Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH Tourist Development juan aguilar - kelli fontana - carla SMITH

table of content RATIONALE Target Audience

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Tone

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Tagline

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Tactics

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Sources

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CREATIVE Brief

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Print

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Outdoor

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Radio

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TV

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rationale

TARGET AUDIENCE Demographics The chosen target demographic for this campaign consists of married couples, ages 45 to 64 years old, with children aged 18 and older, and an annual income of at least $75,000.

This demographic was chosen after investigation into who makes up the ideal Myrtle Beach visitor.

According to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, 28 percent of visitor parties are couples and 53 percent of visitors are between the ages of 35-54 years old. This allows for growth in the market segment that makes up couples, ages 35 to 54. When income is considered, 39 percent of Myrtle Beach visitors have an annual income of $75,000 or higher ("Statistical Abstract for Myrtle Beach Area of South Carolina").

Psychographic In studying Simmons data, it was found that this target audience leads a very active and physical life. They spend their time with friends, experiencing new restaurants, and enjoying live performances. This data also revealed, when going on vacation, this target audience prefers the middle Atlantic. They enjoy trips to the beach, along with activities such as golfing, boating, sightseeing, and fishing. Our target audience spends on average $500-$999 on a single vacation, prefer to stay in hotels when traveling and choose to travel by car. It was also found, this target audience is prone to establishing a rewards membership with hotels so that they may visit more than once. Because the target audience is comprised of consumers residing along the northern-Atlantic seaboard, Myrtle Beach is an ideal travel destination. Myrtle Beach caters to a similar active lifestyle, offering many of the amenities that the target audience enjoys. According to the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, 92 percent of visitors spend their time at the beach, 76 percent go shopping, and 44 percent spend time in local attractions and amusements.

Along with being active, this audience is also budget-conscious. They believe they are somewhat worse off, financially, than they were 12 months ago. This, again, makes Myrtle Beach an attractive vacation destination because of its low-cost of living. The Chamber of Commerce reported a 94.5 composite index for Myrtle Beach, with the national average index being 100.

SIMMONS INDEX NUMBERS Statement

Index Number

Traveled to the middle Atlantic in the past 12 months

148

Enjoy trips to the beach

115

Enjoy golfing

159

Enjoy boating

128 continued on next page...

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Enjoy sightseeing

126

Enjoy fishing

116

Spends an average of $500-$999 on a single vacation

176

Prefers to stay in hotels

181

Prefers to travel by car

132

Sees themselves as somewhat worse off, financially, than they were 12 months ago

115

Time of Year The time of year the target audience will be driven to visit Myrtle Beach will be during late spring, more specifically during the months of April and May. This will prove a good time to take a beach vacation because the weather is beginning to warm up, and it is before the summer peak season during June and July that bring large crowds to the beach. As reported by the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, the occupancy rate during April and May in 2011 averaged to 54.5, which in comparison to the rate in June and July, 80.8, is significantly lower. This makes it more appealing to the target audience because it means less crowds and cheaper prices. The average temperatures during this timespan ranges from high 70s to low 80s (Weather.com). The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce reports May to be one of the driest month of the year with an average of 3.20� of precipitation. The weather during this time period will draw the target audience because most are driving from Northeastern coastal states, where the temperatures in early spring are still not warm, averaging in the mid 40s and 50s (currentresults.com).

Geographic Profile Geographically, this target audience lives within driving distance of the beach, because more than 92 percent of visitors report driving to Myrtle Beach ("Statistical Abstract for Myrtle Beach Area of South Carolina"). The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce reported that in 2011 86 percent of visitors used their personal car as their primary form of transportation during their stay. The Chamber of Commerce also reported the majority of visitors traveled from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, New York, Maryland, Tennessee and West Virginia to Myrtle Beach.

The campaign will place an emphasis on northeastern coast states, where the weather is still cold during the spring, and southern states within six-hour driving distance from Myrtle Beach.

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TONE This campaign will be executed using a light-hearted, romantic, and playful tone. This will appeal to the target audience because they are described to be career-oriented and see their job as a life career. This can create a busy schedule of various responsibilities and commitments, which leads to insufficient time with their spouse. Therefore incorporating the feeling of light-heartedness in this campaign reflects the relaxation from daily stresses found in a Myrtle Beach vacation. The campaign will also contain an underlying feeling of romance. According to Simmons, this audience considers, on average, their personalities to be affectionate and passionate and believe themselves to be loving and romantic. We want to heighten these types of emotions among our target audience. We believe that encompassing the romantic values of a long-term partner can be successful in our campaign. Since our target market engages in a physically active lifestyle both at home and on vacation, a playful tone can excite and stimulate our demographic. Myrtle Beach not only offers 60 miles of pristine beaches, but many other amenities that cohere with our target market’s interests. We want our target market to feel young again, which is why we are going for a more playful tone for our campaign to visit Myrtle Beach.

SIMMONS INDEX NUMBERS Statement

Index Number

I look at the work I do as a career rather than just as a job.

