Mexico Spring 2014 Advertising Awareness Wave August 2014
Insights Visit California (VCA) implemented its first consumer direct marketing campaign in the Mexican market this spring. This effort was part of the extension of the Dream Big brand across all of Visit California s domestic and international markets. The budget for Mexico was $990,000, with the majority invested in television advertising and the remainder for online ads. Overall recall of the advertising is 61%, which is strong performance for the budget and given this is the initial wave of consumer advertising.» The advertising was focused in three geographic areas in Mexico and aimed at international leisure travelers. This is a small audience, so even with the high level of recall the cost per aware household was higher somewhat higher than what VCA achieves in other markets. In total, the campaign was able to reach about 2.8 million households, with a cost per aware household of $0.35.» Television recall was actually less than online recall even though the TV media expenditures were 77% of the total.» The importance of online in the Mexican market is further reinforced because more than two-thirds of those with television recall indicate seeing the ad online. Reaction to the Dreamers television spot is extremely positive, with the television ad garnering some of the highest ratings that SMARInsights has recorded for a destination ad. 2
Insights In terms of impact, the advertising campaign was effective in changing attitudes and behavior:» The advertising did impact consumers image of California, but since the image is already very positive, the impact was fairly limited. In this market the strongest impact was in terms of positioning California as a place for a culinary trip, family fun with children under 18, or a cultural trip.» The advertising had a strong impact in terms of driving people to the VCA website, as well as other forms of gathering information.» Those who recalled the advertising expressed a much higher likelihood to visit California. The ability to use multiple media and messages helps drive increased interest, as well as more effort to gather information. There was definitely synergy between the television and online advertising. The current image of California among this audience is quite positive, and consumers feel that California is a good fit for any type of trip. They are most interested in taking trips that are focused on entertainment and Hollywood. And top-of-mind reactions about California reinforce that many people think of Hollywood. Other key top-of-mind reactions include beaches, Disney, and other destinations in the state. 3
Methodology During the spring of 2014, Visit California (VCA) launched its first consumer advertising campaign in Mexico. This effort was focused on three geographic areas: Mexico City, Ecatepec de Morelos and Guadalajara. The effort included television and Internet advertising. This report details measurement of consumer awareness of that advertising. SMARInsights has developed a research methodology based on how consumers make their travel decisions. The chart to the right outlines each step of the process and the measure used to evaluate the effectiveness of a destination s marketing efforts. The awareness waves of research evaluate the first four steps of the process. The ROI wave focuses on the final step: measuring the level of travel that would not have occurred without the marketing campaign. Exposure Advertising Awareness Messaging Creative Evaluation Shift in Attitudes Image Assessments Build Interest Interest in Visitation Generate Travel Incremental Travel A total of 755 interviews were conducted online during July 2014. Included in the total are 253 respondents who are known to have been exposed to Visit California online advertising through the tagging of digital assets. The general population sample was conducted randomly in the three geographies and is representative of the population. The tagged respondents are analyzed separately. Market Surveys General Population 502 Tagged 253 Total 755 4
2014 Spring Advertising Campaign In Mexico, California represents the American Dream. Many Mexican nationals have created their own American Dream in California. The advertising builds upon the Dream Big platform and existing familiarity with the California product to drive additional interest and visitation. The campaign included one 30-second television ad and a number of digital ads, including some that also promoted Brand USA. The survey targets Mexican leisure travelers who have visited or are interested in visiting the U.S. Media Spending 2014 Television $767,222 Digital $222,778 Total $990,000 5
Mexico Spring 2014 Research SITUATION ANALYSIS 6
The Mexican audience is very positive about California and what the state has to offer as a destination. California is seen as a place that is full of opportunities and provides the chance for endless experiences. Ratings are strong across the board, especially for trips focused on outdoor activities, wine & food, and family fun. Attribute Rating California is a place full of possibilities 4.0 California is a place that inspires you to try new things or experiences 4.0 Rating of California by Trip Type % Excellent & Good 77% 78% 78% 73% 80% 73% California s abundance of possibilities provides endless experiences 4.0 Family fun (with children under 18) Family fun (without children under 18) Wine & Food Entertainment & Culture Outdoor activities Luxury 7
Top-of-mind images of the state focus on beaches, fun and specific destinations. 8
Both past visitation and interest in visiting California are high. 59% of the consumers reported that they visited California in the past 5 years. Already planning a trip, 10.8% Likelihood To Visit Not at all likely, 6.2% Those who visited reported an average of 2.6 visits in the past 5 years. Two-thirds indicate they are likely to visit California in the next 3 years. Very likely, 31.5% Not very likely, 17.7% Somewhat likely, 33.9% 9
