Mexico Tourism Board Campaign Plan by Rachel Caraher

endless possibilities

CAPTIVE COMMUNICATIONS: BEYOND THE MESSAGE At Captive, we believe collaboration and synergy leads to an exceptional experience for our clients. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to create your next campaign: we want to build a relationship with you. Knowing what drives you and your brand allows us to customize a product tailored to your needs, desires and dreams. We believe that messages should go beyond communication. We want you to feel our messages as well as you understand them. Our content is memorable and impactful, and we want to bring these attributes to everything we create. Consider working with us--let us capture the essence of your brand. Sincerely, Captive Communications Account Manager: Allison Moran Research Director: Jake Bahneman Creative Directors: Rachel Caraher & Devin Lowe Media Director: Sara Klose PR Director: Meghan Bergman

Content Situation Analysis

Campaign Strategy

Creative Plan

Media Plan

Public Relations Plan

Sources

Situation Analysis Jake Bahneman

Situation Analysis Client Background and History Mexico stretches from the border of the United States to the north and all the way to Guatemala in the south. Mexico is a vast country with a diverse history, plenty of natural attractions and magical cities. In the past decade, the Mexican government has made tourism one of its top priorities. Mexico created the Mexico Tourism Board in 1999 to help promote domestic and international tourism efforts. Both private and public entities contribute to the Board. The United States provides the core market for tourism in Mexico, but Mexico has also increasingly received visitors from Canada and Europe over the years. Numbers for international travelers in Mexico have hovered around 20 million for the past 10 years. In 2009, Mexico’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) dropped six percent because the worldwide financial crisis and the outbreak of the H1N1 virus.[i] Flights were cancelled and borders were closed as Mexico City was hit hard by H1N1. After these crises, Mexico launched a $90 million campaign in the U.S. to gain back the tourists it lost in 2009. This seemed to work: Tourism in Mexico has risen steadily since then with a 6.5 percent increase in arrivals in 2012 and a slight rise of 0.04 percent in 2013.[ii] The Mexican government has proven that it is devoted to tourism by creating the National Trust Fund for Tourism Development (NTFTD). The NTFTD is responsible for the development of popular tourist destinations such as Cancun, Los Cabos, Ixtapa, Loreto and the Bays of Huatulco. Tourism is Mexico’s third-largest foreign exchange earner. Taking into account GDP, employment, visitor exports and investments, the World Travel and Tourism Council ranked Mexico ninth out of 184 countries in terms of the relative importance of travel and tourism’s total contribution to the country’s GDP. [iii] The history of Mexico has been marked with huge cultural successes and political struggles Mexico’s earliest history was dominated by the Mayans, Olmecs and Toltecs. In the 16th century, the Aztecs were conquered by the Spanish, marking Mexico’s last great empire. Mexico was controlled by Spain for 300 years until the Mexicans revolted against the Spanish in 1810. Mexicans finally gained their independence in 1821. Soon after gaining independence, Mexico went to war against the United States. In 1848, after two years of fighting, Mexico surrendered almost half its land to the U.S. In 1910, Mexico began a revolution against the Spanish in Mexico, who controlled a large amount of Mexican land. Since that revolution, Mexico has struggled to make peace between their indigenous peoples and the Europeans, which has affected its economy. In 1994, the value of the peso fell and sent the whole country into recession. The country recovered fairly well until 2008 when the worldwide recession shrunk economies in North America and Europe. Today, the country is under democratic rule and its economy is rising steadily from the recession.

Industry Trends Recent trends in the international travel and tourism market have generally followed the same trend as Mexico. All international travel suffered in 2009 when the global market experienced an economic downturn. However, the economy is slowly recovering and becoming a much healthier climate to travel in. The GDP, which is a common measure of economic success, of the entire world is projected to rise 3.8 percent in the next decade. This means that there will be more money in the pockets of travelers than before. It is predicted that international travel will continue to grow even when the world economy grows more slowly than average. International travel is expected to grow four to five percent over the next year as the world’s economy expands.[iv] Travel markets in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are growing more than North American and European travel destinations. Asian, Latin American and the Middle Eastern tourism are growing at an average rate of eight to 10 percent each year while North American and European tourism growth has stayed steady at about three to four percent growth over the past three years. In the area of business travel, the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) market of business traveling has outpaced traditional business travel for five years. Cuts in corporate travel budgets are one of the reasons for this shift. The MICE market accounts for 54 percent of the entire business travel market. Incentives have seen a 61 percent increase, conventions a 44 percent increase and conferences a 27 percent increase since 2009. In this time frame, regular business travel has seen a 10 percent decrease due to cuts in corporate travel budgets.[v]

Situation Analysis In terms of booking travel, online bookings have reached an almost complete market share. Online bookings make up about 65 percent of the booking market. Travel agencies make up 24 percent of bookings and mobile booking claims two percent of the market.[vi]

Consumer analysis Primary and secondary research has revealed who the current travelers to Mexico are. In terms of demographics, the primary age range of these consumers is 26-55.[vii] Tests through Simmons OneView database revealed the following insights: • People aged 26-55 have an index of 111 for having traveled to Mexico. • People aged 25-34 are 14 percent more likely to have been to Mexico than the total population. • People aged 35-44 are 20 percent more likely to have been to Mexico. • People aged 36-55 comprised about 43 percent of travelers to Mexico. • People aged 26-35 comprised 26 percent of travelers to Mexico.[viii] Additional Insights: • More than 40 percent of travelers go to Mexico with their partner and children. • 31 percent of travelers go with just a partner • 10 percent of travelers travel alone • 10 percent of travelers travel with friends.[ix] Compared to the total population, people who are married have traveled to Mexico 25 percent more than singles. Furthermore, couples with one or more children have been to Mexico 17 percent more than the national average. Respondents in the Simmons dataset who aren’t married and live by themselves are 30 percent less likely to travel to Mexico. The reason most consumers are traveling to Mexico is for rest, relaxation or holiday. Almost 90 percent of visitors travel to Mexico for rest and relaxation.[x] This is compared to the less than five percent who travel to visit friends and family or for business. What really sets the target market apart is its collective personality. Simmons data indicates that travelers to Mexico are: • Risk takers (index value of 114) • Active (123) • Interested in international events (120) • Interested in other cultures (122) • Willing to do things in the spur of the moment (114) We perceive that travelers to Mexico are an active bunch who don’t always plan things. They aren’t workaholics; they prefer to experience life, whether it be hiking through the Mexican landscape or exploring the rich culture of traditional Mexican cities. Our current consumers visit Cancun, Cozumel, Los Cabos and Riviera Maya more often than other Mexican cities. The time of the year that most travelers visit is July, August and September. Secondary visiting times include mid-December, early January and the weeks around Easter.[xi] The average length of a typical traveler’s stay is around seven nights.[xii] The majority of current visitors are from the Western United States. With a Simmons index of 153, the Western United States region by far surpasses any other region of the U.S. In addition to the primary audience discussed, Mexico’s current secondary audience is business professionals. As discussed in the industry trends section, travel by business professionals for MICE activities has risen, and Mexico is ranked ninth in the world in visitors for conferences.[xiii] Mexico City, Cancun and Acapulco boast a large number of conference centers. The business professional market consists 26-36-year-olds that work in a business setting. There are no key differences in gender for business professionals who travel to Mexico. Mexico has laws that give businesses tax breaks for traveling to the country, and the country has simplified the property-buying process for foreigners.

Situation Analysis Competitive analysis

Mexico is primarily perceived as a beach and sun destination. Mexico’s competitors in this category are places that are on similar lines of longitude: the Caribbean and Hawaii.[xiv] Just like Mexico, they have beaches and warm, dry weather all year. Specific islands like Jamaica and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean and Hawaii share similar characteristics with Mexico. They all have plentiful beaches lined with all-inclusive resorts as well as diverse cultural experiences and landmarks to explore. A recent study on costs of resorts in Mexico compared to Hawaii and the Caribbean islands showed that a stay of five nights in Mexico is less expensive than staying in the competitors’ resorts for the same amount of time.[xv]

Average price per per day per person

average temperature

number of beaches

Mexico

$69.00

77-80 degrees

1,600

Hawaii

$209.00

85 degrees

392

Caribbean (Puerto Rico)

$162.00

80 degrees

300

In 2013, Mexico ranked fifth out of 25 in the American region behind the U.S., Canada, Panama and Barbados in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report.[xvi] The report evaluates 140 countries and ranks them in a number of areas, including the country’s ability to provide for its citizens and create a place for others to visit. Mexico ranked highly in world heritage sites and cultural resources (21) as well as effective marketing and branding campaigns (34). However Mexico ranks low in transportation infrastructure (69) and safety (121).[xvii] However, Mexico has improved slowly through its branding and marketing.

brand analysis How Mexico Tourism is currently positioned Mexico is primarily considered a year-round exotic beach destination, attracting many visitors who want an all-inclusive beach resort experience.[xviii] In 2009, nearly 90 percent of visiting foreigners cited rest or relaxation as their reason for travel.[xix] The majority of tourists are from North America, comprising about 57 percent of total visitors in 2013.[xx] Tourism peaks in July, August and September as well as mid-December and early January, which are particularly popular times for North Americans to visit.[xxi] Among its competitors, the Caribbean and Hawaii, Mexico is viewed as the best value destination with 51 percent of those surveyed ranking it a better value than both Hawaii and the Caribbean. [iii] Currently the Mexico Tourism Board is presenting Mexico as an all-encompassing location that has a trip for everyone: relaxation/leisure, business, nature, history and culture. The Board is pushing to raise awareness and increase visits related to culture and history, business travel and medical tourism.[xxii] Currently the Mexico Tourism Board’s website (visitmexico.com) appears to be reaching out to all target audiences through bright and colorful pictorial and textual representations of each feature.

Situation Analysis Brand associations, image and perceptions Mexico is perceived by tourists as a haven with beautiful and exotic beaches, all-inclusive resorts, cultural and historical attractions and year-round tourism.[xxiii] Currently there are several questions of security in Mexico, especially in traditional and online media. In addition to negative press, the U.S. government has issued travel advisories that warn U.S. citizens of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;risk of traveling to certain places in Mexico due to threats to safety and security posed by organized criminal groups in the country.â&#x20AC;? These warnings, which highlight past instances when U.S. citizens have been targets of violent crimes, give specific breakdowns of the security conditions of Mexico and state-by-state warnings. Currently the most dangerous areas of Mexico are those surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border and the Mexico-Guatemala border.[xxv] The increase in killings and abductions in Mexico support negative views of Mexico tourism, thus discouraging potential tourists to visit.[xxvi] The U.S. Council for Foreign Relations expressed that the recent news about violence in very specific regions and cities of Mexico is often understood as a representation of Mexico as whole. [xxvii]

Competitors Hawaii Hawaii has the advantage of being a U.S. state, which appeals to some Americans in that travel is simpler and safety and security are less of a concern. Hawaii has a high satisfaction rate among Americans: 98 percent of visitors rate their Hawaii vacation as above average or excellent. Hawaii targets consumers in the Western part of the U.S. as travel time is shorter and the cost of travel is usually cheaper for those living in the Western Costal region.[xxviii] Hawaii is currently perceived as the lowest-value vacation when compared with the Caribbean and Mexico by potential visitors. In 2014, when visitors of Mexico and the Caribbean were asked why they decided not to visit Hawaii, 30 percent answered that they found a better value at a different destination.[xxix] This marked a 17 percent increase from 2013 when only 13 percent said they found better value elsewhere. These statistics have influenced Hawaii to focus its advertising on changing its perceived value and aiming this idea at first-time visitors.[xxx]

Caribbean (includes 35 islands qualified by the Official Caribbean Tourism Board) Similar to Mexico, the Caribbean is known for its warm climate, beautiful beaches and attractive scenery. However, the Caribbean not well recognized for tourism emphasizing historical and cultural experiences, as this is not a key feature of the location.[xxxi] Security concerns are an ongoing issue. The Caribbean is no longer perceived to be as safe as it has been in the past. A rise in criminal activity, specifically the drug scourge and organized gang activity, has reduced the Caribbeanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to attract tourists. [xxxii] There has been an increase in the number of visitors who arrive by ship as opposed to air travel. The islands are working to expand ports, docks, piers and anchoring stations to better accommodate and ensure the survival of the tourism industry.[xxxiii] The Caribbean is trying to reverse the trend of tourists taking shorter vacations for economic reasons by marketing extended stays and longer overall vacation periods.[xxxiv]

Situation Analysis Media usage analysis What Mexico Tourism media and marketing looks like now In 2010, the Mexico Tourism Board, which includes 100 industry participants, came together for its eighth-annual Travel Weekly Mexico Travel City Leadership Forum in an attempt to revamp Mexico as a top tourist destination. Mexico Tourism Board COO Rodolfo Lopez Negrete, who was the keynote speaker for the event, told attendees that the Board was looking to “completely reinvent and rebuild the Mexico brand while pushing the country into the uppermost tier of travel destinations in the world in the space of just a few years.”[xxxv] In order to achieve this goal, the board came up with a nine-point plan of action, which included diversifying markets, increasing online promotion and implementing a new public relations plan to correct and recreate the negative perception Americans have about traveling to Mexico.