113

I see myself as affectionate, passionate, 108 loving and romantic.

TAGLINE For our tagline, we wanted to uniquely brand Myrtle Beach with a symbolic logo. We feel that our tagline fully encompasses all that Myrtle Beach has to offer in a clear and creative way. Myrtle Beach’s 200 foot sky wheel is iconic because it captures the “larger-than-life” expectations that Myrtle Beach really has it all. We incorporated a skyline as well to embrace the actual city of Myrtle Beach which offers plenty to do off the sand. Along with subtle waves, we want to convey that Myrtle Beach is a perfect mixture of sea and city, with endless experiences to encounter.

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TACTICS The advertisements in this campaign focus on the variety of activities Myrtle Beach as to offer with underlying romantic elements. Keeping in mind the older target audience, a simple font was chosen because it is easier to read. The colors selected reinforce the overall calming effect taking a vacation has on people.

The first print advertisement highlights the planning process of a future vacation and the nostalgia of looking back at past vacations. In planning a vacation, a couple looks back on photographs of past vacations together, which is what this advertisement is displaying. The overlying message in this piece is the idea that during a stay at Myrtle Beach a couple can combined their favorite aspects of past vacations. The second print advertisement connects the high quality of activities available at Myrtle Beach and the high importance and care spouses place on each other.

The last advertisement shows the schedule for an extravagant date night, which on most vacations could not be done all in the same place, but are all activities available at Myrtle Beach.

The outdoor advertisement focuses on the idea of the ferris wheel, depicted in the Myrtle Beach logo. Each ferris wheel cart symbolizes the variety of amenities available to visitors, and as no angle on a ferris wheel has the same view, no single vacation to Myrtle Beach is the same.

Two radio spots, a 60 second and a 30 second, were also created. The 60-second spot recreates a couple’s meeting with a travel agent. As the couple argues about what they would like to get out of this vacation, the travel agent assures them they do not need to choose because at Myrtle Beach they can have it all. The 30-second spot emphasizes the 60 miles that make up Myrtle Beach and how within those miles each couple can create their own ideal vacation.

The 30-second television advertisement reinforces the connection between the ferris wheel and all that Myrtle Beach has to offer. As each couple steps into the ferris wheel cart, they are in fact stepping into a new adventure available at Myrtle Beach.

Two additional campaign components were created to enhance the Myrtle Beach experience.

The first is a mobile web application that, when shaken, will randomly generate an activity or location within Myrtle Beach. If the couple choses to partake in the selection, a barcode will appear on the screen, which an attendant at the given location will scan, granting the couple a discount or promotional giveaway. The second campaign component is a bucket list contest. A list of 10 activities will be distributed upon check-in to visiting couples. Participating couples must complete as many activities as possible and have documentation of each activity. Participants will turn in their lists and corresponding proof at check-out and the first five couples to complete any five activities will receive a 50% discount on their next 3-night, all inclusive stay, and the first couple to complete all 10 activities will receive a free 5-night, all inclusive stay.

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SOURCES "Average Monthly Temperatures for Each State in Spring." www.currentresults.com. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. <http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-state-temperatures-in-spring.php>.

Simmons Market Research Bureau. Simmons OneView. The Bureau, 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2011.

"Statistical Abstract for Myrtle Beach Area of South Carolina." Myrtle Beach Area Chamber. Version 22. Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, Web. 7 Jan. 2014. http://www.myrtlebeachareachamber. com/research/docs/22statabstract.pdf>.

The Weather Channel. "Monthly Weather Averages and Records for Myrtle Beach, SC." Weather. com. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/vacationplanner/vacationclimatology/monthly/USSC0239>.

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creative

CREATIVE BRIEF Insights about the Target Audience The target audience consists of married couples, ages 45-64, who may have children away in college, which are at least 18 years old. These couples have an annual income of $75,000 or higher, but still remain budget-conscious. This audience tends to be more fashion forward, technologicallyâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;savvy, and highly educated. They enjoy traveling, dining out, live entertainment, and trips to the beach. The targeted geographic population consists of the Atlantic eastern seaboard, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware, which are all within driving distance of Myrtle Beach. The time of year that will be focused on will be April and May. This is the time when the temperature in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is warming up, which provides for a nice springtime beach getaway.

Insights about how the target interacts with your brand What makes Myrtle Beach more attractive to this population is its catering to this specific demographic. It offers amenities, which attract an older and more active demographic, such as premier golf courses, shopping, dinning and entertainment. We want to engage not in a quiet and peaceful beach getaway, but a more fun and exciting one â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with plenty of activities to do, day and night, on and off the beach. Though our consumer will have been to the beach plenty of times before, we want to really show our demographic the active and fun amenities that Myrtle Beach has to offer.

What the Target will Know and Feel Myrtle Beach is a place where this target audience can feel young again, and, as a couple, rediscover the young love that began their marriage. The goal is to make the audience feel that they are the center of this vacation, and not their children. They will come to value Myrtle Beach as a budget-friendly escape from the daily stresses of work and bills, and that a vacation to Myrtle Beach is much more than fun activities, but a collection of romantic memories.