Consumers indicated that specific trip types would motivate them to visit California. The trip types that would motivate visitation to California include those centered on entertainment, those focused on scenery and the outdoors, and family vacations with children. Trip Type A vacation centered around entertainment including Hollywood, music events/festivals, night life A relaxing vacation enjoying the great outdoors including scenic drives, sightseeing, natural beauty, visiting state parks Family vacations with kids that include visiting theme parks and other family attractions A cultural vacation visiting historical sites, museums, performing arts/theatre A culinary vacation that includes visiting wineries/wine regions, breweries and experiencing local cuisine Family vacations without kids that include visiting theme parks and other family attractions An active outdoor vacation including winter sports, water sports, hiking, mountain biking, etc. A luxury vacation experience that includes visiting high end resorts, health spas, unique culinary experiences % Motivated 60% 53% 50% 39% 34% 34% 33% 32% 10
Mexico Spring 2014 Research ADVERTISING RECALL & EVALUATION 11
Recall of the advertising was strong especially given it s an initial campaign and the level of investment. Recall was strong for both television and online, with online actually having higher recall. Overall, 61% of the consumers recalled an element of the VCA campaign. The cost per aware household is higher than many campaigns that VCA has implemented, but Mexico is a new market. The level of recall is high, but the target audience is fairly small in terms of potential leisure travelers in these markets. While the online buy was much more efficient, SMARInsights has found that television helps drive online recall and response. Advertising Recall Media Aware HHs CPH 61% Television Online 2,354,985 $0.33 1,150,468 $0.19 41% 50% Total Aware 2,794,464 $0.35 TV Online Total Recall 12
The importance of online is even more evident because most people saw the television ad online. Only 29% of the consumers indicate that they only saw the television ad on TV, with two-thirds indicating that they saw it online. Most of those with television recall saw the television spot more than two times, with more than one-quarter indicating that they saw it four or more times. How Many Times Viewed TV Ad Seven or more times, 10% Four to six times, 18% Once, 16% Two or three times, 55% Where Viewed TV Ad Don't recall, 5% Both on television and online, 25% Online, 41% On television, 29% 13
Reaction to the advertising was quite positive, with some of the highest scores ever received for destination ads. Reaction to the television ad was overwhelmingly positive, with no one having a negative reaction. Additionally, the ratings for communicating the brand essence were among the highest that SMARInsights has recorded for destination ads. Reaction to Television Ad Neutral, 6% Negative, 0% <3.0 Notable weakness; rating is in the lowest 15% 3.0-3.5 Neutral; rating is below average 3.5-3.75 3.75-4.0 4.0+ Good; Goal; Excellent; rating is rating is in rating is in the average the top top 10% 25% 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 Shows California as a place full of possibilities 4.4 Positive, 94% Shows California as a place that inspires you to try new things 4.5 Shows that California's abundance provides endless experiences 4.5 14
Mexico Spring 2014 Research ADVERTISING IMPACT 15
The advertising helped to broaden perceptions about the best types of trips to take in California. With a new consumer campaign, the advertising was able to increase interest strongly in most types of trips especially culinary vacations, family vacations with kids, and cultural vacations. Still the most motivational type of trip (regardless of ad recall) is a trip centered around entertainment and Hollywood. Type of Trip A culinary vacation that includes visiting wineries/wine regions, breweries and experiencing local cuisine Family vacations with kids that include visiting theme parks and other family attractions A cultural vacation visiting historical sites, museums, performing arts/theatre A vacation centered around entertainment including Hollywood, music events/festivals, night life Family vacations without kids that include visiting theme parks and other family attractions A luxury vacation experience that includes visiting high end resorts, health spas, unique culinary experiences An active outdoor vacation including winter sports, water sports, hiking, mountain biking, etc. A relaxing vacation enjoying the great outdoors including scenic drives, sightseeing, natural beauty, visiting state parks No Recall Ad Recall Difference 28% 38% 11% 43% 54% 11% 33% 43% 10% 57% 62% 5% 31% 36% 5% 29% 34% 4% 31% 35% 3% 54% 52% -1% 16
The advertising had a strong impact driving people to the VCA website and potentially on future visitation. In addition to being positive about the advertising, it also generated strong impact. Among those with advertising recall 41% indicate visiting the VCA website. Plus they report a much stronger likelihood to visit California. Impact on Likelihood, Research Likely to Visit 35% 48% Visited website 14% 41% Recall No Recall 17
The advertising also impacted other types of information gathering. In addition to driving people to the website, the advertising also had a strong impact on other types of information gathering. Action No Recall Ad Recall Difference Gathered information, researched destination 33% 48% 15% Followed State of California on Facebook 7% 14% 7% Requested information using other method 15% 23% 8% Gathered information (net) 52% 85% 33% 18
There was synergy between the television and online that increased the impact of the advertising. Those who saw both the television and online advertising were much more likely to gather information about California, and indicated a higher likelihood to visit the state. Impact of Media Overlap 41% 36% 33% 35% 28% 12% 7% 8% 58% 54% 49% 19% No recall One medium Two media Researched destination Followed State of California on Facebook Visited State of California website Likelihood to visit 19
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