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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Marketing Committee -September 18, 2012PALM DESERT PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Tuesday, September 18, 2012 — 2 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Emily Bird-Hrivnak called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Emily Bird-Hrivnak, Rolf Hoehn Stephanie Loog Theresa Maggio Tim Snyder Diane Williams Marlane Wolf Members Absent: Vice Chair Sara O'Flynn, Chair Arlene Amick Jennie Rayner Staff /Others Present: Jan Harnik, Councilmember Donna Gomez, Tourism & Marketing Manager Martfn Alvarez, Economic Development Director David Hermann, Management Analyst Jane Stanley, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF JULY17, 2012. Marlane Wolf moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the minutes of the July 17, 2012, meeting. Motion was seconded by Theresa Maggio and carried 6-0-3-1, with Sara O'Flynn, Arlene Amick and Jennie Rayner absent, and Rolf Hoehn abstaining. APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. CONSIDERATION OF MARKETING PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012/2013 Referring to the marketing plan, Donna Gomez stated that it continues with the overall philosophy and strategy of branding Palm Desert as a destination resort with the goal of getting "heads in beds." New to the plan is a PR component through social media and online programs. Co-op opportunities will be expanded to stretch the marketing dollars and give other entities an opportunity to get into other markets they may not be able to get into on their own. There is a new digital strategy, which will be addressed under New Business, Item C. Per Rolf Hoehn's previous request, the 2012/13 budget has been attached to the Marketing Plan. In general, the budget breaks down as follows: 35% for traditional marketing; 31 % for digital marketing; 14% for community relations (BrightSide, calendar, etc.); 6% for co-ops; and the remaining 14% is for photography, design and printing. Also added are some beginning steps to incorporate cultural tourism and real estate information on the website and through advertising. Emily Bird-Hrivnak thanked Ms. Gomez for implementing the Marketing Plan, and stated it has been a great tool to keep the goals in the forefront. Diane Williams added that she had met with Ms. Gomez and Councilmember Jan Harnik to discuss incorporating real estate information onto the website as Indian Wells does. They discussed forming a committee with some Marketing Committee members and real estate agents who could develop a 2- to 3-year plan to find ways their industry can promote the City and country club events, etc. Stephanie Loog discussed the "Brand/Positioning Statement" with respect to having it focus on potential property owners as well as visitors. She also inquired about the statistics in the plan, to which Ms. Gomez said they are the latest available. Jan Harnik pointed out that city revenue from sales tax and TOT are far more than property taxes, which are 6 cents of each dollar. She indicated 2 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 that the TOT tax derived from visitors is what must be focused on because there is a lot of room for growth in that area. David Hermann suggested removing the word "vacation" from the sentence "making Palm Desert one of the world's premiere vacation destinations." Discussion ensued regarding ways to improve and reduce the costs for the bi-monthly BrightSide and the community calendar. Stephanie Loog moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend approval of the 2012/2013 Marketing Plan to City Council, removing "vacation" from the last sentence of the "Brand/Positioning Statement." Motion was seconded by Diane Williams and carried 7- 0-3, with Sara O'Flynn, Arlene Amick and Jennie Rayner absent. Diane Williams moved, by Minute Motion, to form a real estate ad hoc committee to work with Donna Gomez to create a marketing program that ties real estate into the marketing program. Motion was seconded by Marlane Wolf and carried 7-0-3, with Sara O'Flynn, Arlene Amick and Jennie Rayner absent. B. CONSIDERATION OF TRADITIONAL MEDIA PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012/2013 Ms. Gomez stated that the Traditional Media Plan follows closely the goals and objectives of the Marketing Plan. There is a good mix of both print and radio, focusing on very similar target markets identified last year — the southern California drive market, Pacific Northwest, Canada, and some Midwest cities. Texas Monthly magazine has been added, and Diablo magazine in San Francisco was dropped. Ms. Gomez went on to say that radio ads will still be on traffic and weather reports in the same markets. The visitor center will continue to be promoted. There is minor duplication with Alaska Airlines, which will be addressed. Co-ops have been successful and will be continued. Mr. Hoehn asked if JNS could tie the advertising to a "call to action" to somehow measure its success. An effective way would be an incentive or promotion to guide the reader to the website and maybe a splash page on the website set up for that purpose. Ms. Gomez indicated that she would check into creating a hash tag or landing page as a tracking mechanism. Rolf Hoehn moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend approval of the 2012/2013 Media Plan as presented to City Council. Motion was seconded by Diane Williams and carried 7-0-3, with Sara O'Flynn, Arlene Amick and Jennie Rayner absent. 