CALIFORNIA TRAVEL & TOURISM COMMISSION ASSOCIATION OF TRAVEL MARKETING EXECUTIVES MAY 28, 2009

Spend Tom! National Tourism Week Promotion CTTC/Sonoma County Tourism Bureau Pilot Project Demonstrate the tourism sectors impact by pumping $25,000 in $2 bills into the Sonoma economy (select hotels/wineries/attractions make change during the week) Build 3-weeklong, media relations/social marketing campaign as the bills circulate Possibly expand to other communities in 2010 Promoting Tourism

Video: Spend Tom

SpendTom Initial Results Robust and positive local consumer response on Facebook Fan Page and Twitter (325+ contest entries to date at SpendTom.com) Extensive local newspaper, TV and radio coverage of the promotion and economic impact of tourism Leveraged radio buy for major promotion on 5 stations in Sonoma County, including live remotes, e-blasts, avatars on tourism, public service programming (Reach 120,000+) Media buzz generated more partner interest (nearly 40 partners) Social media buzz generated local awareness – nearly 150 local posters actually signed up as Facebook/ Twitter fans

Crisis Communications Southern California Wildfires The wildfires that spread through Southern California during the last months of 2007 posed a serious threat to the states tourism industry Tourism supports jobs for 929,000 Californians and generates more than $93 billion annually

California Wildfires PR Objective: Dispel myths that the fires destroyed large portions of the state and affected tourist attractions Develop and immediately implement a crisis communications plan to spread the word that California was open for business Keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination and deter potential trip cancellations

California Wildfires Methods: Developed core messages for each affected region to ensure consistent messaging was delivered to media Coordination of two press conferences in Southern California and enlisted the support of Governor Schwarzenegger Developed talking points for the Governor and participating delegates, and a national news release Developed an Internet news release reiterating that tourist attractions were up-and-running and left unscathed by the wildfires

California Wildfires Results: The Southern California wildfire crisis communication outreach generated more than 28 million gross measurable impressions in markets across the country

California Wildfires Results: Prominent placements include USA Today, Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Forbes.com and broadcast news stations nationwide Immediate action taken by Edelman and CTTC prevented any reported decline of visitors to affected regions

California Wildfires Direct-to-consumer tactics utilized to relay most current information and encourage travel Secured CTTC as a resource for wildfire information with continuous updates and a pinpoint map on Conducted Web audit of online travel sites, blogs and message boards to verify public perception of Southern California wildfires – determined if aggressive social media component was necessary

CALIFORNIA TRAVEL & TOURISM COMMISSION ASSOCIATION OF TRAVEL MARKETING EXECUTIVES MAY 28, 2009 CALIFORNIA TRAVEL & TOURISM COMMISSION ASSOCIATION OF TRAVEL MARKETING EXECUTIVES MAY 28, 2009