Mexico: The Place You Thought You Knew Mexico’s revamp began in 2010 with the initial marketing campaign “Mexico: The Place You Thought You Knew”. The plan received $32 million in funding and was spread across five months. Ultimately the goal was to reshape the way Mexico’s target market thought about Mexico by not directly addressing everything that led people to believe Mexico was unsafe. Rather, the plan crafted its advertising messages to ignore all negativity and to highlight new hotels, popular destinations and activities available while simultaneously showing Americans the travelers who happily visit each year. As a result, the integrated campaign created favorable shifts in perception, successfully completing its initial goals. A ten-fold increase in the number of positive article’s and one billion online impressions took flight after the campaign was launched.[xxxvi]

the mexico taxi project

In 2011, the Mexico Tourism Board continued its efforts to revamp Mexico’s image, implementing a new marketing plan with similar goals to the first. The new plan was given a $30 million budget and titled “The Mexico Taxi Project.” The main objective of the Mexico Taxi Project was to counter potential worries travelers had about visiting Mexico. The Board aimed to use positivity to educate its target market.[xxxvi] The Board created commercials, print ads and online ads in which the main message and takeaway was that thousands of people travel to Mexico each year and feel completely safe and well taken care of. In commercials, there were hidden cameras in cabs that would film tourists’ rides to and from the airports in markets like Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Throughout the course of the cab ride, the cab driver would ask the tourists about their trips and get their candid opinions about how safe they felt, what activities they loved and what cuisine they could not get enough of. According to the New York Times Business Media and Advertising analysis, the campaign plan was successful in negating perceptions of Mexico as unsafe while also getting real-life, personal opinions on all the positive things Mexico could provide the average person for an unforgettable vacation.[xxxvi]

Situation Analysis mexico: live it to belive it In 2013, the Mexico Tourism Board launched its “Live It to Believe It” campaign. It was given an initial investment of $6 million and a $43.3 million budget, more than any other campaign to date. The campaign is different from the others in that it departs from messages promoting Mexico as one singular brand and instead “leverage(s) different experience offered by each of its major tourist destinations.”[xxxvii] The campaign primarily targets American and Canadian adults between the ages of 35-60 with a household income of $100,000 and up. The campaign also relies heavily on the Mexico Tourism Board’s relationships with airlines, travel agents and travel websites with activations through their digital channels. The campaign focuses more on TV platforms and specialty radio stations and also aims to revamp the Mexico Tourism Board’s website through using bright colors and promoting Mexico as an activity center. “We want to make [the campaign] unexpected, personal, surprising and emotional, with focus on experience,” said Gerardo Lianes, the chief marketing officer of the Mexico Tourism Board. [xxxviii] In addition to the federal tourism budget, Lianes stated that “more than $10 million in federal, state and regional funds will be spent in the U.S. and Canada on the rebranding of Vallarta Nayarit over the 12 months beginning in September [2013].”[xxxix]

Example of competitor's Marketing Strategy One of Mexico’s biggest competitors when it comes to travel destinations is the Hawaii Tourism Conference. Hawaii is seen in the market as a high-end, expensive vacation, and because of this perception, the majority of people who come to visit and vacation are recurring travelers. In order to increase the number of people who vacation in Hawaii, the Conference is trying to target people who have never been before. In 2014, the Hawaii Tourism Conference initiated the “Hawaii Brand Advocate Initiative” in which they used a key insight on social media: 99 percent of Facebook users share their vacation pictures and stories online. They also learned that out of the new travelers who visit each year, 99 percent decided to come due to recommendations of travelers who have previously visited. After gaining these insights, the Hawaii Brand Initiative decided to use social media influencers and the Internet in order to increase their amount of visitors. They are using social media sites like Instagram, Google Plus, Pinterest and YouTube while partnering with online travel agents and wholesaler websites. They believe by getting their recurring visitors to post their pictures, stories and opinions on these websites, they will influence new travelers to vacation in Hawaii.[xl]

current consumer media habits In order to understand Mexico Tourism’s current target market’s media usage, we ran multiple Simmons reports. We found the following insights: • 79.5 percent of adults ages 26-55 use the Internet. • 55.7 percent of adults ages 26-55 use social media. • 17 percent of adults ages 26-55 use social media three or more times a day. • Adults ages 26-55 are more likely to use social media to follow news and newspapers. Understanding that our target market is most likely to use social media to follow news and newspapers compared to TV shows, music groups or magazines helps us understand why only 51.7 percent of white adults ages 26-55 read newspapers. Mexico’s target uses the Internet in order to get news and information. Within that percentage, the target is more likely to read weekend newspapers, Sundays more than Saturdays, than daily newspapers. Adults in the Northeast are more likely to read weekend newspapers compared to those in the Midwest, South and West. When looking at magazine readership and usage, 70.5 percent of adults ages 26-55 read magazines. This group is more likely to read entertainment magazines like Cosmopolitan, US Weekly, Men’s Fitness and Sports Illustrated compared to magazines like New York Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek and Consumer Report. People in the Northeast are more likely to read magazines compared to those in the Midwest, South and West.

Situation Analysis By using Simmons data, we were able to understand that the Mexico’s Tourism Board’s current target audience watches TV more than they use any other media. White adults ages 26-55 are more likely to watch TV in the evening compared to midday and in the morning. When looking at different genres of evening primetime shows, they are most likely to watch situation comedies compared to general dramas, reality TV, news and documentaries. When the current target audience is watching primetime news networks, they are most likely to watch Fox compared to ABC, CBS, The CW and NBC. Mexico is trying to captivate its target audience by creating an integrated media campaign that will portray Mexico as a destination filled with diverse and unique experiences.[xli].The campaign runs from the end of 2013 through 2014 and uses a combination of TV spots, print ads and digital media. According to the Mexico Tourism board, the first two destinations to be featured in the integrated media plan will be Vallarta-Nayarit and Mexico City, which will be introduced through multiple TV spots.[xlii] The new promotional program incorporates a robust media plan geared towards the consumer.[xliii]

Creative analysis Mexico Tourism outsources its public relations and advertising to two different agencies. As of October 18, 2013, MSL Group handles Mexico Tourism’s public relations efforts. They will hold the account until October 2015[xliii]. Leo Burnett has handled Mexico Tourism’s advertising efforts since 2007[xliv]. Some of the popular cities and destinations in Mexico work with their own agencies. For example, Los Cabos’s ads are produced by Carolyn Izzo Integrated Communications (CIIC). This presents problems in terms of a lack of integration and cohesion between Mexico Tourism’s campaigns and the campaigns of cities with their own agencies. Additionally, with Mexico Tourism using separate firms for PR and advertising, it may be tough to achieve full integration across all platforms. The current Mexico Tourism campaign theme is “Live It to Believe It.” The logo across media platforms features “Mexico” in bright, colorful, bold block letters. When the campaign launched in 2013, it included TV spots, a Times Square advertisement and ads on double-decker buses in major U.S. markets. Mexico Tourism spent $36 million across media and PR platforms in 2013[xlv].

The “Live It to Believe It” video advertisements aim to make emotional appeals by focusing on rich, swift visuals, sensory language and unique, diverse experiences[xlvi]. The narrator of these ads is a British female, used to convey luxury and sophistication. To fit a lot of information in a short span of time, the advertisements employ a lot of images with quick cuts between each image. These ads focus on mystery, intrigue and the element of surprise. They refute what consumers assume about Mexico. The advertisements are individualized for different cities, but remain consistent in their focus on luxury and elegance. Posts on Facebook and Twitter also primarily emphasize adventure and secondarily focus on relaxation. This campaign aims to target consumers age 35-65 with a household income of $100,000 and up. The secondary target is consumers age 25-45 with an income of $75,000[xlvii]. The campaign is aimed at Americans or other English-speaking countries. Advertisements and photography depict iconic Mexican cultural events and objects that Americans would be familiar with, such as Day of the Dead and tequila.

Situation Analysis Public Opinion and Media Coverage The news is cluttered with articles warning Americans of the dangers of Mexico. From drug cartels to illness to unclean water to hurricane weather, the media seems to primarily focus on the negative aspects of Mexico. However, most of these articles are sensationalized. There are many articles on how to stay safe when traveling to Mexico and necessary precautions one must take if traveling there. For example, an article titled “Mexico Travel Safety” on About.com gives travelers an extensive list of safety tips and reminds travelers that “as a tourist you may be targeted for theft.”[xliv] The most recent Mexico Travel Warning issued by the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs on October 10, 2014 informs American citizens of the risks posed to them if they visit Mexico, including carjackings, kidnappings, robbery and even murder in some Mexican states. Most major travel destinations like Cabo San Lucas, San Cristobal, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara do not have travel warnings in effect. Most of the states that do have recommendations to take precautionary actions are not major travel destinations.[xlv] Despite the safeness of the major travel destinations in Mexico, Americans still perceive the country as unsafe. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in October of 2013, only 39 percent of Americans expressed a favorable view of Mexico and 52 percent of Americans said they had an unfavorable opinion of Mexico.[xlvi] This was a reversal from the 2007 survey when 47 percent of Americans expressed a favorable opinion and only 37 percent expressed an unfavorable opinion.[xlvii] There are many articles circulating through the media that attempt to put the issue of safety in Mexico into perspective. For example, CNN’s Mariano Castillo explains that the resort areas designated for tourists are not the dangerous parts of Mexico. He says, “Mexico is both as dangerous as ever or as safe as ever, depending on one’s destination, actions and common sense.”[xlviii] Another issue associated with travel and tourism in Mexico is severe and tropical weather. The potential for hurricane weather is a threat to our brand and it has been recently prominent in the news due to Hurricane Odile. On September 14, 2014, Odile hit Los Cabos and destroyed parts of the tourism industry there, including major resorts. At one point, many tourists were actually stranded in Los Cabos due to hurricane destruction.[xlix] Natural disasters like Hurricane Odile cause damage to businesses, homes, electricity and water supply. Among other threats to Mexico’s brand are a lack of safe drinking water and the presence of illness.[l] According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common illness contracted by Americans in Mexico is traveler’s diarrhea, the result of consuming water containing bacteria foreign to Americans. Travelers to Mexico are also at risk of Dengue, which can be contracted from a mosquito bite. There is even a possibility of contracting Malaria while in Mexico.[li] Despite these issues, according to the Travel Leader’s Group 2014 Travel Trends Survey, travel to Mexico is still highly ranked in the 2014 Top International Destinations to Travel. Cancun is ranked second overall and has sat comfortably in that spot since 2013. Playa del Carmen is ranked ninth.[lii] This shows that people are still traveling, and express the desire to travel, to certain destinations in Mexico regardless of the fears instilled in them about Mexico by the media. These possible decreasing concerns about public safety could have played a role in the dramatic increase in tourism in 2013.[liii] At Travel Agent Magazine’s roundtable on travel to Mexico in July of 2014, a panelist pointed out that people are increasingly interested in traveling to Mexico and are, in fact, booking well in advance. Safety concerns are becoming less of factor when booking a vacation to Mexico.[liv]

Situation Analysis Previous Campaign Initiatives Over the past few years, the Mexico Tourism Board has taken many measures to rebrand tourism in Mexico and address the issues at hand, especially the public’s concern about safety, through new marketing initiatives and campaigns. As a result of these campaigns, United States air travel to Mexico increased by 3.7 percent from 2011 to 2012 and United States visitors to Mexico increased by 2.8% from 2011 to 2012.[lv] Last year’s tourism success resulted in 24 million international visitors to Mexico.[lvi] The success the Mexico Tourism Board had in repositioning Mexico in the tourism industry led them to be the first to receive the Virtuoso Tourism Board of the Year Award in 2012. The Virtuoso network recognized the board for “its bold diversification and promotion strategy, creative advertising campaigns, and robust industry partnerships.”[lvii]

stakeholder analysis The Mexico Tourism Board has many stakeholders that are affected both positively and negatively by the decisions the Board makes and the overall success of tourism in Mexico. These various groups, entities, and industries have invested in the tourism industry and support it. By maintaining relationships with these stakeholders and managing their opinions, the Mexico Tourism Board will continue to successfully grow tourism in Mexico.

Stakeholders American Travelers

Hotel Industry

Characteristics • Express many concerns about safety • Influenced by the negative stories in the media • Marriott International is rapidly expanding in Mexico[lviii] • Intercontinental Hotels Group is the largest hotel company in Mexi co and is partnering with Grupo Presidential to create more hotels and resort destinations across Mexico[lix]

Airline Industry

• Southwest Airlines and JetBlue, along with other airlines, are expanding their business to Mexico and claiming new flight routes to cities including Cancun, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta[lx]

Cruise Industry

• Major cruise lines like Carnival and Disney Cruise Lines offer cruises to various parts of Mexico[lxi]

Travel Booking Websites

• Many people consult travel booking websites like Expedia.com, TripAdvisor.com, and Orbitz.com to find the best deals, information and reviews on various travel destinations • Top site for travel content on the Internet is TripAdvisor.com[lxii]

The U.S. Government

• The U.S. Department of State monitors the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and posts frequent travel warnings updating Americans about the status of safety in specific areas of Mexico[lxiii]

• According to the Banamex Unit of Citigroup Inc., tourism is Mexico’s fifth source of foreign revenue[lxiv] Mexican Government • In total, tourism creates $12.7 billion in incoming foreign economic activity (Source 17)[lxiv] • Represents 96 percent of the Mexican tourism industry and is providing National Tourist Business Council funds for the investment of new projects including hotel chains, restaurants, community services, airports, and various tourist attractions like theme parks[lxx]

Situation Analysis SWOT STRENGTHS:

WEAKNESSES:

Beaches, amazing weather, countless cultur- Despite the safeness and security of Mexial and historical attractions and breathtaking coâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary vacation destinations, the counphysical features: Mexico has everything our try is still perceived as an unsafe place target wants in a vacation Health issues like diseases and the low qualIn terms of proximity, Mexico is the closest ity of drinking water have impacted Mexico vacation option to travelers from the South city centers in recent years and West Marketing efforts are not integrated across Mexico is a cheaper vacation destination the country when compared to its competition OPPORTUNITIES:

THREATS:

Potential consumers have more money to spend on vacations now that countries have mostly recovered from the recession

Mass media coverage of violence in Mexico often makes the current situation seem worse than it actually is

The public and private sector are willing to invest thoroughly in Mexican tourism

Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s geographic location makes it susceptible to extreme weather anomalies such as hurricanes

The current target is still rather restricted to a small group, which leaves a lot of room for expansion

Drug cartels threaten safety in cities that are not vacation destinations, which threatens perception nonetheless

Situation Analysis Key issues and implications The situation in Mexico is very interesting. Mexico has almost everything it needs to be a prime tourist destination. It has beaches, great weather and amazing attractions. But some key issues have set it back.

Safety One such issue is that many people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel that Mexico is safe. As drug cartels cause

extreme violence and kidnappings, people outside of Mexico are scared away from even thinking about visiting the country. This is by far the biggest issue that needs to be addressed or kept in mind when figuring out a strategy to draw visitors to Mexico.

Health Another key issue is that people are worried about their health when they visit Mexico, whether it involves the drinking water or disease. U.S. news focuses on all of these issues. Whenever potential U.S. visitors see Mexico in the news, stories often deals with disease, violence or bad drinking water. All of these issues are huge problems for Mexico and need to be addressed in any marketing plan to help ease the worries of U.S. travelers. Lessening their fears through ads and a successful public relations campaign will help grow the Mexico Tourism Board brand.