3 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 C. CONSIDERATION OF DIGITAL MEDIA PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012/2013 Utilizing a power point presentation, Ms. Gomez outlined the strategy of increasing visibility during the four key points of the trip planning process, attempting to touch the potential visitor at each of those steps. The four key points are: Travel Interest, Planning, Booking, and In -Market Planning once the visitor is here. The primary target markets will be San Diego and Los Angeles, with Canada as the secondary target market. For the first step in travel planning (travel interest), publications that well -traveled people utilize have been identified. For the planning step, interactive ads will be placed on Trip Advisor. For the booking step, OMA is looking at contracting with Orbitz. During the last step, which is in -market, visitors will receive ads on their mobile devices. Other components include re -targeting, pay -per -click, and media buys. Upon question, Ms. Gomez responded that OMA has been very good about monitoring and reporting quickly when something needs to be changed or updated. For review and input, the Committee will receive a quarterly report from OMA. Ms. Gomez added that a rich media program will be incorporated. Ads will be interactive, such as changing photography or expanding when your mouse is over it. Jan Harnik mentioned that she hopes there can be a presence at local events, to which Ms. Gomez said that it would be a great opportunity and could possibly be incorporated. Diane Williams moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend approval of the 2012/2013 Digital Media Plan as presented to City Council. Motion was seconded by Rolf Hoehn and carried 7-0-3, with Sara O'Flynn, Arlene Amick and Jennie Rayner absent. D. CONSIDERATION OF RE -DESIGN OF TOURISM WEBSITE Since mobilizing the tourism website had been identified by the Committee as a high priority, Ms. Gomez has done a lot of research. Off Madison Ave (OMA) has recommended several options and staff has determined that the "Responsive/Adaptive Site" would be the most beneficial. This site would be fully accessible from all mobile units and the complete website will be viewed. 32% of current visitors to the website are mobile. This 4 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 choice would have a long shelf life - about 3 years. There will not be any ongoing, monthly or maintenance costs. Upon question from Ms. Bird-Hrivnak, Ms. Gomez replied that when the website is updated, the mobile site is also updated automatically. Basic website updates are included in the OMA contract. A mobile app has a different management system and would have to be updated separately. In response to Stephanie Loog's question, Ms. Gomez stated that the cost for the re -design is in the budget. Using the GPS in the mobile device, the location of the inquiry can be tracked. Diane Williams asked if someone clicks through to a restaurant, can that information be tracked as well. Upon question from Ms. Harnik regarding the timeline, Ms. Gomez stated the re -design process will take about 2 Y months. Theresa Maggio moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the re -design of the tourism website. Motion was seconded by Rolf Hoehn and carried 7-0-3, with Sara O'Flynn, Arlene Amick and Jennie Rayner absent. Ms. Gomez mentioned that the three items recommended for approval today will be presented at the September 27th Council meeting for their consideration. The mobilization of the website should not have to go before the Council. The City Manager is authorized to approve the contract. VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VIII. OLD BUSINESS None IX. REPORTS FROM CITY COUNCIL LIAISONS Councilmember Jan Harnik reported that the Rosewood Hotel is moving forward, and there was great information from the recent League of California Cities meeting regarding replacing redevelopment funding. She asked for the Committee to consider having a meeting off -site. Ms. Gomez said that Jennie Rayner is willing to host the first off -site meeting at The Living Desert. 5 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Chair Emily Bird-Hrivnak reported that the Marriott renovations are mostly complete, and they are ready for a great year. B. Committee Members Diane Williams conveyed that home sales remain hot in south Palm Desert and the market seems to be picking up. She is excited to get going with the ad hoc committee. Tim Snyder reported that Ruth's Chris is providing the food for tomorrow's Chamber mixer at Palm Springs Motors. With an update from the Airport Commission, Rolf Hoehn said there is new Allegiant air service from Oakland and Eugene. He is expecting news from Virgin Airlines that may be announced at tomorrow's commission meeting. The Salton Sea issue will be addressed at Friday's HIBC meeting. The idea would be to have Federal government control instead of Sacramento, and allowing the Salton Sea Advisory Committee to do something. Long term, the Salton Sea is very important for the whole Valley. C. Staff Donna Gomez reported that the Palm Desert Dine Out Program is ready to begin. A 20%-off coupon for 38 participating restaurants will be available next week for the program running October 1 to 31. XI. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS A. Visitor Center Report No discussion. XII. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m. Jane Stanley, Recording Secretary