PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten's Tourist Bureau just completed a week-long exercise in which it brought together its veteran team of marketing experts from around the world to share ideas and collective experiences on how to promote the destination. These firms are the Tourist Bureau's contracted marketing, advertising and public relations experts from the U.S., Canada, Holland, Puerto Rico, Brazil and South America, which met and planned strategies to promote tourism to the destination from the various markets across the globe."We have been working with most of these companies for the past year or more and felt that we could all gain from each other's expertise if we could sit down in one room and strategize together," said Regina LaBega, Director of Tourism for St. Maarten.
"The synergies that we just developed among these independent companies from around the world was amazing to see and we are confident that this meeting will result in an increase in activity among our marketing team members and ultimately an increase in visitor arrivals to St. Maarten," she added.
The companies meeting together included:
Tambourine Creative, a Florida-based brand marketing and advertising agency with Rafael Cardozo, president, Joe Grasso, Advertising Creative Director and Shannon Defries, account executive.
KTCpr, a New York-based public relations firm with long ties to the Caribbean with Richard Kahn, president and Kelly Graham, account executive.
Cynthia Miller Aird, a sales representative covering the U.S. travel industry.
energi, a dual Toronto and Montreal-based public relations firm with Esther Buchsbaum, Partner and Julie Lepsetz, Director and Anne Brobyn for travel industry sales.
Lydia Haveman, Director for Interreps, a Holland-based marketing firm which oversees the public relations for the Benelux countries with Susan van Egmond, the online marketing and sales from Laura Boldingh, Leads2Travel, and the advertising from Wouter Leydes, Managing Partner, for Thielenpeters, the Holland-based advertising agency.
Ricardo Roman, Vera Achcar and Danielle Clouzet Roman, with Interamerican Travel Industry Network, covering marketing, branding, advertising and public relations for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Columbia and South America in general.
Guillermo Ramis, President and CEO of Puerto Rico-based Paradigm Associates along with Francisco Ramis and Inez Ramis, covering advertising and public relations for the Puerto Rico market.
Each of the companies presented reports on activities and accomplishments from the past year in which a new brand awareness campaign was launched with television advertising in key markets and public relations across all markets. This campaign resulted in the 7.9% increase in arrivals for the first quarter of 2010 and an overall 2.1% increase in visitors in the first six months of the year.
But more crucial to the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau was the creation of a expanded marketing strategy in which all markets from Holland to Brazil, from the U.S. to Canada and Puerto Rico, would be working together with the same messages in five different languages to drive year-round tourism business for the destination.
Tambourine presented two innovative tools that will help expand awareness of St. Maarten. First there is an iPad that sales representatives and public relations firms could use to educate and inform travel agents, tour wholesalers and media about the destination in a unique format using the latest technology.
Second, Tambourine demonstrated a smartphone optimized mobile website version of the www.vacationstmaarten.com web site and iPhone application which, once fully populated with detailed information about St. Maarten, will enable both cruise passengers and land-based visitors to use their personal mobile smart phones (iPhone app pictured right) to view attractions, shops, restaurants, hotels and anything else that the Tourist Bureau includes. Use of the information on the mobile telephones will facilitate more activities and spending by visitors on island, even when just for the day during a cruise stop.
KTCpr presented several innovative ideas that are designed to attract attention on major nationwide television shows in the U.S. as well as a sweepstakes plan using short free stays to draw visitors through morning talk shows on both radio and television and departments stores and other retail outlets in the U.S.
There is also an on-island cuisine promotion planned that will help target restaurant usage and drive further awareness through viral marketing online and across social media.
A series of press trips will be held throughout the year bringing appropriate writers for the Heineken Regatta, a food writer's trip, a bridal and romance press trip, a travel trade media trip and others. Individual writers will also be brought down based on assignments. Canadian travel and food writers will be included in the U.S. organized press trips.
Cyndi Miller Aird, presented her sales and education plans which includes attending travel industry trade shows across the U.S. as well as focus sales presentations for individual travel agents and tour wholesalers and online sales representatives from Expedia, Travelocity, JetBlue, Travel Impressions and others.
The Brazilian team presented a balanced marketing plan focused on increasing flight schedules from South America to St. Maarten and supporting these flights with sales, advertising and public relations. Ricardo Roman and his team have been working with Copa Airlines to launch expanded service via Panama to St. Maarten. They have also orchestrated several promotions with GOL airlines out of Brazil which have been successful in increasing arrivals to St. Maarten.
Ricardo's team has been using games online to generate interest and usage of the website plus press trips and fam trips for agents. Most of the vacationers from South America travel to St. Maarten in the Spring, Summer and Fall months which fills in for the low season out of North America.
The Canadian marketing focus from energi also includes sales representation via Anne Brobyn. The Canadian team has also developed several innovative public relations plans including promotions which focus on the niche markets such as dining, shopping, outdoor activities, sightseeing and more.
In the short period that energi has been working with the Tourist Bureau they have generated a quick large response from media including some well-place features in major newspapers and consumer magazines. Social media is a primary focus as well as using virtual online opportunities to show and promote the destination, the hotels, attractions, restaurants and shops.
Planning from energi includes taking social media to the next level by using individual influencers such as personal trainers, hair stylists etc. to create a "buzz" about the destination following their own vacations to St. Maarten.
Anne Brobyn, who has been training travel agents for years, will head up the collective marketing team to create a travel agent education and accreditation program that can be used in all markets and all languages.
The Holland team under Lydia Haveman, a 30-year veteran in the Caribbean market, presented research into the travel purchasing habits of the Dutch vacationers and utilized the new experiential branding campaign with a Dutch twist to fit the differences of language. This team focuses on the Benelux countries with advertising, marketing, public relations, sales and a concentration with online promotions and direct sales.
A lot of what they do in the Benelux market stems from co-op funds with tour operators and public relations. They have promotional partners for culinary websites which draw consumer interest. They also are sending out a regular newsletter to more than 21,000 consumers.
Their public relations efforts use social media and all press releases are sent out via Twitter with links to the full release for further information.
The Paradigm team has been doing a lot of co-op promotions with Telemundo, the primary television network in Puerto Rico, in particular on Verano de Pelicula. Advertising funds have been moved from newspapers to Internet opportunities and the company has created several movie-like trailers to promote vacationing in St. Maarten.
Paradigm has also been working on the first Flaavors of St. Maarten Food and Wine Festival which will be taking place November 10-14, 2010. They are bringing in wine experts from the Napa Valley in California to participate in the hopes of elevating the respect for cuisine choices in St. Maarten.
The entire St. Maarten Team Marketing group also met with the private sector to share the destination's plans and obtain feedback as well as develop a closer working relationship with as many of the private sector participants as they could. Reaction from the private sector including hotels, attractions, ground operators, restaurants and shops has been very good and they appreciate the willingness of the St. Maarten Team Marketing to learn how to better promote their products.
"It was really great hearing all the plans for ongoing promotions to make St. Maarten stand out among the destinations in the Caribbean," said LaBega. "We are now seeking the funding to enable St. Maarten to achieve the goals of increasing tourist visitors which will, in turn, raise the level of visitor spending on island and improve the economic atmosphere for all our residents," she added.
