Wrightsville Beach hotel owners report a critical drop in business during the shoulder season and offseason. To bring tourists to the beach during those times, the town’s advertising agency Clean Design has to know who the target audience is, what times of year to market and what message to communicate. The Wrightsville Beach Marketing Advisory Committee met Tuesday, March 17 to attempt to answer those questions.
Committee members suggested marketing aimed toward females, who they said were typically the ones planning the family vacations. But committee member Lisa Weeks pointed out that is a broad target audience.
“A female can wear a lot of different hats,” Weeks said, “She can be a mom, scheduling spring break, she can want a girls’ weekend. We’re still targeting that same person but recognizing the fact that she could be planning several different kinds of trips.”
Clean Design media lead Tom Hickey told the committee to keep in mind the broader the target audience, the more thinly stretched its limited marketing budget would be.
Clean Design brand strategist Travis Conte said marketing campaigns in the shoulder seasons should target baby boomers rather than families who would be constricted by their children’s school schedules.
However, the marketing committee also discussed moving toward a year-round brand awareness campaign rather than just advertising during the shoulder seasons.
Again, Hickey pointed out the relatively small budget with which they are working.
“The challenge is we have this budget that we focused in four months of the year,” he said. “Now what we’re asking that same budget to do is cover 12 months. … We have to focus. … We’re trying to do too many things with too little money.”
Committee members asked Clean Design to pursue more of a year-round campaign conserving money in the summer when attracting tourists is much less of an issue.
The committee also talked about moving away from marketing the beach for its accessibility. The current tagline reads, “Easy to get here, easier to stay.” The message was originally created because much of the advertising runs in Raleigh, and to many of those residents Wrightsville Beach is a day trip.
But the hotel owners don’t benefit from day-trippers, committee members pointed out. To attract more long-term vacationers they said the beach should be marketed as a stunning destination.
In addition to a new tagline, Conte said a new creative direction would employ eye-catching visuals to emphasize the beach’s scenery.
“You would need a lot more high-quality photography and video … so if it is all about this visual beauty we have to show that. It costs money but it’s worth it,” Conte said.
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