Key Insight Once left alone by their children, empty-nester couples (especially women) not only have a hard time adjusting to their normal lives but often times feel out of touch with their spouse.

Tone of Voice The tone of the campaign will be romantic, fun, and playful. A stress will be placed on stress the romantic values of having a long-term companion yet allow them to feel young and in love again.

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print Can’t decide what to do for your next romantic escapade?

Why not do it all.

At South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach theres no need to miss out on one of your favorite activties, because we’ve got it all for your perfect couples vacation.

From the beach, golf, boardwalk, hiking, theater, fine dining, and we’re just getting started. Only at Myrtle Beach can you enjoy the outdoors during the day and continue to relax with our nightlife.

Visit WWW.MYRTLEBEACH.COM now to reserve your new escape.

Does an evening in your dream vacation look anything like this?

And thats just the first night.

In South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Myrtle Beach there is no end to the blend of activities you could get done in a single day. Only at Myrtle Beach can you go on a romantic beach walk one hour and have a jeep tour through a state park the next. Join us during May and you can take a break from all the fun by feasting with your loved one on some crab legs during our world famous Blue Crab Festival.

Visit WWW.MYRTLEBEACH.COM to find your perfect date night.

What is the best phrase to describe your spouse?

A hole in one.

The catch of a lifetime A royal flush.

The finest wine.

5 stars.

Other: _____________

Let them know how you really feel.

In South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Myrtle Beach you can not only tell the love of your life what they mean to you, but you can show them by doing all of your favorite activities together. Only at Myrtle Beach can you find all of the things that you love to do and more.

Visit WWW.MYRTLEBEACH.COM to find your perfect date night.

outdoor

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radio 60 second spot (Door opening/chairs moving as a couple sits down to talk to the travel agent.)

Wife:

(cornily) Oooh sweetie finally a vacation just for the two of us.…so what do we do? Where do we start?

Husband:

Honey..just take a deep breath...thats why we came here, to see what we can do.

Travel Agent: (chuckles) Well I’m happy you decided to come to the Grand Strand at Myrtle Beach, there’s plenty of unique activities to do together, on and off the sand.

Husband: How about some fun adventures for couples, we wanna let loose!

Travel Agent: Thrill seekers huh? How about a kayaking excursion for two through Myrtle Beach’s own saltwater marshes, or a jet boat tour that rips through our intracoastal waterway.

Husband: Hmm...Not bad, I think my wife wants something a little more romantic though.

Travel Agent: Then how about a horseback ride right on the beach to La Belle Amie Vineyard for that perfect bottle of wine you both love. Or embark on a sunset riverboat cruise on the “Barefoot Princess”. And on a beautiful, clear night, stargaze together on Myrtle Beach’s iconic sky wheel.

Wife: Now THAT, sounds like a perfect vacation.

Travel Agent: Here at Mrytle Beach, adventure and romance go hand-in-hand. Here, is where you’ll find it all.

(Sounds of the beach) Narrator: Mrytle Beach – do it all, together

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30 second spot NARRATOR VOICE: 18 miles of live entertainment...

(Sounds of live entertainment) - PAUSE

15 miles of pure golfing green...

(Sound of a golf ball being hit) - PAUSE

12 miles of boardwalk shopping...

(Sound a of store door opening) - PAUSE

10 miles of the freshest seafood...

(Sounds of plates and utensils) - PAUSE

5 miles of sunburnt cocktail hours...

(Sounds of cups clinging) - PAUSE

Add it all up, and you get 60 miles of endless vacation for two at Myrtle Beach.

(Sounds of the beach) - PAUSE

Make your couple’s getaway unique and create your own 60 miles, because at Myrtle Beach, it’s way more than just 60 miles of sand and sea.

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tv storyboard 30 TV Spot - â&#x20AC;&#x153;Myrtle Beach, Every Door is a New Adventureâ&#x20AC;?

Shot 1: View of a ferris wheel, with the beach in the distance.

Shot 2: Couple 1 stepping into a ferris wheel cart.

Shot 3: Once in the ferris wheel, Couple 1 appears on a hot air balloon ride.

Shot 5: Once in the ferris wheel, Couple 2 appears taking a horseback ride on the beach.

Shot 6: Couple 2 stepping off the ferris wheel cart, and Couple 3 stepping into the ferris wheel cart.

upbeat music playing throughout commercial.

Shot 4: Couple 1 stepping off the ferris wheel cart, and Couple 2 stepping into the ferris wheel cart.

visitmyrtlebeach.com

Shot 7: Once in the ferris wheel, Couple 3 appears dancing on a boardwalk to a live band.

Shot 8: Couple 3 stepping off the ferris wheel cart.

Shot 9: View of the shore and boardwalk attractions. voice over: At Myrtle Beach, every door is a new adventure.

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Notes / Comments

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