TravelNevada launches fall/winter campaign

CARSON CITY — TravelNevada (Nevada Division of Tourism) recently launched its new Fall/Winter integrated marketing campaign, continuing its successful outreach to millennial and adventure travelers.

The Fall/Winter campaign will feature an enhanced digital experience on TravelNevada.com, new photography and videography featuring authentic Nevada characters, creative executions in key markets such as Los Angeles, and a new email marketing program offering personalized content.

Since 2013, TravelNevada has been using a “Don’t Fence Me In” integrated PR and advertising campaign, featuring a custom rendition of the famous cowboy song recorded by The Killers, to market tourism – Nevada’s No. 1 industry.

According to Claudia Vecchio, director of the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, the approach continues to drive results for Nevada’s economy.

“We use research to inform our strategy and test our approach, and we know that the younger audience doesn’t want ads, they want stories,” Vecchio said. “Our studies demonstrate that the more we focus on real characters that embrace freedom and individuality in travel, the more our campaign resonates with our audience.”

By continuing this focus and optimizing campaign efforts, the marketing return on investment for Nevada tourism has shown strides in improvement, rising almost 30 percent when comparing winter marketing efforts year over year.

TravelNevada’s goal for the current Fall/Winter campaign is to exceed the fiscal year 16 campaign return of 63 to one. This figure means that for every dollar spent on tourism marketing, approximately $63 is returned to the state through state and local taxes, according to Nevada’s flagship study on integrated marketing return.

Based on these proven results, the “Don’t Fence Me In” campaign has been recognized with national award recognition from the U.S. Travel Association (Best Public Relations Campaign for a State Tourism Office), Public Relations Society of America (Silver Anvil Award for Best Tourism Marketing Program), Content Marketing Institute (Finalist, Best Content Marketing Measurement Program), and many others.

The paid media components of the new campaign began running in mid-November, including regional and in-state advertising primarily running in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Boise, and in-state markets. Digital ads will run through February of 2017.

TravelNevada is increasing its “always-on” media programs where appropriate to help build year-round awareness of the state.

Facts about tourism in Nevada:

Tourism employs approximately 487,000 Nevadans, making up roughly 29 percent of the workforce

55 million travelers visited Nevada last year, with Las Vegas experiencing record-breaking attendance at more than 42.3 million visitors.

In 2014, tourism spending exceeded $64.4 billion, a year-over-year increase of 3 percent.

The Division of Tourism offers $1.4 million in marketing grants for rural communities and $100,000 in grants for infrastructure improvements per year.

For more information on TravelNevada, visit TravelNevada.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.