What are the components of a destination marketing campaign aimed at promoting tourism and boost the local economy? What can we learn from the multiyear #DOAC campaign to rebrand and revive the city? How did different types of media play a role in the campaign?

1. DESTINATION MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Case Study of Atlantic City Marketing Campaign
Janice Xu, Holy Family University
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

2. A marketing campaign is a focused, tactical initiative
to achieve a specific marketing goal– for example,
customer acquisition or reinforcing company
positioning
Requires a deliberate, step-by-step process

3. EIGHT BASIC
ELEMENTS OF A
MARKETING
CAMPAIGN (PART 1)
Situation—Why do we need a
marketing campaign now? What is
the problem?
Objectives—Create awareness?
Changing attitudes? Changing
behavior?
Audiences—Based on
demographics? Geography?
Strategy—Provides guidelines
and themes for the overall
program

4. EIGHT BASIC
ELEMENTS OF A
MARKETING
CAMPAIGN (PART 2)
Tactics—Specific operational
activities; tools of communication
Calendar/timetable—Campaign
launch time; sequence and list of
steps
Budget—Proposed budget includes
staff time and out-of-pocket expenses
Measurement—Monitoring and
tracking. Relates directly to the stated
objectives

5. §A type of marketing that promotes a
destination (town, city, region, country) with a
purpose to increase the number of visitors.
§A location is considered a product with brand
image, loyalty or equity.

7. Finding their motivation (“Why would they like to see the
destination?”,“What are they going to do there?”,“How
much are they going to spend?”,“What do they want to
get?”)
Identifying the right audience (“Who are those people who
want to see your destination?”,“How old are they?”,“How
do they travel?”,“Do they travel with their families?”,“What
are their needs?”)
Analyze the ‘product’ and focus your marketing
activities on:

8. To highlight attributes that are
meaningful to customers and gives
it a competitive edge
§reinforce positive
images already held by
the target audience
§correct negative images
§create a new image

9. Natural scenic beauty
Adventures and Sports
Cultural Attractions
Shopping and Dining
Safety
Service and Atmosphere
Environment and Infrastructure

10. Develop creatives
and textual content
in all necessary
formats.

11. EVALUATING THE
PERFORMANCE
• Assessment of the strengths
and weaknesses of the
strategies and executions
• Customer inquiries
• Newsletter subscription
• Web Traffic
• Video views
• Other conversion actions on site
• Survey results

13. §What images come to your mind when you think of
Atlantic City?
§Any distinctive or unique tourist attractions?
§How would you describe the atmosphere or
mood?

14. ATLANTIC CITY
MARKETING CAMPAIGN
BACKGROUND
§Atlantic City has a tourism-
driven economy with
approximately 25 million
visitors a year
§Lost its ranking as the USA’s
second-largest gambling
market to Pennsylvania
§Rebuilding the shore after
Hurricane Sandy in 2012

15. § Atlantic City Alliance started a 20
million-a-year rebranding effort, the
largest destination-tourism marketing
campaign in the city's history.
§ Ad slogan-- “DO AC”
§ Strategy--promotes an image of fun,
excitement, great hotels and great
entertainment, instead of Atlantic City
being just a gambling destination

16. §The campaign's target demographic was "fun-
seekers"
§Defined as adults ages 21 to 65 who like to
make short trips and enjoy some combination
of shopping, fine dining, spas, the beach or
gambling

17. Campaign has advertising, social media,
media relations and event components.
Signs of "Do Savor," "Do Splurge," and "Do
Thrill" - all subsets of the bigger "Do A.C."
theme
TV spots, print, and radio ads in
Philadelphia, NewYork, and Baltimore
Encourages visitors to share their
experiences over social media with
friends

22. Simple words and
phrases

23. Memorable language

24. § Facebook – www.facebook.com/AtlanticCityNJ
§ Twitter – www.twitter.com/VisitAC
§ YouTube – www.Youtube.com/DoAtlanticCity
§ Foursquare – www.foursquare.com/VisitAC
§ Instagram – www.instagram.com/DOAC
§ Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/DoAtlanticCity

26. §Survey shows 79 per cent of people who saw the ad
campaign felt better about Atlantic City.
§39 per cent of people who saw the campaign were
more motivated to visit.
§Respondents saw city as “sophisticated, glamorous
and less rundown.”
§Local business owners used similar style promotions
for their ventures.

27. §“Do AC” slogan considered effective, still in use
§More positive media coverage for AC than negative
Some criticized the campaign for not marketing
gambling in its 1st year
Could not revive the declining casinos
Marketing is not separable from larger economy