The Montana Office of Tourism is telling potential visitors that it’s time to check out the state’s natural wonders and small town culture.
In a video posted in the Vimeo web site, a small town shop keeper shovels snow from the sidewalk. Skiers and snowboarders lace up their boots. Dogs pull a sled through the frozen wilderness, and at the end of the ninety seconds, comes the motto: Montana, It’s Time.
“If you’re like me a lot of people have a long list of places they’d like to travel to some day," says Iverson. "This is our, this is our message that not some day but how about now, or soon”
Dan Iverson is the spokesman for the Montana Office of Tourism. He says the ads began running on tourism related web sites and in national magazines a few weeks ago. But if you live here, you might have to search for them, because the message is targeted at visitors from the other 49 states.
“We’ve got digital ads slated for big travel websites like Expedia, Travelocity, and Trip Advisor," Iverson says, "and then some of the print publications we're in this year are going to be National Geographic Traveler, Outside, and Ski Magazine”
Iverson says the demographic they’re targeting with the 'It’s time' campaign is a breed known in the tourism trade as the 'geo traveler'.
“These are people who travel more often, spend more money while they travel, and they’re interested in really authentic experiences when they get here," says Iverson, "the types of experiences that Montana offers. And so these media opportunities that we’ve identified have readership that fits that criteria.”
The campaign has tested well with focus groups of potential tourists, with more than 80 percent saying the “It’s time” message made them more likely to visit the state. When the winter season is over, Iverson says the tourism office will also look at surveys of winter tourists done by the University of Montana, to verify whether the ads really did influence their vacation choice. Though the current campaign will melt away with the winter snow, another version of “It’s Time” is waiting in the wings, launching about the time potential visitors start to plan their summer vacations.
The 'It's Time' video can be found below as well as on The Montana Office of Tourism's Vimeo page.
http://vimeo.com/108610829