Value

A key advantage that Mexico has compared to its competitors is that the price to vacation there is much less. The cost of living in Mexico is not very high; therefore, the prices of things like food and attractions and even hotels are less than in places like Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

This specific unique selling point gives Mexico and advantage over others and it is something that should be advertised. In a world where people are more price-conscious, this USP could help get more people to Mexico then before.

small target

The last issue that has an implication on further plans deals with the current market for Mexico. The target is confined to a rather small group of individuals with certain personality traits. Knowing that only that small target is mainly traveling to Mexico leaves opportunities to reach other sections of the US or certain income sections or different personality traits.

There is a lot more room for growth in the target market of Mexico, and it would be wise to expand the target market to try to get more people that would likely to come to Mexico if they knew about all that it has to offer.

Campaign Strategy Allison Moran

Campaign Strategy How Will Captive Reframe Mexico? A key issue that the Mexico Tourism Board currently faces is consumers’ perceptions of Mexico as an unsafe place. Saturated coverage of drug-related and violent events along the borders has discouraged many potential tourists from traveling to Mexico. Although the tourism market in Mexico has remained strong, the rise in attention directed at perceived violence has threatened Mexico’s brand. The current market remains in good standing, but a large number of potential travelers from the U.S. remain apprehensive. Mexico has numerous regions and cities that are very safe, have low levels of crime and violence and have the attributes that the target audience wants: relaxation, culture and adventure. Captive aims to focus on individual safe and popular tourist destinations in order to give travelers a better sense of security and safety in Mexico so they can travel without worries. We understand that if tourists know what Mexico has to offer, they will book a fantastic vacation to enjoy the relaxing, cultural and adventurous options in Mexico.

Consumer target overview The consumers in Mexico’s current target market that have traveled to Mexico have positive feelings about their Mexican vacation and would return in the future. Captive will target this audience with its marketing to encourage these consumers to return to Mexico. We will also target travelers who are visiting destinations with similar attributes, primarily Hawaii and the Caribbean.

Primary Target Market

Secondary Target Market

• 35-44 years old • Couples (married or engaged to be married) • Combined annual household income of $75,000 or more • Southwestern region of the United States

• 35-44 years old • Couples (married or engaged to be married) • One or more children • Combined annual household income of $75,000 or more • Southwestern region of the United States

Captive’s primary and secondary target markets have several demographically similar attributes. However, there are some differences in the markets’ interests, behaviors and preferences; these key differences are noted below.

Demographics (statistics provided by Simmons 2012; numbers in parentheses are index values) age 35-44 years old (113)

relationship status Married (112) Engaged to be married (104)

household income 75,000 or more (110)

region West (160) South (130) Southwestern (110)

children 40 percent of travelers to Mexico bring children

Campaign Strategy attitudes and behaviors of target market • Enjoy taking risks (primary: 115) (secondary: 111) • Do some sort of sport or exercise once a week (110) • Like spending time with their family (118) • Want to stand out in the crowd (110) • Careful with their money (primary: 110) (secondary: 116)

media use (primary only) Don’t use TV for information (123) Don’t use newspaper for information (129) Use radio for information (113) Use Internet for information (124)

Key Insights Captive’s target market possesses adventurous qualities. According to Simmons 2012 data, when compared to the national average, consumers ages 35-49 with an income of $75,000 or more are: • 85 percent more interested in watersports • 87 percent more likely to be interested in playing golf • 51 percent more likely to be interested in camping and hiking The target market enjoys culture and history. According to Simmons 2012 data, the target market: • has visited a museum in the last 12 months (128) • is more likely than the national average to be interested in other cultures (108) Mexico’s target market also enjoys relaxing activities. According to Simmons 2012 data, the target market is: • 40 percent more likely to be interested in going to the beach • 53 percent more likely to be intereted in going to a spa The target market indicated it is 11 percent less likely than the national average to want exclusively relaxation when on vacation (89). This data indicates that the target audience is interested in an active, adventurous vacation experience, but would also enjoy relaxing activities like the beach or a spa. This information provides key insights into the target market. Captive’s campaign will primarily target consumers who are: 3544 years old with a household income of $75,000 or greater, in a relationship or married, without children, and open to traveling abroad. Secondarily, the campaign will target consumers with the above demographics and the addition of one or more children. The campaign will use the known attitudes and behaviors of the target to influence them to travel to Mexico over other travel destinations, particularly its competitors. Simmons data indicates the target market enjoys risk taking and being active. When it comes to media use habits, the target uses radio and the Internet and does not often use newspapers or television to get information. Mexico’s target markets are careful with their money, giving Mexico an advantage as the cheapest destination of its competitors. This information correlates to insights gained from research that indicated that the target market wants various opportunities, activities and experiences at a lower cost than that offered by other travel destinations. Understanding these factors gives Captive what it needs to attract interested consumers to Mexico. Using this information about the target consumers’ media habits, Captive can reach the target markets by focusing on the interests and preferences that the research has indicated are the most significant.

Campaign Strategy meet our target consumers primary: the williams family Megan, 35, and Ryan, 37, form a married couple who share a condo in Los Angeles, California. They met at the University of Southern California where Ryan majored in business and Megan majored in communication. Together they make $79,000 per year. They love doing things as a couple; they especially love being active. They enjoy hiking in nearby bluffs and tandem bicycle rides. They are constantly on-the-go, and they love a good adventure. Long walks on the beach, cave scuba diving and hiking through historic ruins are all part of their ideal vacation. The Williams prefer beachfront resorts as they enjoy fun and relaxation on the beach when they are not our exploring. They want to be close to the city so they can go off and explore on their own and dance at nightclubs. When they wake up after a night out, they want to eat a fresh breakfast and then head over to the beach for the day.

secondary: the johnson family The Johnsons are a family living in Tempe, Arizona. Bill, 44, graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in business and his wife, Susan, 41, also graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in nursing. Together the Johnsons make $105,000 per year and support their two kids Max, 13, and Kayla, 10. They are an adventurous family that enjoys being active. Bill and Sue feel like they are always trying to keep up with the kids’ extracurricular activities and sports. They enjoy spoiling their kids and investing their free time and money into their happiness. The Johnsons will regularly splurge on birthday gifts and family vacations. They are a busy family and don’t have a lot of time for reading newspapers, books or watching TV; they tend to spend a lot of time driving and searching the Internet for information when they need it. On vacations, they love experiencing fast-paced cultural activities and fun in the sun at the beach. The couple’s first priority is to keep their kids entertained and happy.

strategies

competitive advantage Mexico is rich in historical and cultural sites, landmarks and celebrations, and has a wide range of aquatic activities and adventurous to enjoy [i].

the target market: enjoys adventure is fast paced and often active appreciates value when spending money likes family time

Mexico offers a larger scope of activities better tailored to tourists than its competitors. • The Caribbean and Hawaiian Islands both market themselves as luxurious and relaxing destinations. [ii, iii] • Hawaii primarily markets its scenic locations and romantic sites.[i] • The Caribbean takes a more upbeat approach and presents itself as an exotic tropic beach location.[ii] Although Hawaii offers promotions and deals, it is perceived as being more expensive and a lower value than Mexico. When compared with Hawaii, Mexico has a higher appeal factor for interested parties with a smaller budget.[i] The target market cares about value and wants to get the most out of their vacation.

Campaign Strategy unique selling proposition • Mexico has various cities and tourist regions that offer a well-balanced combination of relaxation, culture and adventure.The target market enjoys all of these activities while on vacation. • Mexico’s competitors place focus more exclusively on relaxation and luxury.[i, ii] • Mexico will focus on a wider range of activities to better serve the target market. • Potential visitors perceive Mexico as offering an overall better value than Hawaii. The target market cares about value, increasing the likelihood of choosing to vacation in Mexico. According to Simmons 2012 data, Mexico’s primary and secondary target are more likely to spend their money carefully compared to the national average.

Positioning • Mexico is positioned amongst its competitors as large country with extensive coastline that offers a cultural beach experience. • Mexico’s competitors are currently positioned more exclusively as luxurious and relaxing destinations. • Mexico will be positioned as a place with various tropical beach destinations full of vibrant culture and adventure waiting to be explored. • Mexico is a large country full of smaller unique destinations, offering an various ways and combinations to experience relaxation, culture and adventure.

Branding • Mexico is currently branded as a tropical beach destination with strong and vibrant culture. Rebranding efforts will focus on Mexico’s various tourist destinations, each that offer a unique blend of cultural attributes and tropical beach landscape. • Many potential travelers have safety concerns about Mexico centering on drug-related violence.[iv] • Most of Mexico’s cultural attractions and beach resorts are located in areas that have significantly lower crime rates. • By placing focus on safe resort cities such as Tulum, Cozumel, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, Captive will emphasize the safety of these cities to challenge people’s perceptions of violence in Mexico. Captive will brand Mexico as a destination for both relaxation and fun. Mexico is a place where consumers can relax and enjoy the warm climate and beautiful beaches as well as a destination rich in adventure and vibrant cultural experiences. Captive will brand Mexico as an all-encompassing tropical vacation. Mexico is a beach location that offers relaxation as well as adventure and culture; it has what the target audience wants. We will specifically emphasize the numerous popular tourist cities that offer relaxation, culture and adventure.

scope Captive’s campaign will use a pulsing timing strategy. This strategy allows for intensified advertising before a buying aperture and then flows to a reduced advertising effort until the aperture reopens. This allows Captive to budget Mexico’s money efficiently, as the target audience will be exposed most heavily the moment when consumers are ready to start planning vacations. As the vacation planning time frame starts to taper off, so will advertising. When the second aperture begins, there will be enough money left in the budget to reach out to the target and successfully complete Mexico’s frequency goals.

Campaign Strategy Seasonal strategies Mexico has two principal travel seasons. High season begins around December 20 and ends Easter week, reaching its peak over the New Year holiday. In some places in Mexico, high season begins as early as mid-November. Low season is when consumers are least likely to travel to Mexico, which starts the day after Easter and extends to mid-December. The high season and low season are a result of Mexico’s two climate seasons. Rainy season is from May to mid-October and dry season lasts from mid-October to April. Mexico’s low season takes places after Easter and until mid-October primarily because most visitors do not want to take their vacations during rainy season and experience poor weather. Most notable about Mexico’s rainy season is the possibility of hurricanes. Hurricane season affects the Yucatan Peninsula and the Southern Pacific coast, particularly from June through October. Therefore, the low season unattractive towards its consumers.[iv]

Timing Mexico’s campaign will begin in August, four months before the beginning of high season, to provide an adequate amount of lead time for consumers. To get the best-priced flights to Mexico, tickets must be purchased within the window of 29 to 104 days before the departure date.[v] Because of this, tourists traveling during high season in December and January will most likely be planning their trip at the end of summer. The campaign will launch in August, the prime decision-making and buying time. Mexico will revamp its campaign again in January, a few months before spring break time, which is at the end of the high season. The target will receive ads between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. during the day. Captive chose this time frame because a 2013 survey of online advertising click-through rates indicated that the afternoon is the peak time of day when individuals engage with advertisements the most.[vi] Mexico will present the most ads on Fridays, as online advertisement click-through rates are four percent higher on Fridays than any other day, according to the survey. The least amount of advertisement will occur on Wednesdays since clickthrough rates are statistically lower on this day than any other day of the week.[vi]

Geographical strategies Captive will use a heavy up geographical strategy. The majority of the target audience resides in the Southwest region of the United States (inclusive of California), indicating the primary areas for advertising focus. Captive will target those between the ages of 35-44 with an income of $75,000 or more within the Southwest region of the United States. According to Simmons 2012 data, those in the Southwest regions are more likely to travel to Hawaii when compared with the likelihood to travel to Mexico and the Caribbean. Although our target audience is not traveling to Mexico at the same rates as they are to Hawaii, we know that they are traveling, open to the idea of spending money on vacations and want choice and adventure. Therefore, Mexico will target this demographic to try to persuade them to begin planning their vacations in Mexico instead of Hawaii. While our target audience in the Southwest is more frequently traveling to Hawaii than Mexico, they are more likely to travel to Mexico than the Caribbean, according to Simmons data. This signifies to us that while Mexico may not be our target audience’s first choice, part of the target population is already traveling to Mexico. Therefore, they are open to the idea of taking a vacation in Mexico and can be influenced to switch from vacationing in Hawaii to vacationing in Mexico. Captive will buy advertising space for Mexico in the five most populated cities of the Southwest region: Pheonix, El Paso, Denver, Las Vegas and Albuquerque. The high populations of these cities will allow advertisements to reach the largest amount of potential consumers. In our heavy up geographical strategy, Captive will market Mexico in large California cities including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose.

Campaign Strategy media mix Captive will place Mexico’s media and PR efforts heavily on the Internet. According to Simmons data: • The target market is more likely to obtain news from the Internet than the national population. • The first place the target audience goes to find information is the Internet. • The target audience is 71 percent more likely to use the Internet to plan and book travel.

media type newspaper

television

radio

magazines

allocation •Captive will not allocate any of the budget to newspaper advertising. •The target audience spends less time reading print newspapers as a result of high Internet usage. •Our target market does not rely on newspapers to stay informed. •We will use the majority of Mexico’s budget on television advertising. •The target audience is more likely to watch cable primetime television compared to network television. They watch cable stations at a high percentage compared to the national population. For example, they watch USA Network 46 percent more than the national population, Bravo 56 percent more than the national population and ESPN 68 percent more than the national population. •The target audience is rarely multi-tasking while watching television and is not annoyed by television advertising. Therefore, they can be reached through television advertisements. •Captive’s radio ads for Mexico can effectively reach the target audience during morning and afternoon commutes to work. •Compared to the national average, the target audience is 17 percent more likely to listen to the radio between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. while they are only nine percent more likely to listen to the radio between the hours of 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Therefore, we will focus more of our advertising budget on morning commute radio than the afternoon/evening commute. •The target audience spends less time reading magazines compared to using the Internet and watching television. •However, while our target is not looking to magazines to stay informed, they are still reading magazines. Compared to the national population, they are 61 percent more likely to read sports magazines, 60 percent more likely to read women’s fashion magazines, 73 percent more likely to read airline and in-flight magazines and 93 percent more likely to read metropolitan and regional magazines.

