Canada Spring 2014 Advertising Awareness Wave July 2014
Insights This spring marked the full implementation of the new Dream Big brand across all of Visit California s (VCA) domestic and international markets. In Canada the budget was increased 46% to support this effort, up to $1.175 million this year compared to $800,000 last spring. While overall recall of the advertising is 69%, compared to 76% last spring, this was reasonable performance given the new brand spot, fewer television spots, and the expansion of the overall campaign. In looking at the results:» The spring campaign was able to reach more than 6.6 million households at a cost of $0.18 per aware household, which represents an efficient media buy. VCA continues to achieve near saturation levels in terms of advertising recall.» Television recall was down, as had been expected with the new brand ad.» Recall of the digital advertising more than doubled and represented strong success for the campaign. While recall was up substantially, the strong overlap with television meant the digital advertising did not substantially increase the reach of the campaign.» The Dream 365 program achieved reasonable levels of recall, although it did not expand the reach of VCA s advertising. Rather this effort reinforced other marketing and helped expose consumers to more media and more messages.» While the campaign generated strong recall among the target audience (25-54), recall was highest among the younger demographic 18-24. This might be expected to only apply to the digital/online advertising, but it actually was also true for television. 2
Insights Reaction to the Dreamers television spot is extremely positive in the top 10% of destination ads tested. The Kids at Play spot delivers among its target families with children again in the top 10% of ads tested. The digital advertising also received strong ratings, while reaction to the Dream 365 content was more neutral. This highlights one of the key challenges with content. 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 family fun with children under 18. Advertising did influence consumers to find out more about a trip to California, and did increase their interest in visiting. The impact on interest in visiting is stronger this year suggesting an increase in incremental travel is possible. Impact was strong among the 25-54 age target, but even stronger among the younger demo. It will be important to track actual travel and measure the potential of the younger audience. The ability to use multiple media and messages helps drive increased interest and is key to the success of the spring campaign. Consumers are most motivated to take a trip to California that focuses on the great outdoors and natural beauty. This is true regardless of advertising recall. The advertising has the strongest impact in terms of increasing interest in trips focused on entertainment, luxury, and active outdoor sports/activities. 3
Methodology Visit California has moved to a spring and fall campaign in the Canadian market to mirror the efforts in the U.S., thus combining efforts for a North American strategy. The SMARInsights methodology evaluates awareness after each media buy with a final travel evaluation after consumers have had time to visit at the conclusion of all campaigns. This report details the spring awareness wave. 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 813 interviews were conducted online during June 2014. Included in the total are 251 interviews that are known to have been exposed to Visit California online advertising through the tagging of digital assets. The general population sample is weighted to be representative of the population. The tagged respondents are analyzed separately. Market Surveys Western Canada 200 Toronto 203 Remaining Canada 410 Total 813 4
2014 Spring Advertising Campaign Visit California launched its Dream Big creative in the fall of 2013, adding the Dreamers television spot to the Kids at Play spot already in use. While the fall saw the initial launch of the new brand, full implementation occurred during spring 2014. The television campaign was augmented with a worldwide takeover of YouTube which featured 24 Dream Big videos, as well as an aggressive digital advertising effort and social media. This was a major development for VCA, which in the past had utilized primarily television. To fully launch the brand, VCA invested more money the expenditures in Canada are the highest for the past several years and a 46% increase over last year. The survey targets Canadian leisure travelers who have visited or are interested in visiting the U.S. This number fluctuates and is generally higher in the spring, as is the case this year. Year Media Spend Spring 2011 $1,421,819 Spring 2012 $700,969 Spring 2013 $803,522 Spring 2014 $1,175,336 Media 2014 Television $531,464 Digital $196,477 Dream Big/YouTube $69,784 BUSA $377,611 Total $1,175,336 5
Canada Spring 2014 Research Exposure Advertising Recall 6
