Why Idlewild? Rosalyn J. Jones, MBA

Positive Image: SWOT Analysis “Idlewild community members believe they must move forward with what they have and leverage it where they can identify resources.”

Questions to Consider Why would someone spend money to visit Idlewild today? What am I coming to see and do? –Resort areas: Florida, Jamaica, Virginia Beach, St. Simons Island –Black Heritage Tours: DC, Baltimore –Festivals: Traverse City Film Festival –Golf at Arcadia Bluffs or Bay Harbor –Boating,fishing in the Lake Huron area

Today’s Discussion Marketing Objectives: Build momentum for 2012 Centennial celebration 4 P’s of Marketing

Marketing: 4 P’s Product – Programming tracks, e.g. History & Heritage, Nature, Arts & Culture Place Promotion – How can I reach my target audience? How do I tell them about the offer? Price

Target Marketing The ultimate goal: match the right product or service with the right market or audience

Target Audiences Specific groups or clientele most interested in your product Specific marketing objectives for each segment

WHO are my customers? “Baby Boomers” (45-64), Millennials (18-24), Gen Xers (30-44), Youth, Children, “Matures” (65+) Which segment am I trying to reach? – Leisure –“Academia”, e.g. Writers Conference

Inventory existing resources Youth & Children –Work with DNR and US Forest Service –Work with Lomas Brown’s group Young Adults – Engage key people to create and deliver quality programming Housing – Work with Positive Image to inventory lodging options

African American Travelers Likely to visit family and friends (41%) Likely to take kids (21%) More likely than other Americans to take group tours (10% vs 4%) On average stayed 3.1 nights on their most recent trip Most often stayed in hotels, motels or bed- and-breakfast lodges (45%) About 32% stayed at private homes Black Enterprise, Dec by Marjorie Whigham-Desir

WHAT are they like? Demographic Information 2009: Work with local business owners and event sponsors to collect zip code information Lifestyle Profiles

WHERE can I find them? Leverage Pure Michigan campaign in Travel Michigan’s primary out of state markets, i.e. Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Milwaukee

Recommendations (Ranked in Priority Order) Trademark the name “Black Eden” Engage highly regarded historians to record oral histories for use on the Web

Recommendations Feed content to michigan.org: Places to Stay; Things to Do Prioritize new programming based on ROI, e.g. disposable income, availability of public sector funding, university relationships, etc.

Recommendations Marketing Budget: How much do you have to spend? Create a pool of marketing and communications talent, e.g. graphic artists, Web designers, copy writers, event planners, media relations, public relations

Recommendations Create a “host committee” to help plan and prepare the region for hosting local welcoming events Invite Lomas Brown to participate