Campaign Strategy Message strategy Captive’s primary objective in this campaign is to brand Mexico as an all-encompassing vacation experience that provides endless possibilities to each traveler. This message will be emphasized by highlighting the adventurous, cultural and relaxing activities Mexico offers. Advertising will focus on the use of enticing key words like “intrigue,” “wonder,” “serenity” and “exploration” to illustrate all that Mexico has to offer in the realms of adventure, culture and relaxation. Captive understands the wealth of activities Mexico offers and will ensure that the audience comes away from experiences with the campaign’s advertisements knowing this, as well. The target audience will see the numerous exhilarating activities Mexico provides, like cultural exploration and cave tours, and will feel inspired to be more adventurous. Advertisements will also highlight more common vacation activities such as the beach or spa. After seeing Captive’s ads, the target audience will realize that only Mexico offers all of the activities on their vacation to-do list and that Mexico offers a vacation that is fully customizable to their needs and desires. Our goal is for the audience to have Mexico in the back of their minds as they plan their next vacation.

creative brief The campaign must address safety concerns through advertising and value concerns through public relations efforts. In terms of safety, advertisements will exclusively focus on some of Mexico’s safest and most appealing cities. Captive will also aim to differentiate Mexico from competitors like Hawaii and the Caribbean. As a result of this advertising, the target should understand that Mexico offers numerous adventurous excursions, exciting cultural activities and relaxation. Ultimately, they should feel inspired to travel to Mexico for their next vacation. The campaign needs to communicate that Mexico offers adventure and fun not available anywhere else. The tone of the campaign will be relaxed and personable to emphasize Mexico’s value. Captive has made the strategic decision to keep Mexico’s logo, as we believe that it showcases everything we want to communicate about Mexico to the target audience. Its colors and intricate designs convey the idea of options, which is exactly what we plan to focus on in our campaign. As a slogan, we propose Endless Possibilities. We believe this slogan captures our unique selling point more than anything else could because it communicates the idea that there are limitless things to do in Mexico on vacation.

Creative Plan Rachel Caraher & Devin Lowe

Creative Plan Creative Concept Mexico’s primary unique selling proposition is that it offers numerous adventurous, cultural and relaxing activities for vacationers. Its secondary USP is that a Mexico vacation yields higher value than its competitors; to put it simply, Mexico is cheaper. The creative concept aims to encompass and advertise both adventure and culture in Mexico as well as the numerous relaxing vacation activities that first come to mind when our consumers hear the word “Mexico.” Overall, the campaign will highlight the abundance of choices in Mexico that are accessible to its travelers.

Big Idea Our big idea stems directly from Mexico’s USP and advantages: Mexico offers endless possibilities in the realms of adventure, culture and relaxation at a better value than its competitors.

Campaign THeme The slogan for this campaign will be “Endless Possibilities.” This slogan acts to highlight the many activities Mexico provides. The word “endless” conveys that there are a limitless amount of activities and attractions offered in Mexico’s destination cities. These activities range from daring adventures like zip lining and parasailing, to cultural attractions like touring the ruins in Tulum, to more relaxing activities like going to the spa or the beach. The word “possibilities” sends the message that each consumer has a variety of choices while on vacation. They may choose to participate in riskier activities or activities more commonly associated with a vacation. The word “possibilities” conveys that it is up to the consumer to choose their adventure in Mexico. To emphasize activities in the categories of adventure, culture and relaxation, advertisements across platforms will provide examples of all three activity categories, with the exception of our outdoor executions. In the print advertisements, these activities will feature corresponding secondary slogans such as “Endless Exploration,” “Endless History,” “Endless Leisure,” and more. We plan to keep the current Mexico logo because it embodies the characteristics of our campaign theme. We believe the current logo appropriately and successfully portrays Mexico as a lively and fun destination. The use of bold and bright colors ties in with our plan to emphasize the fun activities offered in Mexico, and the variety of colors in the letters also imply variety. The slogan, “Endless Possibilities,” will be added under the current logo in black or white text, depending on the background. The consistent use of the slogan, category format and aesthetic elements across platforms ensures a fully integrated creative campaign.

endless possibilities 25

Creative Plan How Will the Audience Feel? Knowing that both of our target markets appreciate having options while on vacation, we want our audience to be impressed and intrigued by the amount of options Mexico can offer them. We want to inspire them to look into Mexico for their next vacation, which is something they may not have done previously due to safety concerns.

Creative Approaches to Three Key Issues Safety Because safety is such a widespread concern for Americans and other foreigners when traveling to Mexico, we will specifically focus on marketing and advertising the safest cities in Mexico over the course of the campaign. The safest cities in Mexico are the ones that tourists visit the most often, and we will use this to our advantage. Every advertisement in the campaign will have a city name visible or spoken aloud so that we lead tourists to the safest, most secure places Mexico has to offer. Some examples of cities we will feature are Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Mexico City, Oaxaca and Cancun.

Value Our target market will spend money on experiences they deem worthwhile, but they are also value conscious and want to get the best deal available. Captive will use a playful and lighthearted tone in Mexico’s print and video advertisements, but our main area for emphasizing affordability will be in Internet ads, where we will advertise and promote travel packages and deals while also promoting our hotel, resort and airline partners.

Competition Destinations like the Caribbean and Hawaii are the Mexico’s main competitors. To differentiate Mexico from these places, advertisements will highlight the numerous choices Mexico offers to travelers, especially choices unique to Mexico. Online advertisements on travel websites will also lead consumers to information about the affordability of Mexico compared to its competitors.

Print Advertisements Rationale for print With our print ads, we wanted to frame Mexico through the lenses of the safest resort cities, especially the ones that are visually intriguing. To do this, we selected one picture for each of our activity categories: adventure, culture and relaxation. We stacked these pictures in a collage format to show that a tourist would be able to do all of the pictured activities in one city over the course of one vacation, emphasizing that the possibilities really are endless. In the bottom left in each photo, we added secondary slogans based on the images that are variations and synonyms of adventure, culture and relaxation. Because the eye reads left to write, we imagined the target audience reading the slogan and then “reading” the picture, almost creating their own Mexico story in their minds. In the bottom left corner of the ad itself, we include the city name and Mexico’s website (for example: “Discover more of Tulum at VisitMexico.com.”) This highlights safety once more and directs the audience to the website. The Mexico logo and our slogan are in the bottom right corner, the final element in the ad that our target will see.

Creative Plan

Puerto vallarta

oaxaca

endless possibilities

Creative Plan

playa del carmen

endless exploration

endless intrigue

endless leisure

endless serenity

endless ambience

endless flavor

Discover more of Playa del Carmen at VisitMexico.com.

mexico city

endless possibilities

See more of Mexico City at VisitMexico.com.

endless possibilities

Creative Plan Broadcast advertisements Rationale for radio Because radio as a medium lacks in visual potential, our goal was to use language in our radio ads that would spark visual imagery in our consumers’ minds. Through describing activities and choices in quick, imagistic sound bites, we communicate our USP in 30 seconds flat while maintaining a fun tone to highlight our secondary USP.

Radio Ad: The To-do list NATSOT: Quiet piano plinking back and forth between notes, indicating indecisiveness Wife VO: At first, we just wanted to go to the beach. Husband VO: Then she wanted somewhere she could zip line. WVO (responding to husband): Bucket list item. HVO: Then we thought about going somewhere historical. WVO: Then he wanted to snorkel, even though he’s afraid of fish. HVO (indignant): Just the big ones! WVO: Anyway. The to-do list for our next vacation kept getting longer and longer until I needed a vacation from planning our vacation! HVO: Then we found Tulum. WVO: The ruins, cave diving, local flavor, beautiful beaches… you can do everything! HVO: And we did. WVO: Mexico had everything we wanted. HVO: We can’t wait to go back to explore even more. The possibilities are endless! Female VO: Plan your next great adventure at VisitMexico.com.

Rationale for television Our television spots are where the personality of the campaign will shine through the most. TV is the best medium to convey our big idea because we can use quick cuts between numerous shots to show just how many options exist in a single Mexican resort city. The idea behind both our ads for the primary and secondary target markets is a day full of adventurous, cultural and relaxing activities, ending with a perfect Mexican sunset and priceless memories. This will emphasize choice and getting the most out of a vacation, which our busy target markets will appreciate. Value is our secondary primary selling proposition, so we did not feel compelled to stress it heavily in our print ads. However, in our TV ads, we will foster a fun, playful vibe rather than one of luxury and elegance in order to let the value element shine through. We will use the instrumental of “A Punk” by Vampire Weekend in the background of these ads.

Creative Plan primary target ad: from sunrise to sunset VO: From sunrise... NATSOT: waves crashing softly

Puerto Vallarta Video: Wife pulling husband to pre-set table on the sand VO: ...to an exotic breakfast on the beach... NATSOT: Waves crashing softly

VO: ...to the zipline ride of a lifetime... NATSOT: Husband unexpectedly screaming louder and higher-pitched than the wife

VO: ...to the best wrong turn youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever taken... NATSOT: Husband and wife laughing hysterically

Creative Plan VO: ...to a quick siesta... NATSOT: Softly faling water in spa

VO: ...to a candelit dinner on top of the world... NATSOT: Glasses clinking

Video: Pan past husband and wife over to horizon where the sun has almost set

VO: ...to sunset...

Video: Sunset fades to black VO: Mexico. Endless Possibilities.

Creative Plan secondary target ad: memories that last a lifetime VO: From sunrise... NATSOT: Waves splashing

Cancun Video: Kids jump on parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bed to wake them up VO: ...to the best kind of wake up call... NATSOT: Family laughing

VO: ...to a casual afternoon swim... NATSOT: Water splashing

Video: Close up on mom and son then zoom out as they begin parasailing VO: ...to flying high...

Creative Plan VO: ...to dinner with a view... NATSOT: Plates and glasses clinking, family talking about their day

VO: ...to sunset...

VO: ...to memories that last a lifetime... NATSOT: Kids screaming and laughing

Video: Fade to black VO: Mexico. Endless Possibilities. endless possibilities

Explore More at VisitMexico.com

Creative Plan Interactive advertisements Rationale for static Our static banner ads will look similar to our print ads in that they use multiple images to convey possibilities in adventure, culture and relaxation. Future iterations of banner and sidebar ads would highlight deals and our industry partners to showcase value and strengthen business relationships. These would be made at different times throughout the campaign in accordance with the current deals.

Rationale for Rich media Our rich media ads will primarily emphasize choice and possibility in a click-through format centering around choosing the perfect vacation tailored to the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and desires. For example, in the ad displayed [above or below], the dots marking each city would be flashing, encouraging consumers to choose a Mexican city they would like to vacation in. The screen would then flash to the activities they would like to participate in, then to what people they will bring with them. Finally, they will be presented with a custom ad tailored to them, making them feel as if they have already planned this vacation for themselves.

Creative Plan outdoor advertisements rationale for billboard Our outdoor executions will be the only advertisements in the campaign without more than one picture. Though we believe that using many pictures in the same advertisement will best showcase all of the choices Mexico provides its consumers, we know that our billboard placements will be along the highways and only seen by our target market on their commute to and from work. Therefore, we made the strategic decision to use only one striking, encapsulating image in each of our outdoor advertisements to give driving consumers less to absorb while still conveying our big idea of endlessness with the slogan and one of the secondary slogans.

Media Plan Sara Klose

Media plan Media Objectives In order to reach our target audience at the exact moment when we want them to buy and when they are ready to buy, we will implement a thoroughly planned and executed media plan. The main objective of our media plan is to push our advertisements through the right channels where we can ultimately persuade our target audience to plan a Mexico vacation. We will accomplish this by placing advertisements in and on media channels where our target audience is most receptive and paying the most attention. In this campaign, Captive will aim to obtain a moderate reach with a high frequency. We will aim for moderate reach because although we are using a heavy-up geographical approach, the Southwest is a large region of the U.S. Therefore, we want our media buys to reach all people within our target market in that area. We will implement a high frequency strategy because as we rebrand Mexico, we want to continually introduce to our consumers all that is available, building excitement to ultimately increase travel. In order to ensure the success of our media plan, we will rely on our public relations efforts while our media buys are low to keep our brand relevant and on our targetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind.

Media Aperture Moment To effectively reach our target audience at the exact moment they are ready to buy, we will use a pulsing timing strategy. We know that Mexico has two high seasons, and we want to make sure we reach our target audience for both, allowing for an effective amount of lead time. This strategy allows for intensified advertising before a buying aperture and then flows to a reduced advertising effort until the aperture reopens. This allows us to budget our money efficiently, as the target audience will be exposed most heavily the moment when consumers are starting to plan vacations. As the vacation-planning time frame starts to taper off, so our will advertising. When the second aperture begins, there will be enough money left in the budget to reach out to the target and successfully complete our frequency goals.

Campaign Duration impact media flow chart Super Bowl

Outdoor 6

Monday Night Football

NFL Playoffs 1 Targeted Sites 4 4

Keywords 4

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

January

4 February

November December

Media plan non-impact media flow chart media categories grps DEC jan feb mar apr may jun jul aug sep oct nov total cable television primetime

471

177

126

698

1068

98 100

100

1608

spot radio evening drive

854

sum total

3533

network television primetime network television sports nationall magazines general interest spot cable television primetime spot network primetime spot radio morning drive

3533

Mexico’s principal travel season, considered its high season, begins around December 20 and ends Easter week, reaching its peak over the New Year holiday. Low season is when consumers are least likely to travel to Mexico, and it starts the day after Easter and extends to mid-December.[i] The high season and low season are a result of Mexico’s two-climate seasons. Dry season is from mid-October to April, and rainy season is from May to mid-October. Mexico’s rainy season sets off the low season primarily because most travelers do not want to vacation in poor weather. Most notable about Mexico’s rainy season is the possibility of hurricanes that greatly affect the Yucatan Peninsula and the Southern pacific coast from June through the beginning of October.[i] Therefore, Mexico’s low season is relatively unattractive to consumers and we will not advertise heavily during that period. Taking that all into consideration, our campaign will begin in August, four months before the beginning of high season, to provide our target an adequate amount of lead-time. In order to get to Mexico, our target will have to fly. To get the best-priced flights to Mexico, tickets must be purchased within the window of 29 to 104 days before the departure date.[ii] Because of this public information, tourists traveling during high season for winter break will most likely be planning their trip at the end of summer. Therefore, the campaign will launch in August, the prime decision-making and buying time. Toward the end of November and beginning of December, we will begin to taper off our advertising efforts and rely on PR in order to make sure we have ample advertisements ready for the second buying aperture. We will revamp Mexico’s campaign again in January, a few months before spring break time, which is at the end of the high season.