Advertising recall was strong, but the reach of the new campaign is still growing. Over the past two years the investment in Canada was reduced, as established creative generated strong reach. With the new brand, investment for this spring was ramped up, and the campaign began to wear in (after the fall launch). The results are much more positive with recall at 69% versus 52% during the fall. 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 76% 69% 64% 7.4 52% 6.6 5.3 4.6 Fall 2012 Spring 2013 Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Awareness Aware HHs 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 - Millions While the results are not as strong as 2012 and 2013 when established creative was in use, the campaign achieved strong reach. 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 50% 4.2 76% 76% 6.8 7.4 69% 6.6 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Millions 10% 1 0% Spring 2011 Spring 2012 Spring 2013 Spring 2014 0 7 Awareness Aware HHs
VCA replaced its focus on TV advertising with a mix of TV, online and content generating more depth of recall rather than increased reach. TV still generates the most recall, but the reach of the online advertising has grown substantially. Of course, VCA also dedicated more resources to online to address the fact that consumers are always on. The Dream 365 YouTube content initiative also generated significant levels of recall, especially compared to the investment. The most interesting finding is that with the major increase in online recall and the Dream Big initiative, overall recall lags past years. Of course, new creative has not had time to wear in, so increases in recall should continue to build over time. 72% 59% Recall by Media Cost * Spring 2013 vs. Spring 2014 to Reach Aware HH: $0.10 43% 22% 14% 28% 2013 TV 2014 TV 2013 Digital 2014 Digital E Promotion Dream 365 8
The Dreamers brand television is still wearing in, but Kids at Play helped drive strong television recall. The Dreamers brand spot has not reached the level of recall that Misconceptions achieved over time, but recall is strong and should grow with continued usage. Kids at Play is wearing in had much stronger recall this spring. Online viewing of the ads is growing, although only 13% of those with recall only saw the ads online. TV Ad Recall TV & Online 69% 53% Both broadcast & online 12% 9% 23% 21% 31% Online only 13% 8% Misconceptions Out There Dreamers Kids at Play Spring 2013 Spring 2014 Broadcast only Spring 2014 Spring 2013 75% 83% 9
Recall of the digital ads doubled this year, with strong overlap between television and the digital ads. The digital advertising efforts were expanded in Canada this year, and the result is a strong increase in recall in fact, it doubled. Recall of the two Expandable ads is almost as high as recall of all the other digital ads, but placement and frequency should be considered in evaluating whether it was the format of these ads that generated higher recall. But while the recall of the digital ads was high, it did little to increase the overall reach of the campaign. Instead, there was strong overlap with recall of the television ads. Total Digital Recall Expandable Jet Pack Expandable Explosion Digital Ads Cost to Reach Aware HH: $0.12 Recall of Digital 26% 27% 29% 43% 10
The YouTube Dream 365 effort generated almost as much recall as the Kids at Play TV spot, highlighting the potential of content. While recall of any specific content element was fairly low, the net result was significant recall. At the same time, few people only saw VCA ads/content through this effort (1%). The cost to reach people through this medium was quite low significantly less than television or digital. Of course, messages deployed through this medium have to be less marketing focused. Recall of Specific Content 18% 15% 14% 14% 12% 11% 28% Cost to Reach Aware HH: $0.02 7% Dream Bob Yosemite Big Video Burnquist Richie Trimble Dream Tree Band of Horses Big Top Dream Any Recall 11
The increase in media spending increased the cost to reach an aware household, but the campaign is still quite efficient. Television and digital delivered similar costs per aware household, while the Dream 365 effort was the most efficient. While each of the media efforts were efficient and had a low cost to reach a household, the fact that there was so much overlap resulted in a somewhat higher overall CPH. Of course, past VCA research has shown that media overlap can increase the impact of the advertising, so the higher CPH may be an acceptable trade-off to deepen the consumer relationship. Year Awareness Aware HHs Media Spend Cost Per Aware Spring 2011 50% 4,190,421 $1,421,819 $0.34 Spring 2012 76% 6,781,527 $700,969 $0.10 Spring 2013 76% 7,366,241 $803,522 $0.11 Spring 2014 69% 6,588,269 $1,175,336 $0.18 Media Spring 2014 Television $0.10 Digital $0.12 Dream 365 $0.02 12
Media overlap almost doubled with the increased investment in digital and content. The diversification of the media buy resulted in almost twice as many people recalling multiple media and many fewer recalling only television. Past research has shown that recall of multiple messages whether multiple television spots or multiple media strengthens interest and intent to visit. Again, there can be a good trade-off between extending the reach of the campaign versus creating more contact. For VCA where the reach is already quite strong, this seems a good strategy to pursue. Media Overlap 50% 36% 37% 24% 21% 22% 3% 6% None TV Only Digital/Dream Only Multiple Media Spring 2013 Spring 2014 13
