The new ad campaign for Reno-Tahoe
tourism a campaign noteworthy for its
emphasis on outdoor activities rather than
gaming superficially looks like a highrisk
proposition.
After all, the Reno-Sparks Convention
and Visitors Authority still is about a year
away from completion of a major study of
the region's visitors a study that will
allow the authority and its advertising
agency to carefully target advertising
expenditures.
And the success of the new campaign
won't be easy to track. It's designed to
begin changing the image of the Reno-
Tahoe region, and the immediate effects
will occur in the minds of potential visitors
rather than the reservation books of
regional hotels.
The campaign isn't as risky as it looks,
says Deanna Ashby, the director of advertising
and marketing for the visitors
authority.
For one, the visitors authority board
feels urgency about getting a message out
to the market after a year in which all of its
advertising dollars were pooled with other
agencies making a regional pitch.
To wait another year for completion of
a profile of Reno-Sparks visitors before
launching an advertising campaign would
be more dangerous than awaiting the
study's results, Ashby says.
The visitors authority and its advertising
agency EstiponaVialpando
Partners of Reno - aren't flying blind.
Ashby and Dotti Loader of the advertising
agency point to three key facts:
* One study after another through the
1990s found that gaming visitors to the
Reno area were typically in their mid-
50s. There's little reason to believe that
profile has changed.
* Those visitors now have a multitude of
options for gaming Indian gaming in
California as well as casino operations
throughout the United States.
* Outdoor activities not merely the
area's 40 golf courses but also a multitude
of other outdoor sports quietly have
taken a larger role in the tourism business.
The convention and visitors bureau
counts more than 140 outdoor outfitters
already in business in the area a strong
indication that something is happening
just below the radar screen.
The new campaign, which carries the
theme, "Reset Your Compass: 360(deg) of
Adventure," features panoramic scenes
from northern Nevada snow-covered
peaks, green golf courses, upscale nightlife,
mountain biking, kayaking and ballet.
Adventure travelers, the focus of the
new campaign, typically spend more
money per trip than conventional travelers
$1,275 as opposed to $425 and stay
longer as they explore outdoor options, the
visitors authority board before it approved
the campaign earlier this month.
The campaign is designed, Ashby says,
to accelerate the process of widening the
appeal of the Reno market beyond gaming.
"We've got to change the way we do
business," she says, noting that adventure
travelers and business and convention
travelers are key targets.
The visitors authority acknowledges,
however, that the $500,000 it's putting
into the campaign pales with the about
$30 million a year that Las Vegas spends
on tourism promotion.
That tight budget argues against extensive
spending on research to accompany
advertising campaigns.
"Research is great, but it's all subjective,"
says Ashby. "We need to prioritize
ourselves and leverage our spending."
An example of that leverage will come
this winter with spreads in ski magazines
that combine a pitch for Lake Tahoe skiing
with ads highlighting the convenience
of travel to Reno/Tahoe International
Airport and the possibilities of nightlife in
Reno.
With the limited budget, Ashby says,
it's critically important for the community
to stay the course with this campaign.
"We have to commit and stay committed
to a campaign for the long term," she
says.
It's equally important, she says, for
individual properties to follow through.
Visitors drawn to the Reno-Sparks area
for adventure tourism will expect that
hotel front desks be prepared to provide
timely, accurate information.