Media plan While our media efforts are light in the months of July and the beginning of August, Captive will rely on PR to continue to inform our target audience and keep them thinking about planning a vacation to Mexico. The “Endless Possibilities” Pinterest contest will take place from May to August, during one of our low aperture points. During the summer, many people begin to fantasize and begin thinking about the possibility of taking a vacation during the upcoming year. In order to help complement our media buying efforts, we will use this PR execution in order to get our target to begin thinking about traveling to Mexico. Also, during our other low aperture period, the end of November to the beginning of January, our PR campaign will launch the “Capture Mexico” GoPro Partnership contest. During the holiday time when people are typically shopping and while our media efforts are low, we can remain at the forefront of our target audience’s mind, encouraging them to participate and think about planning their spring break trip to Mexico before the heavy aperture period reopens. Our campaign will place heavy emphasis on traditional impact and non-impact advertising at the beginning of the week because this is when airfare sales tend to be the cheapest. According to economist Makoto Watanabe, the best time to buy an airline ticket is eight weeks before your flight, and the best day of week is Wednesday night between the hours of 12 AM to 1 AM.[iii] This is due to the fact that most airlines get rid of their unbooked, lower-fare reservations and make them available to the general public. We want to ensure that our target audience is exposed to our advertisements when airline prices are the cheapest so they are motivated to buy the necessary tickets upon seeing our advertisements. Since our target audience looks to the Internet as their main source of information (according to Simmons 2012 data), and is 71 percent more likely to use the Internet to plan and book travel than the national average, we will approach online and interactive media differently in order to ensure that we are reaching our target audience at the best aperture moments. Our campaign will present the most online and interactive ads on Fridays, as online advertisement click-through rates are four percent higher on Fridays than any other day of the week. The least amount of advertisements will occur on Wednesdays since click-through rates are statistically lower on this day than any other day of the week. Even further, our target will receive most online and interactive ads during the day between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. because the afternoon is the peak time of day when individuals engage with online advertising the most. [iv]

Geographical Approach Our target market is comprised of adults between the ages of 35-44 with an income of $75,000 or more residing in the Southwest region of the United States. Therefore, we will use a heavy-up geographical approach when implementing our media plan. According to Simmons 2012 data, those in the Southwest regions are more likely to travel to Hawaii than Mexico and the Caribbean. Although our target audience is not traveling to Mexico at the same rates as they are to Hawaii, we know that they are traveling and are open to the idea of spending money on vacations. Therefore, Mexico will target this demographic and try to persuade them to begin planning their vacations in Mexico instead of Hawaii. Our campaign will primarily sell in the five most populated cities of the Southwest region: Phoenix, El Paso, Denver, Las Vegas and Albuquerque. The high populations of these cities will give our campaign and media plan the greatest chance in reaching our potential consumers. While California is not traditionally part of the Southwest, we have chosen to include it in our geographical strategy because the attitudes, opinions and media habits of the people living in this state are very similar to the rest of the Southwest. Therefore, we will also advertise in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose.

Media plan Budget Allocation In order to ensure we are reaching our target audience through media channels where we are most likely to grab their attention, we will implement a mix of impact and non-impact media in both national and spot channels, incorporating television, print and radio. We will also use interactive and online media to further our customized media objectives. Our $60,0000,000 budget will be divided the following way:

Total budget $60,000,000.00

Media categories Super Bowl

total spent $59,258,250.00

Remainder left for interactive $741,750.00

cost per unit

units x month

total

$2,968,800

2,968,800

$35,000

$1,260,000

Monday Night Football

$1,141,850

$2,283,700

NFL Playoffs

$1,141,850

Target sites

$102,375

$4,914,000

Search Engine marketing

$29,250

$1,404,000

Outdoor

Sum Total

$13,972,350

Non-Impact Media budget allocation media categories

cpp total

% allocation

$ allocation

grps

Cable Television Primetime

$19,227

20%

$9,057,180

network television primetime

$33,103

$2,264,295

Network television sports

$38,377

15%

$6,792,885

177

national magazines general interest

$64,733

18%

$8,151,462

126

spot cable television primeitme

$12,324

19%

$8,604,321

698

spot network television primetime

$32,066

$2,264,295

spot radio morning drive

$4,240

10%

$4,528,590

1068

spot radio evening drive

$4,240

$3,622,872

854

sum total

100%

471 68

$45,285,900 3,533

Media plan Non-Impact Traditional Media budget allocation When looking at non-impact traditional media, we decided to allocate our budget through both national and spot channels due to our heavy-up geographical approach of focusing on the Southwest. After interpreting Simmons 2012 data, we found that our target audience is watching more primetime television, compared to early evening fringe and late fringe television. Also, compared to the national average, our target audience is watching more cable television compared to network television. Although we discovered our target audience is watching cable television at much higher rates than network television, we were able to uncover that our target is watching network television sports channels at very high rates. We were able to determine our television budget allocation by using Simmons 2012 data. We found that our target audience is watching cable programs at much higher rates than network programs. For example, compared to the national average our target audience is 17 percent more likely to watch Bravo, 22 percent more likely to watch HBO, 25 percent more likely to watch ESPN and 46 percent more likely to watch USA.When looking at network television programs and compared to the national average, our target is only 3 percent more likely to watch CBS, 8 percent more likely to watch ABC and 10 percent more likely to watch NBC. We allocated a significant percentage of our budget toward network sports because we discovered in the research process that our target is highly interested in football. We saw football as the perfect opportunity to reach out consumers because football season takes place over the same time frame as our campaign. Though ESPN is a cable channel, a lot of college and professional football games, pregame shows, postgame shows and sports news coverage are aired on network channels. Thus, we decided to allocate 15 percent of our budget toward sports network channels. When considering print media, we found through Simmons psychographic analysis that our target audience does not look to newspapers for information or for entertainment. As a result, we will not allocate any of our media budget toward newspapers. In regard to magazines, we discovered through Simmons 2012 data that even though our target is not looking to magazines for news and information, they are reading general interest magazines at very high percentages. We found that compared to the national average, our target audience is 30 percent more likely to read entertainment magazines, 60 percent more likely to read womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fashion and beauty magazines, 61 percent more likely to read sports magazines and 73 percent more likely to read airline and inflight magazines. Taking this all into consideration, 18 percent of our media budget will be devoted to national general interest magazines. We will also make sure to place advertisements in airline and inflight magazines because our target audience is reading them 73 percent more than the national average, and as of now they are more likely to take a trip to Hawaii. We want to capture their attention while they are reading about flights and vacations and encourage them to plan their next trip to Mexico. Using Simmons 2012 data, we found that our target audience is 164 percent more likely (with an index of 264) than the national average to work at a Fortune 500 company and to own two or more cars. Therefore, we came to the conclusion that they will be commuting to work every morning and from work every evening. In order to capture their attention during times we know they are not home watching TV, reading a magazine or browsing the Internet, we decided to allocate 18 percent of our media budget toward spot radio. We found through Simmons that compared to the national average, our target is 17 percent more likely to listen to the radio between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. compared to only being nine percent more likely to listen to the radio between the hours of 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. As a result, we decided to focus more of our budget on spot radio during the morning commute versus spot radio during the evening commute.

Media plan Impact Traditional Media Our media plan will allocate $13,972,250 of our $60,000,000 budget towards impact traditional media. Our impact traditional media spending is as follows:

media categories Super Bowl Outdoor/Billboards Monday Night Football NFL Playoffs Target Sites Search Engine

units per month 1 36 2 1 48 48

cost $2,968,800 $1,260,000 $2,283,700 $1,141,850 $4,914,000 $1,404,000

Of that $13,972,250, $6,394,350 will be allocated towards major football events like Monday Night Football, the NFL Playoffs and the Super Bowl. We believe that this amount of money would allow us to reach a great majority of our target audience because of their high interest in football. According to Simmons data, 58 percent of our target audience watches the NFL Network, 68 percent of them watch ESPN Monday Night Football and 39 percent of them say they plan to watch the NFL Super Bowl the next time it is on. Captive will buy two units of Monday Night Football during the month of October. October is right in the middle of our first buying aperture, therefore making it a very suitable channel and time to reach our target audience. Next, we will buy one unit during the opening of the NFL Playoffs because games begin January 13, the same time we plan to begin our second buying aperture. And finally, we will buy one Super Bowl ad because of our target’s interest in football, the percentage of them who plan to watch it the next time it is on and because it will air on February 1, right in the middle of our second buying aperture. Captive will allocate $1,260,000 of its media budget to outdoor billboards. Since we are targeting the Southwest and are planning on primarily selling in the Southwest’s most populated cities, we will buy six months of outdoor billboard placement in our six most populated spot markets: Phoenix, El Paso, Denver, Las Vegas, Albuquerque and Los Angeles. These six cities are among the Southwest’s most populated cities; therefore, by placing ads in these city centers, we have the highest chance of reaching the greatest amount of our target audience. Also, since we know that our target audience is commuting to work every morning and every evening, outdoor billboards will give us another chance to reach them while they are out of their homes. As mentioned before, according to Simmons 2012 data, our target audience looks to the Internet for information and news more than any other form of media. Additionally, compared to the national average, our target is 71 percent more likely to use the Internet to book their travel arrangements. Because of these insights, we will devote $1,404,000 of our budget to search engine marketing (SEM) and $4,914,000 to targeted sites. For our SEM, we plan on buying space on four search engines for 12 months. For our targeted sites, Captive will buy four targeted sites for 12 months. For example, we will have banner ads on TripAdvisor highlighting our partnerships with Southwest Airlines and Marriott Hotels. By maintaining an online presence during all 12 months of the year, our target audience can find information on Mexico and our campaign even when our traditional media presence has tapered off due to our pulsing strategy. Our campaign will buy the four following phrases for SEM: “Mexico Travel,” “Adventure and Culture,” “Mexico and Safety,” and “International Tropical Vacation.” We will buy “Mexico Travel” to ensure that whenever our target audience is the least bit interested in finding out what a vacation in Mexico is like, they are brought right away to our homepage or towards one of our partners’ homepages. By doing this, we can avoid any negative articles or websites they may find when researching about traveling to Mexico. We will buy the terms “Adventure and Culture” because when people are searching for a place that offers both adventure and culture, we want Mexico to be the first one that appears.

Media plan Next, we will buy the terms “Mexico and Safety,” so that if our target audience is researching the dangers in Mexico, we can intercept them and inform them all of the progress Mexico has made in protecting its tourists from any sort of crime, divert them to our hotel partnership pages and encourage them to plan their next trip with us. And finally, we decided to buy the term “International Tropical Vacation” because when people are thinking of international travel, they mainly think of Europe or some faraway destination. We want to let our target audience know that a fun international tropical vacation is much closer than they think. This is also an attempt to get people to start thinking about taking a vacation to Mexico first before they decide to plan a vacation in another destination. When typing in the words “Adventure and Culture” into google, the following would appear as sponsored content: Mexico Tourism Official Website, Visit Mexico and experience adventure and culture http://www.visitmexico.com Travel to Mexico, where you can experience wild adventures and the richest culture available all in one location!

Interactive Media: Based on the importance our target audience places on the Internet for information, news and entertainment, Captive will allocate $741,750 of its total budget toward interactive media. The chart below indicates when and how we plan to allocate that money:

website

thousands

cpm

number of days

cost

ESPN

3,000

$120,000

Facebook

5,000

$200,000

Carters

1,000

$15,000

TripAdvisor Rich Media

1,000

$45,000

NYTimes Rich Media

3,000

$150,000

Expedia Rich Media

1,000

$45,000

Yahoo Rich Media

3,000

$165,000

$1,750

Local Travel Agency Special Ads

total

$741,750

We will place our interactive media on news and travel websites because our target audience looks to the Internet for news information and books travel arrangements online. We want to have an online presence five days a week and a heavier presence toward the end of the week, because click-through rates are four percent higher on Fridays that any other day of the week.[vi] We want a presence on the weekends because that is when our target is leisurely using the Internet for entertainment purposes. Also, we want to have a presence on Mondays because the beginning of the workweek is when most people typically check the Internet for news stories and information. In terms of time of day, our target will receive the most ads between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. because the afternoon is the peak time of day when individuals engage with online advertising the most.[vii]

Media plan Social Media To further support our PR efforts, we will publicize our several promotional activities and partnerships through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For example, we will create sponsored tweets and posts on Twitter and send them to our target audience in the Southwest. By sending out these personalized tweets, we can create excitement and enhance participation in our contests while taking advantage of these free media channels. Also, our daily Twitter and Instagram posts will include the hashtag #EndlessPossibilities in order to create buzz about all the choices Mexico has to offer and remain integrated with the rest of our campaign.

Secondary Audience Since our secondary audience is adults ages 35-44 with an income of $75,000 or more, living in the Southwest region of the United States with one or more children, we must implement a media plan that addresses them separately and reaches them through the channels to which they are most receptive. According to Simmons 2012 data, our secondary target does more shopping on the Internet than our primary target. Compared to the national average, our secondary audience is 53 percent more likely to do their shopping on the Internet while our primary audience is 28 percent more likely. Therefore, we have allocated some of our interactive media budget toward the shopping website Carterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, the online center for the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothing store of the same name. Like our primary audience, our secondary audience is watching cable more than network television. However, the cable channels and the times of day they are watching are different. While our primary audience is mostly watching primetime television, our secondary audience is watching primetime television and late night television. Compared to the national average, our secondary target is 56 percent more likely to watch late night fringe television while our primary is only 30 percent more likely. This could be because they take the time to watch television and unwind after their children have gone to bed. When looking at primetime television habits, our secondary audience is watching cable channels like Nickelodeon, Disney XD, Cartoon Network and ABC Family. Compared to the national average, they are 58 percent more likely to watch three to five hours of Nickelodeon each day, 75 percent more likely to watch one to three hours of Disney XD each day, 56 percent more likely to watch one to three hours of Cartoon Network each day and 29 percent more likely to watch one to three hours of ABC Family each day. These cable stations are probably watched by the children in the household. Therefore, they are media channels that we can use in order to reach our secondary audience. When comparing magazine reading habits, both our primary and secondary audience are reading general interest magazines. However, unlike our primary audience, our secondary audience is more likely to read childhood and parent magazines as well as health and fitness magazines. Compared to the national average, our secondary audience is 29 percent more like to read childhood and parent magazines while our primary audience is only two percent more likely. When looking at health and fitness magazines, our secondary audience is 18 percent more likely to read magazines in that category than the national average while our primary audience is below the national average at an index of only 92. While our secondary audience and primary audience have similar media habits, they are not the same. Through different television channels and different times of days, different general interest magazines and different websites, we can properly target our secondary audience, encouraging them to take a vacation to Mexico with their children.