Recall is high across all markets, although Toronto remains a challenge. As in past waves, recall of the advertising is highest in the Western Canada markets, and lowest in Toronto. But while this is the case for the traditional paid media (TV & digital), the content strategy and social media are able to more effectively reach the Toronto audience (both Dream 365 and the E promotions). Therefore, these options present opportunity to influence the Toronto market. 68% 58% 51% Awareness by Market by Media 47% 40% 38% 30% 29% 24% 14% 13% 12% 16% 16% 18% Television Digital Dream 365 E Other Social Western Canada Toronto Remaining National 14
While the campaign performed well among the target audience people 25-54 recall was even higher among the younger audience. One of the most interesting findings this year is the strong variation in recall across age groups. Recall was much higher among the youngest audience segment (18-24) and significantly lower among those 55+. Of course, the inclusion of a stronger digital presence and the inclusion of the YouTube content strategy probably influenced this trend. But the younger demo also has much higher recall of television. Perhaps the synergy between the media helped drive this finding. 82% Awareness by Age Group by Media 65% 60% 71% 69% 54% 50% 37% 35% 44% 28% 15% 24% 12% 4% Aware TV Digital Dream 365 E 18-24 25-54 55+ 15
Canada Spring 2014 Research Messaging Creative evaluation 16
Reactions to the ads and content are favorable with the Dreamers spot getting exceptional ratings. The Dreamers spot received among the highest positive ratings of ads that SMARInsights has tested. The 30-second Dreamers spot gets the strongest positive reaction, while the Dream 365 content receives the lowest. This highlights the benefits of paid advertising the ability to control the message. None of the VCA elements generates negative responses, but many people are neutral toward the Dream 365 content. Ad Ratings 1% 1% 1% 2% 3% 27% 30% 32% 37% 47% 72% 68% 66% 61% 50% Dreamers 30 Dreamers 15 Kids Online ads Content Positive Neutral Negative 17
The Dreamers spot clearly showcases the brand and communicates California s potential. In terms of communicating key messages, the new Dreamers spot garners ratings that put it in the top 10% of destination ads tested. The spot clearly communicates the key brand messages and positions California as a place that is full of possibilities and provides an abundance of experiences that inspire people to try new things. <3.0 Notable weakness; rating is in the lowest 15% 3.0-3.5 Neutral; rating is below average Show California as a place full of possibilities Show California as a place that inspires you to try new things Show that California s abundance provides endless experiences 3.5-3.75 Good; rating is average 3.75-4.0 Goal; rating is in the top 25% 4.0+ Excellent; rating is in the top 10% 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 4.1 4.2 4.2 18
The Kids at Play spot positions California as a family destination, especially among people who take family/kid-focused vacations. The Kids at Play spot is clearly more focused and targeted and therefore needs to be evaluated in terms of how it positions California as a family vacation destination. The overall ratings indicate that it clearly communicates the position and among people who take family/kid focused vacations it prompts them to want to gather information and increases their interest in visiting. <3.0 Notable weakness; rating is in the lowest 15% 3.0-3.5 Neutral; rating is below average Overall Broadens my opinion of California as a family destination With Children Broadens my opinion of California as a family destination Overall Makes me more interested in visiting California with kids With Children Makes me more interested in visiting California with kids Overall Makes me more interested in learning about things to do with kids in California With Children Makes me more interested in learning about things to do with kids in California 3.5-3.75 Good; rating is average 3.75-4.0 Goal; rating is in the top 25% 3.7 3.7 4.0+ Excellent; rating is in the top 10% 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.2 19
Canada Spring 2014 Research Impact of the advertising build interest 20
The advertising has a positive impact on California s image and perceptions of the type of trips and activities in the state. The biggest impact in terms of what type of trip fits with California is family fun, a result of the Kids at Play advertising. But ad recall supports interest in a variety of different types of trips that would motivate people to visit California. Description No recall Recall Difference California is a place full of possibilities 4.0 4.1 0.2 California is a place that inspires you to try new things 3.8 4.0 0.3 California s abundance provides endless experiences 3.9 4.1 0.2 Fit With California No Recall Ad Recall Difference Family fun (with children < 18) 3.6 4.0 0.4 Family fun (without children < 18) 3.9 4.2 0.3 Wine & Food 4.1 4.3 0.2 Entertainment & Culture 4.0 4.2 0.2 Outdoor activities 4.1 4.3 0.2 Luxury & Indulgence 4.1 4.3 0.2 21 Type of Trip No recall Recall Difference A vacation