Marketing promises to highlight Victoria
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Cities like San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Corpus Christi have it. Victoria doesn't. What is it? It is visibility and awareness.
Travelers know about those other cities and what they have to offer and are likely going to visit those destinations, but a typical traveler doesn't even consider staying in or visiting Victoria because it is out of sight and out of mind, according to Bridgette Bise, executive director of the Victoria Convention and Visitors Bureau.
This is the gist of a marketing campaign that will be funded by hotel/motel tax and spearheaded by Bise. The Victoria City Council approved the $750,000 in hotel/motel tax for the campaign Nov. 3.
"We are trying to build an awareness and show that it would be easy to navigate a trip through Victoria," Bise said. "There is no visibility factor and no awareness of Victoria."
Bise said she will use Victoria's recently approved brand and its logo, "Where past and present are perfect neighbors." She noted that Victoria hasn't had aggressive marketing in more than 20 years. She expects a gradual change that will bring travelers here.
Bise said Victoria's arts and culture, history and the history behind the history, historic homes and buildings, family fun, friendly climate (especially for sports) and more will be marketed in various ways.
We are happy that organizations like the Texas Zoo, Victoria Symphony, the Victoria Ballet, Victoria Theatre, museums and others, as well as our university and college, parks and recreational activities are in the marketing mix.
"It's all part of the big picture," Bise said. Primary marketing areas include Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi. Secondary marketing areas include a 150-mile area outside Victoria,
The budget for the marketing plan, which dedicates the largest amount of $423,900 to advertising, includes a line item for operations: $120,000. That includes rent, utilities, leased equipment, insurance and taxes, a half-time employee, as well as Bise's compensation for the work: $53,000.
We are excited by this new thrust to make Victoria visible and travelers aware that our city offers huge amenities.
Also, this campaign can be measured by the number of travelers staying at our hotel/motels. The rest of the community - restaurants, retail stores and entertainment venues will be able to tell if the campaign is working by their returns.
"Trust your instincts," said Mark Cooke, board chairman for the Victoria Chamber of Commerce. "Mine tell me we're on the verge of something very great."
We agree.
This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.
Comments
I bet "father time", feels like it's 1909, all over again. Or does he think it's the 1930's, when city governments operated like button men for the mob, except with lawyers.
It's 2009, just because you want to "Con" yourself and others into believing bullsoot, doesn't mean people buy it anymore.
The people that push this crap out, have proven beyond a doubt, that they must believe the "regular joe" is a dumbarse. Makes you wonder about voting for them, huh? I mean come on, if you vote for these people, then maybe they are right to insult your intelligence?
I know another two letter acronym for P.R. it's B.S.
Of course I'm just kidding about the father time bit, who likes pudding!
November 10, 2009 at 2:44 p.m.This is a boondoggle, pure & simple. There's nothing to market. I'm getting the impression the city handlers would like Victoria to become a circus, while most of us would just like it to be a clean, safe place to raise a family and earn a living.
If we want Victoria to grow, how about simply lowering property taxes (hence budgets) & removing any other barriers to entry and watch business flood in naturally & sustainably. If we got out of the way and took the proper steps to make Victoria a business-friendly town, we wouldn't need to advertise. The word would get out. Plus, our location is already a great hub to four major cities. We have the location for business, but we lack the conducive environment. It's a joke to think we can coax visitors or businesses to invest in our town. They can see through the flashy ads.
November 10, 2009 at 11:45 a.m.For that amount of our hard-earned tax dollars, I sure hope it works.
November 8, 2009 at 3:04 p.m.