Public Relations Plan Meghan Bergman

Public Relations Plan Goals emphasize Mexico as a vacation getaway full of adventurous, cultural and relaxing choices and as a safe destination for tourists and stakeholders

maintain and foster relationships with stakeholders through partnerships and communication

Monitor negative opinion from media and respond in a timely manner

Public Relations Strategy Through public relations efforts and promotional activities, Captive Communications’ aim is to advance our campaign theme of “Endless Possibilities” by proving to our publics that Mexico offers a wide range of experiences while simultaneously showing that it is a safe vacation destination. Our strategy consists of multiple aspects that will work in unity to achieve our goals.

• Center public relations activities around specific cities to emphasize the safety of the individual resort cities and minmize the notion of Mexico being unsafe as a whole • Focus on the many choices in the realms of adventure, culture and relaxation Mexico has to offer through contests and events • Keep the channels of communication between media open to ensure that there is a two-way conversation of the happenings in Mexico • Partner with stakeholders in the tourism industry to foster and maintain good relationships and business partnerships • Hold press conferences for promotional events and attract media to attend them through press releases and press kits • Implement public relations devices while our media buying efforts are low to keep our brand relevant and on the minds of our audience consistently throughout the year • Minimize stakeholders’ concerns about safety in Mexico by sending them monthly updates on safety and the measures the Mexico Tourism Board are taking to ensure tourists are the safest they can be

Public opinion American travelers are primarily concerned about safety in Mexico. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in October of 2013, only 39 percent of Americans expressed a favorable opinion of Mexico while 52 percent of Americans said they had an unfavorable opinion of Mexico. These numbers changed from 2007 when 47 percent of Americans expressed a favorable opinion of Mexico and only 37 percent expressed an unfavorable opinion. [xiv] A 2012 survey of American attitudes of Mexico found that 72 percent of Americans surveyed think Mexico is unsafe for travel and 72 percent said the main reason for their hesitation was the drug cartel problem. The same survey also found that 81 percent of Americans said the news they had seen about Mexico in the past month was related to drug cartel violence. [xiii] This negative opinion of Mexico could be in part due to the media’s fixation on danger in Mexico. There are countless articles on the Internet warning travelers about safety in Mexico. However, there are a growing number of articles dispelling the worries of many about safety in Mexico. These articles emphasize that the main travel and tourist destinations are safer than some major cities in the United States and that the most dangerous parts of Mexico are near the U.S.-Mexico border. The various stakeholders of Mexico tourism including many entities in the tourism industry, the Mexican and U.S. governments, and the National Tourism Business Council have invested in Mexico tourism because they know that almost all of the resort cities are relatively free of violent crime as well as from the other weather and health concerns that are highlighted in the selected media below.

Public Relations Plan media tracking By tracking media coverage related to Mexico on the LexisNexis database, we can better understand which issues are most prominent in the media. Understanding that negative topics of violence, weather and health in Mexico are three prominent issues discussed in the media, we must focus our public relations tactics to respond to and combat these stories and show our stakeholders that Mexico is a safe place to travel.

violence

• “Mexican business sector said concerned over surge of violence” [xvi] • “Mexico’s murderous alliance of state, the army and the drug cartels; The crushing of protests by ordinary citizens follows a pattern of violence stretching back to 1968” [xvii] • “Mass killings ‘tarnish’ efforts at reform by Mexican President; Pena Nieto called to account for massacre of suspected gang members and disappearance of students” [xviii] • “Could Gang Violence End Mexico’s Shale Dream?” [xix] • “Drug lord’s arrest could lead to more violence in Mexico” [xx]

• “BRIEF: A(H1N1) not yet under control” [xxvii]

WEATHER • “Hurricane Dean Batters Caribbean, Mexico” [xxi] • “Experts warn Mexico due to another hurricane season; Hurricane experts warn Mexico” [xxii] • “Tourists flee coastal Mexico as Dean approaches; Powerful storm threatens Gulf oil production” [xxiii] • “Two Killed in Mexico As Hurricane Strikes” [xxiv] • “Recent Flooding Problems in Mexico” [xxv] health • “Swine flu fears rise in Mexico” [xxvi]

Stakeholders American Travelers Our primary target audience is very concerned about safety in Mexico, as articulated earlier. They possess adventurous qualities, enjoy taking risks and have expressed interest in activities such as water sports, playing golf and hiking. Our audience is also interested in other cultures besides their own. Through various social media contests and promotional events, we aim to emphasize the endless possibilities of adventure, culture and relaxation these people can experience while in Mexico. Strategic planning of elements of these events will also convey a message of safety in Mexico. Capture Mexico Go Pro Partnership Project The Mexico Tourism Board will partner with GoPro to host a contest encouraging people to create a video montage of their experiences and activities while in Mexico using a GoPro video camera. The Mexico Tourism Board will work with GoPro to offer a 40 percent discount for purchase of a GoPro to people who book travel to Mexico. To receive the discount, participants must simply provide proof of their booking upon purchase of the GoPro in stores only. We will implement the hashtag #CaptureMexico with the contest—integrating GoPro’s slogan “Capture + Share Your World.” Participants must upload their video to YouTube and then share it on Twitter with the hashtag #CaptureMexico. The top 10 best “Capture Mexico” video submissions, decided by the CEO of GoPro, Nick Woodman, will be displayed on the Mexico Tourism Board’s website to showcase the endless possibilities Mexico offers. The overall winner will be awarded a five-day vacation for four in his or her choice of one of three cities: Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta or Playa del Carmen.

Public Relations Plan The winner will also receive a customized “Possibility Package.” The Possibility Package will be a bundle of free activities customized to the possibility category their video montage best fits into—Adventure, Culture or Relaxation. This campaign will shift focus away from concerns about safety in Mexico because the videos will be showing Mexico in a positive light, emphasizing the incredible experiences one can have there, free of worry. Additionally, since participants will be filming their experiences in resort cities, possible consumers will be able to see through the videos that safety issues are not a large concern in the most popular Mexican destinations. The discounts will be advertised and offered throughout September and October when our media buying is high. GoPro will continue to offer the discounts throughout November and December, which is prime time for holiday shopping. We will taper off our advertising at the beginning of November and start the contest at the end of November. The contest will extend through January, which is in the middle of Mexico’s high season. The contest will generate free publicity and press during a time when our media buying is low. Endless Possibilities Pinterest Contest Participants will create a board on Pinterest titled “Endless Possibilities in Mexico” and fill it with photos of their dream vacation in one specific city highlighting various adventure opportunities, cultural experiences and relaxation in Mexico. The participants must follow the Mexico Tourism Board on Pinterest and submit their entry by email via an online entry form. Through email, we will communicate with the participants directly, updating them on the contest and sending them a daily possibility pin that they could experience in Mexico. The person whose Pinterest board we feel embodies the “Endless Possibilities” of Mexico the best will win a weeklong stay at a resort in the destination their board was based on and get to experience their choice of three of the daily possibilities they pinned for free. This contest will be implemented during the months of May through August, when our media buying is low, in order to keep Mexico on the minds of our target since they will not be seeing as many advertisements at this point in the year. Richard Sandoval Salsa-Making Contest This contest will put our target market’s salsa recipes to the test. It will emphasize a cultural aspect of Mexico by highlighting salsa as one of the many colorful and spicy tastes of Mexican cuisine and by bringing a famous Mexican chef in to the media spotlight. Richard Sandoval is an award-winning Mexican chef and restaurateur who owns many reputable restaurants across America and in Mexico. Sandoval is well known for his television appearance as a competitor on the fifth season of Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters.” [xv] There is a chance that our audience has seen him on “Top Chef Masters” since, according to Simmons 2012 data, our target audience is 17 percent more likely to watch Bravo than the national average. We will inform the public about this contest through promoted tweets sent out to people in the Southwest, where our target market resides. Participants will be required to submit their best salsa recipe on the Mexico Tourism Board website. Sandoval will review the submissions and select the five best recipes based on their potential for great taste and widespread appeal. We will fly the top five participants to Sandoval’s Mexican restaurant “La Sandia” in Santa Monica, California to make their salsas for him and compete to see who has the best recipe. The winner will be determined through a taste test by Sandoval himself. We will send out press releases to reputable media in Santa Monica and the surrounding area to invite them to view and cover the contest live. The winner of the salsa-making contest will win a five-day getaway to the Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort located 45 minutes from Puerto Vallarta and will receive a free dinner at Sandoval’s famous restaurant “Bahia,” located in the Four Seasons resort. The press release for this event contains the exact dates of the contest.

Public Relations Plan Traveling Festivals of Mexico We will bring scaled-down versions of festivals that are popular in Mexico to large convention centers in major cities of the Southwestern region of the United States like Phoenix, El Paso, Denver, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose. These pseudo-festivals will occur on the actual date that the festival occurs in Mexico. The festivals will enforce the culture aspect of our “Endless Possibilities” campaign by showing Americans the excitement of celebrations in Mexico and enabling them to experience a small taste of Mexican culture themselves. The festivals will also work to show Americans that Mexico is a safe place through each traveling festival’s overarching theme, “Celebrar Con Nosotros,” which means “celebrate with us” in Spanish. The theme communicates a reassuring message of safety in Mexico by conveying that the people of Mexico want to share their culture with Americans and welcome them into their country. Through interactions with the Mexicans at the traveling festivals, American attendees will also see that the people of Mexico are friendly and inviting, which will give them further evidence that Mexico is safe. Carnaval February 11th-17th The featured Traveling Festivals : Cinco de Mayo May 5th Diez y Seis September 16th Dia de los Muertos November 1st Dia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe December 12th The Traveling Festivals will include: • Traditional decoration and dress of the celebration • Music and dance typical of the celebration and culture in Mexico • Professional chefs preparing traditional Mexican food specific to the celebration which will then be served buffet style • Cooking lessons administered by the professional chefs teaching Americans how to make the food for themselves at home • History and background of the festival or celebration • Travel agents present and available at the Traveling Festival to book vacations for consumers desiring to do so The Traveling Festivals will be advertised on the Mexico Tourism Board’s website as well as promoted on various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Information on the Festivals will also be sent out to the email list collected from the “Endless Possibilities” Pinterest Contest.

Cruise Industry Major cruise lines like Carnival and Disney Cruise Lines offer cruises to various parts of Mexico. Mexico is finally becoming a popular cruise destination again after many major cruise lines stopped going to Mazatlan in 2010 due to crime near the ports. [ii] Carnival recently announced they will be taking year-round cruises to the Mexican Riviera. [i] The Carnival Miracle will now visit Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. The Disney Cruises also recently announced that their cruises will return to Baja in the fall of 2015. [ii] In order to manage public opinion on safety of Mexico and ensure cruisers they are stepping on safe grounds as they leave their ships, we will host Welcome Fiestas at the ports. Each Welcome Fiesta will be comprised of elements specific to the city the port is in. During the Welcome Fiesta, we will provide each cruise family with a care package complete with bottled water, Mexican candy, a map of the city they docked at and a list of attractions for them to see while in that city. Mazatlan Welcome Fiesta The Welcome Fiesta at Mazatlan will be reminiscent of the famous Carnaval celebration of Mexico, the largest of which happens to be in Mazatlan. [iii] Cruisers will experience music and dance that is typical of a Carnaval celebration when they step off the ship. Locals wearing traditional masks and masquerade outfits will greet them. Locals will also toss around confetti-filled eggshells known as cascarones to portray the usual thrilling atmosphere of Carnaval. [iii] Cruisers will be offered their care packages described above at this time.

Public Relations Plan Hotel Industry The hotel industry in Mexico has a large stake in Mexican tourism. The perceived safety of Mexico plays a large role in tourists’ decisions to travel to Mexico, which also affects their decisions to make hotel reservations. For example, recent violent protests in Acapulco have led people to cancel hotel reservations there, decreasing the city’s expected hotel occupancy rate at this point in the year by 65 percentage points. [iv] Marriott International is rapidly expanding in Mexico, with Courtyard having the largest presence in Mexico out of all the brands within the company. Courtyard recently opened its tenth hotel in Mexico. [v] InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is currently the largest hotel company in Mexico, and paired with Grupo Presidente (a hotel management and ownership company in Mexico), they boast 11 hotels and resorts across Mexico under IHG’s Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn brands. The partnership is currently working to create more hotels and resort destinations across Mexico. [vi] These hotel companies, like many others, are expanding their portfolios across Mexico and serve business and vacation guests year round, so their stake in the Mexican tourism industry is high. Partnership with Marriott International Travelers who reserve a hotel room at any Marriott in Mexico will be offered a special deal upon booking their hotel. We will provide the option for them to upgrade to the “Possibility Package” for a small cost which will be mutually determined by the Mexico Tourism Board and Marriott International. Depending on the location of the Marriott, the package will include a free adventure for each visitor (zip lining, parasailing, whale watching, cliff diving, etc.), a free trip to a spa for each visitor and a pass to the nearest cultural destination or museum for each visitor. The “Possibility Package” will let visitors see and experience the many choices of activities Mexico has to offer while they are there. This will be an exclusive deal that travelers can only get when staying at a Marriott hotel or resort. Hotel Safety and Staff Education We will hold training sessions for hotel staff of the Marriott hotels and others to educate them on how to make guests feel as safe and welcome as possible during their stay in Mexico. During these sessions we will provide the staff with answers to frequently asked questions by guests, recommendations for attractions and restaurants, and general behavior guidelines to portray a warm and friendly personality. We will also give guests a survey to fill out upon checkout that asks them to rate how safe and welcome they felt during their stay. We will use these surveys to monitor public opinion of safety in the area of each prospective hotel.

Airline Industry Many airlines are adding more flights to Mexico. Southwest Airlines is taking over routes of AirTran Airways to Mexico, which include routes from Atlanta to Cancun, Baltimore to Cancun, and Orange County to Cabo San Lucas, along with a weekly flight from Milwaukee to Cancun. [vii] Southwest expressed interest in expanding flights to even more areas of Mexico in the next year, like Puerto Vallarta, and is excited to offer this to their customers. [viii] JetBlue is yet another airline looking to expand its business in Mexico, which is evident in their request to the U.S. Department of Transportation to add two routes to Mexico City from Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. [ix] When searching for flights to Mexico on travel booking websites such as Expedia.com, American Airlines, Delta and United seem to dominate the sphere. Southwest Airlines Reward System Since Southwest Airlines is taking the initiative to add more routes to Mexico and our target resides in the Southwestern region of the United States, we will create and maintain a relationship with Southwest Airlines through a rewards system for our consumers. A person will be rewarded double points on his or her Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card for every trip he or she takes to Mexico. We will, in return, advertise Southwest as the airline travelers should use to travel to Mexico on the Mexico Tourism Board website.