centered around entertainment including Hollywood, 39% 55% 16% music events/festivals, nightlife A luxury vacation experience that includes visiting high end resorts, health spas, unique culinary 30% 45% 15% experiences An active outdoor vacation including winter sports, water sports, hiking, 23% 37% 14% mountain biking, etc. A relaxing vacation enjoying the great outdoors including scenic drives, sightseeing, natural beauty, visiting 61% 73% 12% state parks Family vacations with kids that include visiting theme parks and other family 28% 40% 11% attractions A cultural vacation visiting historical sites, museums, performing 35% 46% 11% arts/theatre Family vacations without kids that include visiting theme parks and other 21% 32% 11% family attractions A culinary vacation that includes visiting wineries/wine regions, breweries and experiencing local cuisine 39% 49% 10%
The use of multiple media drove strong levels of information gathering. The website is a key source of information. While the implementation of the multi-layered media strategy didn t drive recall higher than past efforts, the use of multiple media/messages did drive additional interest and efforts to find out more about California. % Gathered Information Action % Gathered 73% Gathered information, researched destination 37% Visited state website 24% 35% 42% 50% Requested information using other method 11% Visited State Facebook page 11% Followed state on Twitter 3% Called state 800 number 2% Did not gather information 47% No recall One medium Two media Three+ media 22
The impact of this campaign was quite strong this year stronger than in past years. Those with advertising recall indicate that they are more likely to visit and over time the average difference in this market has been 8-10% points. Impact was strong among the target demo, but even stronger among the younger audience. This year the impact is stronger, which suggests that the level of incremental travel will also be higher. Likelihood to Visit National - Recall 30% 55+ Recall 21% National - No recall 15% 55+ No recall 11% Toronto - Recall 44% Toronto - No recall 25% 25-54 Recall 36% Western - Recall 38% 25-54 No recall 21% Western - No recall 28% Overall - Recall 33% 18-24 Recall 32% Overall - No recall 18% 18-24 No recall 13% 23
The new strategy with multiple messages creates stronger impact on likelihood to visit the state. Exposure to multiple media or to multiple ads both have a significant impact on likelihood to visit California. Being able to reach consumers with more than six messages seems to increase impact significantly, and with the always on strategy this should happen more often and increase the impact of the marketing over time. This should be tracked to begin to understand how to optimize the strategy. Likelihood by # of Media 57% Likelihood by # of Ads/Messages 53% 23% 31% 27% 24% 28% 34% 28% 37% 31% 18% 18% No recall One medium Two media Three media Four+ media none one Two Three Four Five Six Seven+ 24
Consumers clearly feel that the Dream Big brand fits with their perception of the state. Consumers strongly agree that California is a place full of possibilities with endless experiences, and that this inspires them. California performs well as a place for all types of trips, although the rating is lowest for family fun trips with children under 18. Attribute Rating California is a place full of possibilities 4.1 California is a place that inspires you to try new things California s abundance provides endless experiences 3.9 4.0 Ratings for California by Trip Type 82.0 81.5 80.5 78.9 77.1 63.9 Wine & Food Outdoor activities Luxury & Indulgence Entertainment & Culture Family fun (without children under 18) Family fun (with children under 18) *% rating it Excellent/Good 25
While California is a good fit for many trip types, the trip that consumers are most motivated to take focuses on the outdoors. In addition to evaluating California as a destination for specific types of trips, consumers were also asked to indicate which type of vacation would motivate them to visit California. People could pick multiples, and consumers averaged 3.3 choices. A vacation centered on the great outdoors was most popular, followed by a vacation centered on entertainment/hollywood and night life. Type of Trip Total A relaxing vacation enjoying the great outdoors including scenic drives, sightseeing, natural beauty, visiting state parks 69% A vacation centered around entertainment including Hollywood, music events/festivals, night life 50% A culinary vacation that includes visiting wineries/wine regions, breweries and experiencing local cuisine 46% A cultural vacation visiting historical sites, museums, performing arts/theatre 43% A luxury vacation experience that includes visiting high end resorts, health spas, unique culinary experiences 41% Family vacations with kids that include visiting theme parks and other family attractions 36% An active outdoor vacation including winter sports, water sports, hiking, mountain biking, etc. 32% Family vacations without kids that include visiting theme parks and other family attractions 29% 26
Canada Spring 2014 Research Appendix Questionnaire 27
Questionnaire 28
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