open space • Quality • Need a car to visit • No differentiation between individual destinations What Potential Customer Don’t Associate: • Cities & large towns, although when the reverse question is asked…Cheltenham and Gloucester are associated with the Cotswolds • Sports • Cultural events/ festivals • Lakes & waterways • Gourmet pubs/ restaurants Awareness of the Destinations • ‘Cotswolds’ strong awareness – Up with other leading rural areas (New Forest, Peak District) • Cheltenham & Gloucester strongest awareness – Linked to highest proportion of visitors & considerers • Next tier is Cirencester & Tewkesbury – Approx half the sample have visited or would consider visiting • ‘Forest of Dean’ as a name is appealing – Individual destinations within have low awareness • Most individual destinations not seen to be part of Cotswolds – Just over half of recent visitors think Cheltenham & Gloucester is part of Cotswolds Our Visitors Our ‘Rejectors’ • Older age profile (45+) Most likely to be 44 years or less • Traditionals Style Hounds • Functionals Followers • Cosmopolitans High Street • Couples Habituals Discoverers Families Why Rejectors Reject • Not enough to do (of their type of activity) perception • Too Rural • Shopping Options limited • Dining Options Limited NB Flooding is not seen as an issue. Summary: • Current market is made up of older, less leading edge segments • Driven to visit by the rural offering of the Cotswolds • Cotswolds seen as a collection of villages and countryside – No towns or cities • Rejecters need more than the countryside – Activities – Urban offering (accommodation, dining, shopping) 3.2 Implications for Marketing • Change perceptions – Or at least challenge peoples perceptions of Cotswolds being just a small collection of pretty villages • Bring the urban destinations more clearly under the Cotswolds brand – Increase association of destination with the Cotswolds – This will improve perception about what the Cotswolds can offer – Open up new visitors, more leading edge (higher value) segments • Highlight activities on offer to increase appeal – Forest of Dean, Cotswolds Water Park, etc – Show that it is more than just pretty countryside ... Can offer an urban experience 3.3 Proposed Target Markets • Discoverers • High Street • Cosmopolitans (ie, more of them) • Traditionals (will continue to come, but don’t alienate) 4. Acting on the Research Target market selection has implications for our PR work, ‘tone of voice’ approach in website and print media and choice of promotional themes. The following themes are proposed for the next 2-3 years, with Culture as the lead theme for 2009. • THEME 1 – Culture (broad definition) • THEME 2 – Activities (participation option (especially Forest)) • THEME 3 – Inspiration/ Discover/ Find yourself/ Self improvement 5. Key marketing theme for 2009 and beyond: Britain’s Rural Capital of Culture The DMO’s first campaign - ‘Year of the Cotswold Garden’ was a PR success. For its next and the DMO will pick up on the outcome of the visitor research and the need to ‘explain the range and variety of what to do here to potential visitors.’ To achieve this, a broad ‘cultural’ theme is proposed for promotion in 2009 and beyond. It is proposed to declare ourselves Britain’s Rural Capital of Culture for 2009 and to take the idea further by running a 3 year campaign up to 2011. The idea is PR friendly (playing slightly on ‘Liverpool 08’) and linking to the national ‘Cultural Olympiad’ declared as a national promotion prior to the London Olympics in 2012. By taking a broad definition of culture, to include sport, food and local events, our rural culture campaign will attract PR coverage and provide a supporting theme for existing print and web media. As destinations, our claim will be substantiated by highlighting the range of cultural events around the county, with an emphasis on intimacy (big names in small venues) and contact – experiences - interaction with artists and others. We already offer this and the role of the promotion will be to enhance the appeal of the area by making the offer clear. Despite the ‘rural’ title, the offer includes both Cheltenham and Gloucester as essential elements of the Cotswold/Forest offer – the wider destination will benefit through the promotion and specific venues and events across Gloucestershire will benefit. After launch, the campaign theme is flexible enough to allow for new support material to be added - for example a TV and film location map. Branding will be left open for application to Cotswold and Forest tourism/arts businesses and enterprises. Actions: 1. Brochure and website content to be produced by the end of 2008. 6. UK Marketing 6.1 Consumer Marketing 6.1.1. Web and Electronic Marketing The DMO has funded DMS (=database) development for Gloucestershire, in line with the regional and national plan. This has cut costs for partner local authorities. The ‘Cotswold’ authorities are now contributing to a shared database and the Gloucestershire First team is taking responsibility for data stewardship – feeding the national database – together with the development of www.cotswolds.com. The Forest site will be linked from Cotswolds.com. In general, the officers would like to make more progress on customer database building and eMarketing and expect to appoint a new staff member to this role. It is also proposed to improve the Forest of Dean website www.visitforestofdean.co.uk and to introduce translations of the body copy in key languages. Actions: 1. To complete the www.cotswolds.com website build by 1st July. 2. To populate the site with data and copy by the end of August 08 3. To encourage businesses to offer online booking – ongoing. 4. To manage optimisation of the site to become the most successful Cotswold site, based on search engine results.* 5. To start a programme of email address capture through TICs 6. To create an emarketing position, within the DMO, to carry out web 7. Promotion/day-to-day