Public Relations Plan United States Government The U.S. Department of State monitors the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. Millions of Americans are affected directly by the relationship the U.S. has with Mexico regarding migration, drug control, trade, and even travel. Mexico is also the United States’ “second-largest export market and third-largest trading partner.” [xi] The U.S. Department of State is obligated to inform Americans of safety when traveling to Mexico through frequent travel warnings. While these travel warnings are true and accurate, the way they are written places a heavier emphasis on dangerous areas in Mexico instead of the fact that the common travel destinations are safe. [xii] Communication Between U.S. Department of State and Mexico Secretary of Tourism We will coordinate monthly meetings with the U.S. Department of State and the Mexico Secretary of Tourism along with the Mexico Tourism Board to discuss key safety issues of and show that Mexico is working toward making the country safer as a whole. The meetings will also be an opportunity for Mexico’s representatives to further impress upon the U.S. Department of State that resort and tourist cities in Mexico are safe and secure. Through these meetings, the U.S. Department of State will be reassured that Mexico is a safe place to travel to and in turn, will communicate that to American citizens.

The Mexican Government and National Tourism Business Council The Mexican government is a large stakeholder in the Mexican tourism industry. According to the Banamex Unit of Citigroup Inc., tourism is Mexico’s fifth source of foreign revenue. Last year’s tourism success resulted in 24 million international visitors. In total, tourism creates $12.7 billion in incoming foreign economic activity. [xxix] The National Tourism Business Council represents 96 percent of the Mexican tourism industry and is providing investment funds for new projects including hotel chains, restaurants, community services, airports and various tourist attractions like theme parks. [xxviii] Various sectors of the Mexican government and the National Tourism Business Council deserve to be informed about the work the Mexico Tourism Board does to improve the tourism industry in Mexico. We will send monthly updates to each government department and the Council about our campaign and its objectives. We will also include statistics on public opinion of Mexican tourism and safety in Mexico that we gather from media tracking and from our online anonymous survey, which is explained in further detail in the Media Relations Strategy.

Media Relations Strategy and Media Vehicle Selection The media is a major influencer when it comes to public opinion of safety in Mexico, and it can be a major antagonist to our campaign. In order to combat the media’s fixation on negative events in Mexico and encourage positive coverage of tourism in Mexico, our public relations media strategy will complement our promotional events and partnerships with stakeholders. We will use a pulsing timing strategy with our media buying and implement public relations efforts when media buying is low, as explained in further detail in our Media Plan. We will focus our public relations efforts and promotions heavily beginning at the end of November and extending through January, and again from April to August. We will use a mix of impact and non-impact media in both national and spot channels, incorporating television, print and radio. We will also use interactive and online media to further our customized media objectives. Our heavy-up geographical approach will allow us to more efficiently target media in the Southwestern region of the United States. The media diet of our target audience primarily consists of cable television, general interest magazines and local radio shows during their morning commute. We will send many press releases and press kits to these types of media outlets in the Southwestern region for our events and promotions. We will also monitor these media outlets for negative and positive coverage of Mexico and then issue responses accordingly. To foster strong relationships with the press, we will invite prominent print and broadcast media outlets as well as online news outlets in the Southwest to attend various press conferences we hold for our events and promotions.

Public Relations Plan We will publicize our promotional activities and partnerships through many media vehicles. By targeting sports, entertainment, fashion and beauty outlets as well as inflight magazines and local radio stations in the Southwest for free press, we will increase the likelihood that our messages will reach our target audience. We will also focus on the websites we are buying advertisements on such as ESPN, Facebook, TripAdvisor, Expedia and Yahoo. Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram will be the main media platforms on which we promote our contests. Through promoted tweets and advertisements bought on Facebook targeted at people in the Southwest as well as tweets and posts composed by the Mexico Tourism Board, we will create excitement and generate participation in our contests. Our daily Twitter and Instagram posts not related to any contest will always include the hashtag #EndlessPossibilities to remain consistent with our campaign theme and create buzz about the many possibilities and choices Mexico has to offer. These social media outlets will also be used to discuss the topic of safety in Mexico with consumers.

Mexico Tourism Board Website We will use the Mexico Tourism Board’s website to post monthly updates on safety to inform our stakeholders. There will also be a tab on the website where all press releases pertaining to safety, new partnerships and recent events can be accessed. In order to gauge opinion on traveling to Mexico, we will create an anonymous survey displayed on the main page of the Mexico Tourism Board website for past, present and future travelers to fill out based on their opinions of and experiences in Mexico. The Mexico Tourism Board website will also feature a 24-hour “help” chat box where someone will be available to answer any questions or address any concerns a consumer might have. A telephone number for a 24/7 help line will also be available near the chat box.

Travel Blogger Conference Travel bloggers are also a major influencer when it comes to public opinion of Mexico. To foster relationships with prominent travel bloggers on the Internet, we will also host a travel blogger conference in July in Puerto Vallarta. We will invite prominent travel bloggers from all over the country to attend. At the conference we will address the issue of perceived danger in Mexico and give bloggers concrete statistics on safety in Mexico so they can report back to their followers. We will also announce the various public relations efforts of our campaign explained above at this conference. The bloggers will have a chance to interact with one another and personally talk to the Mexico Secretary of Tourism as well as members of the Mexico Tourism Board. In turn, this interaction will create a feeling of friendliness and trust. The bloggers will generate word-of-mouth buzz marketing for us as an effect of this conference at the exact time when people are thinking about booking an international vacation.

Public Relations Plan Budget Activity / Event Capture Mexico GoPro Partnership Project

Endless Possibilities Pinterest Contest

Richard Sandoval Salsa-Making Contest

Traveling Festivals of Mexico Cruise Welcome Fiesta Partnership with Marriott International Travel Blogger Conference Promoted Tweets

Details Cost •40 percent discount per GoPro camera (2000 offered) •Five-day vacation for family of four $185,300 •Activities for “Possibility Package” •Press kits •Media relations •One-week stay at resort •Three activities $52,000 •Buzz marketing •Sandoval as spokesperson •Five flights to California •Five-day vacation at Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort $783,350 •Dinner at Bahia •Press kits •Media relations •One festival •Event marketing $1,580,000 per festival •Press kits •Media relations •Care package materials (water, brochures) $4,000 per port city fiesta •Materials for event •Activities for “Possibility Package” upgrade (2000 upgrades offered) •Press kits •Media relations •Press kits •Event marketing •Conference •Campaign startup •Cost per tweet engagement

$1,280,000

$2,530,000 $30,000

Press Kit Backgrounder The Mexico Tourism Board was established in 1999 to promote Mexico’s diverse tourist attractions. It is designed to control different governments and private agents in the tourism sector and is comprised of federal and state governments, municipalities and private tourist attractions. The Mexico Tourism Board has numerous locations around the world including the United State, Canada, Italy, Chile, Argentina, England, France, Germany and Spain. The Board has seen large success over the years after rebranding their campaign to highlight Mexico’s exclusive and luxurious elements.

Public Relations Plan

Tourism Board Fact Sheet CEO:

Rodolfo Lopez Negrete

Established:

1999

Website:

visitmexico.com

Headquarters:

Viaducto Miguel Aleman No. 105 Col. Escandon Delg. Miguel Hidalgo Ciudad de Mexico, DF 11800 Mexico

U.S. Offices:

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington D.C.

Worldwide Offices:

Canada, Chile, Argentina, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain

Mission:

“Position Mexico fully and competitively as a tourism destination in the national and international markets, emphasizing the diversity of what is offered and the quality services.” 1. To increase the Mexican presence in the main markets that generate tourists and foreign currencies

Main Objectives:

2. To develop integral promotion campaigns that position the country’s tourist products and attractions 3. To encourage different government and private agents of the sector to participate in planning, executing and evaluating tourist promotion 4. To increase the promotional efforts aimed towards different actors who benefit from the country’s tourist activity 5. To provide total quality in integral promotion services

Public Relations Plan

media contact list

richard sandoval salsa-making contest Print Contacts

Television Contacts

Santa Monica Daily Press Matthew Hall Editor-in-Chief editor@smdp.com 310-573-8350

NBC4 Los Angeles Adrian Arambulo Co-Anchor, Reporter @AdrianNBCLA

Los Angeles Times Catherine Hamm Travel Editor catharine.hamm@latimes.com New York Times Steven McElroy Contributor stevenm@nytimes.com Washington Post Steven Petrow Civilities Columnist smacias@mww.com Food Network Magazine Editorial Offices FNMeditor@hearst.com

ABC7 Los Angeles Public Affairs publicaffairs@myabc7.com KTLA 5 Gayle Anderson Reporter (323) 460-5500

Radio Contacts KAMP FM 97.1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amp Radioâ&#x20AC;? Carson Daly Talk Show Host on Mornings with Carson Daly (877) 971-HITS KIIS FM 102.7 (818) 559-2252 KFI AM 640 Chris Little KFI News Director (818) 566-6397 STAR FM 94.1 John Peake Program Director (858) 715-3199

Public Relations Plan FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 10, 2014

Contact: Meghan Bergman, PR Director Captive Communications bergman@captive.com

The Mexico Tourism Board Presents the Richard Sandoval Salsa-‐Making Contest

SANTA MONICA, Calif.—The Mexico Tourism Board is excited to announce that the Richard Sandoval Salsa-‐Making Contest will kick off in September 2015. In this competition, participants will be challenged to submit their best salsa recipe for a chance to win a five-‐ day getaway to Nayarit. Richard Sandoval, the renowned Mexican chef and owner of Richard Sandoval Restaurants, will serve as the judge to determine the best, most flavorful salsa in the contest. Sandoval owns 35 restaurants across the world and is best known for his television appearance as a competitor on the fifth season of Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters.” As a Mexico City native, he brings authentic flavors and creations to the table. “This is a great opportunity to shed light on Mexican tradition. I am thrilled to partner with the Mexico Tourism Board to engage Americans in the Mexican culture and cuisine that I am so passionate about,” Sandoval said. Participants will have one month to submit their salsa recipes. Sandoval will then review the submissions and choose the five most compelling recipes that will be put to the final test in the kitchen of his famous La Sandia restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif. The Mexico Tourism Board will fly the five chosen participants to the restaurant where they will compete head-‐to-‐head in creating their salsas. Sandoval will be the final taste-‐tester and judge of the winner. The participants will be competing to win a five-‐day vacation at the beautiful Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort in Nayarit, complete with a dining experience at Sandoval’s famous restaurant called Bahia, which is located at the resort. This contest is part of the Mexico Tourism Board’s “Endless Possibilities” campaign. The campaign aims to shed light on the limitless opportunities to experience adventure, culture, and relaxation in Mexico. Through the contest, the Board will highlight a cultural aspect of Mexico by showcasing salsa as one of the many colorful and spicy tastes of Mexican cuisine. The contest will begin September 1, 2015. Preliminary recipe judging will be held on October 1, 2015, and the final competition will be on November 15, 2015. The press conference announcing the event will be held August 1, 2015. All media are invited to attend the final competition in Santa Monica as well as the press conference free of charge. ###

Public Relations Plan FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 10, 2014

Contact: Meghan Bergman, PR Director Captive Communications bergman@captive.com

Southwest Airlines and The Mexico Tourism Board Create Partnership DALLAS—The Mexico Tourism Board teamed up with Southwest Airlines earlier this week to create a new rewards system, which will give double the Southwest Rapid Rewards points to each person who uses Southwest to fly to Mexico. Southwest recently announced that they will be taking over routes of AirTran Airways to Mexico. The new routes include Atlanta to Cancun, Baltimore to Cancun, and Orange County to Cabo San Lucas, along with a weekly flight from Milwaukee to Cancun. Southwest also expressed interest in further expanding flights to even more areas of Mexico, like Puerto Vallarta, in the next year. By partnering with Southwest Airlines, the Mexico Tourism Board will support Southwest’s initiative to expand in to Mexico by rewarding people who fly to Mexico twice as many points as they would earn from flying anywhere in the U.S. and the Caribbean. “We are excited to be growing our business in Mexico and even more excited to partner with the Mexico Tourism Board,” said Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest. “This rewards system is very advantageous to our customers and we believe it will draw travelers to Mexico, which has an incredible amount to offer.” Through increased rewards and a greater incentive to travel to Mexico with Southwest, the Mexico Tourism Board hopes to see increased travel and tourism in Mexico. The Mexico Tourism Board aims to communicate to the public that Mexico is a popular and safe place to travel, since Southwest is rewarding customers to do so. With the support of a reputable airline like Southwest, the Board believes that Mexico’s reputation will be bolstered. “Southwest’s addition of four new routes to vacation destinations in Mexico is perfectly in line with our campaign message that individual resort cities are safe for travel,” said Rodolfo Lopez Negrete, CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board. “We had no hesitation when it came to partnering with them so we can further instill in our customers’ minds that Mexico tourism is safe.” The new rewards system will go into effect January 1, 2015. Captive and the Board will be holding a press conference December 20, 2014. All media are invited to attend free of charge. ###

Sources

Sources ***All data collected from Simmons OneView is attributed with information.

