They say that crisis brings out the best in so many of us. And, the stories emerging from communities across the country about how Destination Marketing Organizations pivoted on a dime when they realized what was about to descend upon the hospitality community are as heartwarming as they are expected.
Most Americans are just now beginning to understand the importance and fragility of a sector of the economy they always took for granted. To be sure, airlines and hotels were impacted briefly after 9/11. But, most other facets of the hospitality industry felt no more than a speed bump...because residents were there to continue eating out in restaurants, meeting co-workers after work at the local watering hole and seeing music, theatre and comedy with friends. Indeed, after the initial shock of 9/11 that had us all glued to our televisions, we needed to go out and be with others.
And, in this crisis, we can't.
Never one to say "I told you so," there is the slightest satisfaction that the recent flirtation some communities have had with shopping their DMO contract out to ad agencies should likely now come to an end. In a recent interview, the Chairman of the Board of Visit Stillwater OK (which last year went through just such an RFP process) was asked what the DMO was doing during the pandemic:
"We have transitioned our focus from marketing to visitors to communicating to residents to better support our local business partners. Our staff has called almost 200 local businesses to promote their hours of operation, delivery, pick-up or curb-side services, online shopping options and the availability of gift cards. They continue to update the information on our website and social media throughout each day since things are continually changing. Staff has also recently added a coloring contest for kids and adults online, as well as incorporated virtual tours featuring many of our local museums, attractions and restaurants. These 360-degree images will give our residents something to look forward to and visitors' incentive to visit when traveling again."
I'm pretty sure no ad agency could ever do that.
Well done, Visit Stillwater...and all the other DMOs that know that we are the only agency in our communities prepared for days like these for our destination partners.
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