SITUATION ANALYSIS [i] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [ii] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [iii] World Travel and Tourism Council. (2014). Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2014 Mexico. [iv] ITB Berlin. (2013). ITB World Travel Trends Report 2013/2014. Retrieved from http://www.itb-berlin.de/media/itb/itb_media/ itb_pdf/WTTR_Report_2014_Web.pdf [v] ITB Berlin. (2013). ITB World Travel Trends Report 2013/2014. Retrieved from http://www.itb-berlin.de/media/itb/itb_media/ itb_pdf/WTTR_Report_2014_Web.pdf [vi] ITB Berlin. (2013). ITB World Travel Trends Report 2013/2014. Retrieved from http://www.itb-berlin.de/media/itb/itb_media/ itb_pdf/WTTR_Report_2014_Web.pdf [vii] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [viii] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [ix] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [x] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xi] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xii] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xiii] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xiv] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xv] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xvi] World Economic Forum. (2013). The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013. Retrieved from http://www3.weforum. org/docs/WEF_TT_Competitiveness_Report_2013.pdf [xvii] World Economic Forum. (2013). The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013. Retrieved from http://www3.weforum. org/docs/WEF_TT_Competitiveness_Report_2013.pdf [xviii] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xix] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xx] Business Monitor International. (2014). Mexico Tourism Report. [xxi] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xxii] Mexico Tourism Board (vistitmexico.com) [xxiii] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xxiv] Mintel. (2010). Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010. [xxvi] Business Monitor International. (2014). Mexico Tourism Report. [xxvii] CNN. (2014) As dangerousâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and as safeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as ever. http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/09/world/americas/mexico-security/ [xxviii] Hawaii Tourism Conference. (2014). Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau. Retrieved from http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/default/assets/File/HVCB_FINAL-v2.pdf

[xxix] Hawaii Tourism Conference. (2014). Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau. Retrieved from http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/default/assets/File/HVCB_FINAL-v2.pdf [xxx] Hawaii Tourism Conference. (2014). Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau. Retrieved from http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/default/assets/File/HVCB_FINAL-v2.pdf [xxxi] Karagiannis, N., & Madjd-Sadjadi, Z. (2012). Crime, criminal activity and tourism performance: issues from the Caribbean.

Sources [xxxii] Karagiannis, N., & Madjd-Sadjadi, Z. (2012). Crime, criminal activity and tourism performance: issues from the Caribbean. [xxxiii] Cohen, G. (n.d.). Caribbean Tourism Trends | USA Today. Retrieved from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/caribbean-tourism-trends-17985.html [xxxiv] Cohen, G. (n.d.). Caribbean Tourism Trends | USA Today. Retrieved from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/caribbean-tourism-trends-17985.html [xxxv] Kiesnoski, K. (2010, October 8). Upbeat Messages at TW Mexico City Leadership Forum. Retrieved from http:// www.travelweekly.com/Mexico-Travel/Upbeat-messages-at-TW-Mexico-City-Leadership-Forum/?a=mexico [xxxvi] Elliott, S. (2011, November 2). Trying to Alter Perceptions, Mexico Uses Candid Chitchat. Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/business/media/to-alter-perceptions-mexico-uses-candid-chitchat. html?_r=0 [xxxvii] Twiss, J. (2103, November 6). Mexico Tourism Board Shows of its Cities. Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://mediaincanada.com/2013/11/06/mexico-tourism-board-shows-off-its-cities/ [xxxviii] Weissmann, A. (2013, August 1). ‘Mexico, Live It to Believe It’ Campaign to Launch. Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://www.travelweekly.com/Mexico-Travel/Mexico-Live-It-to-Believe-It-campaign-to-launch/ [xxxix] Weissmann, A. (2013, August 1). ‘Mexico, Live It to Believe It’ Campaign to Launch. Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://www.travelweekly.com/Mexico-Travel/Mexico-Live-It-to-Believe-It-campaign-to-launch/ [xl] Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau. (2014, August 28). Retrieved October 15, 2014, from [xli] Mexico Unveils “Live It To Believe It” Campaign at the Tower of London - The Yucatan Times. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2013/11/mexico-unveils-live-it-to-believe-it-campaign-at-the-tower-of-london/ [xlii] The Mexico Tourism Board Launches New Advertising Campaign “Live It to Believe It”|CIIC News.(n.d.).Retrieved from http://www.ciicnews.com/ciic-blog/live-it-to-believe-it-mexico-tourismboardadvertising-campaign [xliii] Mexico Unveils “Live It To Believe It” Campaign at the Tower of London - The Yucatan Times. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2013/11/mexico-unveils-live-it-to-believe-it-campaign-at-the-tower-of-london/ [xlvii] Americans’ views of Mexico, Canada diverge as Obama attends ‘Three Amigos’ summit | Pew Research Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/02/19/americans-views-of-mexico-canada-diverge-as-obama-attendsthree-amigos-summit/ [xlviii] Castillo, M. (2013, June 9). Mexico: As dangerous -- and safe -- as ever - CNN.com. Retrieved from http://www.cnn. com/2013/06/09/world/americas/mexico-security/ [xlix] Linthicum, K. (n.d.). LA Times. Retrieved from http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81669911/ [l] Is Water In Mexico Safe To Drink? Tourists Told To Drink Up In Mexico City. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.latintimes.com/water-mexico-safe-drink-tourists-told-drink-mexico-city-147764 [li] Mexico - Chapter 4 - 2014 Yellow Book | Travelers’ Health | CDC. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2014/chapter-4-select-destinations/mexico [lii] Travel Leaders Group “2014 Travel Trends Survey”. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.travelleadersgroup.com/travel-leadersgroup-2014-travel-trends-survey/ [liii] Mexico Plans New Tourism Investment | Valley City Times Record. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.times-online.com/content/ mexico-plans-new-tourism-investment [liv] Terrero, R. (2014, July 8). Mexico Roundtable: Key Hotel and Investment Insights | Travel Agent Central. Retrieved from http:// www.travelagentcentral.com/mexico/mexico-roundtable-key-hotel-and-investment-insights [lv] Mexico surpasses targets for tourist arrivals | News | Breaking Travel News. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/mexico-surpasses-targets-for-tourist-arrivals/ [lvi] Mexico Is Among The Top 10 Countries Paying Washington Lobbyists - Forbes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/ sites/doliaestevez/2014/05/29/mexico-is-among-the-top-10-countries-paying-washington-lobbyists/

Sources [lvii] Mexico Recognized as “Tourism Board of The Year” by Virtuoso Luxury Travel Network | The MEXICO Report. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://themexicoreport.com/2012/08/15/mexico-recognized-as-tourism-board-of-the-year-virtuoso-luxury-travel-network/ [lviii] Courtyard by Marriott Opens 10th Hotel in Mexico: The 156-room Courtyard by Marriott Queretaro. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4067480.html [lix] IHG and Grupo Presidente to Extend Successful Relationship in Mexico. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hospitalitynet.org/ news/4067406.html [lx] Southwest Airlines is now flying south of the border (to Mexico) | Dallas Morning News. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/08/southwest-airlines-is-now-flying-south-of-the-border-to-mexico.html/ [lxi] Carnival kicks off new year-round cruises to Mexico. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2014/10/03/carnival-cruise-mexican-riviera/16636545/ [lxii] Online Travel & Advertising Boosted by Stronger Economy - November 10, 2014 - Zacks.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http:// www.zacks.com/commentary/35251/online-travel-advertising-boosted-by-stronger-economy [lxiii] Mexico Travel Warning. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html [lxiv] Mexico Plans New Tourism Investment | Valley City Times Record. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.times-online.com/content/mexico-plans-new-tourism-investment

Campaign Strategy [i] Hawaii Tourism Authority. 2014. <gohawaii.com> [ii] Caribbean Tourism Development Company. 2014. <carribeantravel.org> [iii] Hawaii Tourism Authority. Hawai’I Visitors and Convention Bureau. August 28, 2014 <http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/ default/assets/File/HVCB_FINAL-v2.pdf> [iv] Frommers. “When To Go.” <http://www.frommers.com/destinations/mexico/713370#sthash.2CFFqLcz.dpbs#ixzz3HZtetVYT> [v] Cooperstein, Paige. Business Insider. “Here’s How Far In Advance You Should Book a Flight.” <http://www.businessinsider.com/ how-far-in-advance-to-book-flights-2014-3> [vi] Nanji, Ayza. Marketing Profs. “Days and Times With Highest Click Through Rates.” <http://www.marketingprofs.comcharts/2013/10981/the-best-days-and-times-for-high-ad-ctrs>

Creative plan All images retrieved from Google Images without the intent of using them for commercial purposes.

media plan [i] Frommers. “When To Go.” <http://www.frommers.com/destinations/mexico/713370#sthash.2CFFqLcz.dpbs#ixzz3 HZtetVYTF> [ii] Cooperstein, Paige. Business Insider. “Here’s How Far In Advance You Should Book a Flight.” <http://www.businessinsider.com/ how-far-in-advance-to-book-flights-2014-3> [iii] Pash, Adam. Life Hacker. “The Cheapest Time to Book a Flight Is Eight Weeks Before You’re Traveling” <http://lifehacker.com/5625777/the-cheapest-time-to-book-a-flight-is-eight-weeksbefore-youre-traveling> [iv] Nanji, Ayza. Marketing Profs. “Days and Times With Highest Click Through Rates.” < http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/10981/the-best-days-and-times-forhigh-ad-ctrs>

Sources PR PLAN [i] Sloan, Gene. “Carnival kicks off new year-round cruises to Mexico.” USA Today. N.p. 3 Oct 2013. Web. 23 Nov 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2014/10/03/carnival-cruise-mexican-riviera/16636545/> [ii] Forgione, Mary. “Mexico: Disney cruises to return to Baja; Carinval to revisit Mazatlan.” LA Times. N.p. 27 May 2014. Web. 23 Nov 2014. <http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80319293/> [iii] “Mexican Holidays: Carnaval (Mardi Gras).” MexOnline.com. Web. 23 Nov 2014. <http://www.mexonline.com/carnaval.htm> [iv] Arce, Alberto. “Mexico: Violent protests hit Acapulco’s tourism.” USA Today. N.p. 13 Nov 2014. Web. 23 Nov 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/11/13/mexico-protests acapulco-tourism/18960781/> [v] “Courtyard by Marriott Opens 10th Hotel in Mexico: The 156-room Courtyard by Marriott Queretaro.” Hospitality Net. N.p. 22 Oct 2014. Web. 23 Nov 2014. <http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4067480.html> [vi] “IHG and Grupo Presidente to Extend Successful Relationship in Mexico.” Hospitality Net. N.p. 17 Oct 2014. Web. 22 Nov 2014. <http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4067406.html> [vii] Maxon, Terry. “Southwest Airlines is now flying south of the border (to Mexico). Dallas News. N.p. 11 Aug 2014. Web. 22 Nov 2014. <http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/08/southwest-airlines-is-now-flying south-of-the-border-to-mexico.html/> [viii] Sakelaris, Nicholas. Southwest Airlines wants to fly to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico by summer.” Dallas Business Journal. N.p. 11 Nov 2014. Web. 22 Nov 2014. <http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/morning_call/2014/11/southwest-airlines-wants-to-fly-to-puerto-vallarta.html> [ix] Mutzabaugh, Ben. “JetBlue eyes Mexico City flights, asks DOT for two routes.” USA Today. N.p. 5 Nov 2014. Web. 22 Nov 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/11/05/jetblue-eyes-mexico-city-flights-asks-dot-for-two-routes/18510385/> [x] Banerjea, Sejuti. “Online Travel & Advertising Boosted by Stronger Economy.” Zacks. N.p. 10 Nov 2014. Web. 20 Nov 2014. <http://www.zacks.com/commentary/35251/online-travel-advertising-boosted by-stronger-economy> [xi] “U.S. Relations With Mexico.” U.S. Department of State. N.p. 10 Sept 2014. Web. 20 Nov 2014. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35749.htm> [xii] “U.S. Passports & International Travel: Mexico Travel Warning.” U.S. Department of State. N.p. 10 Oct 2014. Web. 20 Nov 2014. <http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html> [xiii] Vasilogambros, Matt. “Poll: Most Americans View Mexico Negatively.” National Journal. N.p. 19 Nov 2012. Web. 22 Nov 2014. <http://www.nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/poll-most-americans-view-mexico-negatively-20121119> [xiv] Poushter, Jacob and Bruce Drake. “Americans’ views of Mexico, Canada diverge as Obama attends ‘Three Amigos’ summit.” Pew Research Center. N.p. 19 Feb 2014. Web. 22 Nov 2014. <http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/02/19/americans-views-of mexico-canada-diverge-as-obama-attends-three-amigos-summit/>

Sources [xv] “About Richard Sandoval.” Richard Sandoval Restaurants. Web. 23 Nov 2014. <http://www.richardsandoval.com/rs/about.php> [xvi] “Mexican business sector said concerned over surge of violence.” BBC Monitoring Latin America - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring. (November 14, 2014 Friday): 471 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xvii] “Mexico’s murderous alliance of state, the army and the drug cartels; The crushing of protests by ordinary citizens follows a pattern of violence stretching back to 1968.” The Observer. (November 16, 2014 Sunday 12:05 AM GMT): 810 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xviii] Sherman, Eduardo Castillo. “VIOLENCE; Mass killings ‘tarnish’ efforts at reform by Mexican President; Pena Nieto called to account for massacre of suspected gang members and disappearance of students.” The Globe and Mail (Canada). (October 11, 2014 Saturday): 680 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xix] “Could Gang Violence End Mexico s Shale Dream?” Energy Bangla (Bangladesh). (July 2, 2014 Wednesday): 750 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xx] “Drug lord’s arrest could lead to more violence in Mexico.” guelphmercury.com. (February 26, 2014 Wednesday): 573 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xxi] “Americas; Hurricane Dean Batters Caribbean, Mexico.” Facts on File World News Digest. (August 23, 2007): 411 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xxii] “Experts warn Mexico due to another hurricane season; Hurricane experts warn Mexico.” El Universal (Mexico). (March 23, 2005 Wednesday): 682 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xxiii] “Tourists flee coastal Mexico as Dean approaches; Powerful storm threatens Gulf oil production.” USA TODAY. (August 21, 2007 Tuesday Correction Appended): 531 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xxiv] “World News Briefs; Two Killed in Mexico As Hurricane Strikes.” The New York Times. (October 3, 1995, Tuesday, Late Edition - Final): 211 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xxv] Ferrell, Jesse. “Recent Flooding Problems in Mexico.” ACCU Weather. N.p. 4 Oct 2008. Web. 19 Nov 2014. <http://www. accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/weathermatrix/recent-flooding-problems-in-mexico/17099> [xxvi] “Swine flu fears rise in Mexico.” Northern Territory News (Australia). (February 2, 2012 Thursday): 126 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xxvii] “BRIEF: A(H1N1) not yet under control.” The News (Mexico City). (July 26, 2009 Sunday): 271 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/11/24. [xxviii] “Mexico Plans New Tourism Investment.” Times Record. N.p. N.d. Web. 22 Nov 2014. <http://www.times-online.com/content/mexico-plans-new-tourism-investment> [xxix] Estevez, Gloria. “Mexico is among the top 10 countries paying Washington lobbyists.” Forbes. N.p. 29 May 2014. Web. 22 Nov 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/doliaestevez/2014/05/29/mexico-is-among-the-top10-countries-paying-washington-lobbyists/>