1. Page 1 of 3
PUBLICITY TARGETS MEMORANDUM
TO: WICHITAVILLACRES AND MAOREEN EVERY
FROM: KELSEY GERNERT
SUBJECT: PUBLICITYTARGETS
DATE: JULY 20, 2015
What Eco DMSis CurrentlyDoing:
CurrentlyEcoDMSinvests in several marketingchannels. Thefirstis coverageon the Aruba Tourism Authority
(ATA) page.Thisisfree marketingfor Eco andit lists Ecoamongits competitors. SecondEcoislistedthroughits
paidassociationpageson www.ovationdmc.comandWorldofDMC’sat www.dmc.travel/. Ecohasindividual pages
herethat increaseit’sexposure to potentialclients. You willalsofind Ecoreferencedas a sponsoron the websiteof
industryorganizationssuchas Financial &InsuranceConferencePlannersandSocietyfor Incentive Travel
Excellence.
How Eco DMScan Improve TheirCurrentEfforts:
Whilethis is a goodeffort it doesnot seem that the aforementioned listingsarebeing activelymanaged. Some
photosof Ecoandits offeringsare out of date or are subparto whatis beingpresentedby competitors. Takefor
exampletheAruba Tourism Authoritypage(bit.ly/1MkGjfX) whichshowsblurryoutdatedphotosof Eco’sofferings
whilecompetitorsprovideadownloadableeventbrochure.
Onecanalsosee throughthe postingson Ovation andWorld of DMC’sthatother destinationsaregetting moreface
timeand thereis a lost opportunityto provide marketingcontentinthese alreadypurchased andhighlyvisible
venues.
Recommended PublicityTargets:
Belowyou willsee a list I compiledofrecommendedpublicitytargets. Thetargetswere selectedandrankedbased
on the followingcriteria:theirreach,resonanceandrelevance.
1. TheAruba TourismAuthority(ATA) has anaward winningmarketingcampaign,isa strategic partnerof Eco’s,
andhas an active blog (www.aruba.com/blog?page=1)coveredbyJaneVermaas. Janeis an ATAemployee
whom Ecomadecontactwithduringanindustry mixerinMarch. Ecocanleveragethis connectiontocover
majorevents Ecois putting on or volunteercontentas a guest blogger.
2. Another bloggerto target is Anne Thornley-Brownatblog.cvent.com/blog/executiveoasis/caribbean-summer-
incentive-travel. Anne is an appropriatetarget because herblogisfocused onCaribbeanincentivetravel and is
hostedby Cvent; a popularsoftwaretool that manyof Eco’sclientsutilize.
3. SusanAdams is anotherbloggerworth targeting.Susan serves on the boardof several industryassociations
including theIncentiveMarketingAssociation(IMA). Thismakeshera stronginfluencer withaccesstoEco’s
target audience. www.dittmanincentives.com/blog/top-caribbean-destinations/#sthash.4BVgqvTW.dpuf
4. Another opportunityon the ATA websiteis active participationinthe online forums. Ecocancatchincentive
travel guests earlyas they post questionsto the board. Although forum participationwillnotbea directpitchto
the clientit is a chancetoshowEco’sdestinationexpertiseearlyon andprovide value to the consumer.
2. Page 2 of 3
5. Thesearesimplyforumsabout Aruba but they offer the opportunityfor Ecoto share someof its expertise with
upcomingvisitors. Ecocantarget visitors by respondingonlyto forum discussionsregardinggrouporincentive
travel. bb.visitaruba.com/
6. www.internationalmeetingsreview.com/hostsapopularblog. Theyare endorsedbymajorindustryassociations
andconferencessuchasSITE,IMEX, eibtm,gibtm,and the Incentive TravelExchange. Theseconferencesand
associationsrepresentEco’stargetmarket. Therearemanyreadersherewho willalreadybein the first phase
of the purchasefunnel;beingawareof Eco. Coverage in internationalmeetingsreview mayhelpmove
consumerstothe secondstage,consideration.
7. www.Incentivemag.comisawidelyread industrypublicationandisa greatway for Eco to grabthe attention of
its clients. With forty-three articlesalreadypublishedaboutAruba we cangatherthat IncentiveMaghas found
that there is an existing marketfor incentivetravel informationaboutAruba. Ecocanaddto their coverage and
showits value to prospectivecustomers.
8. JulieBlank at http://www.spearone.com/blog/category/incentive-travel/provides a great dealof coverageon
incentivetravel newsin the Caribbean. It wouldbe wisefor Ecoto reachout to her to request a feature story.
9. www.meetings-conventions.comisapopularwebsitefrequentedby Eco’stargetmarket (meetingplanners).
With popularblogsanda spot for guest bloggersit is a greatopportunityfor Ecoto share someof its industry
expertiseand gain brandrecognition.
10. EcoDMSis a memberofthe prestigiousOvation group. Ovation runs a blog/newsfeedthroughtheirwebsite,
ovationdmc.com/. As an existingmemberofthe Ovation groupEco has the optionto provideuniquecontentfor
the blog. Thiscontentwouldbepublishedwithouthavingto incurany additional cost.
11. Both World of DMCSandOvation are eliteorganizations. Ecopays to be a part of these groups. Ovation and
World of DMCSboth producemonthlynewsletters. If Ecoprovides stories focusedonAruba and incentivetravel
it willpeak interest inthe destinationandthe company. Thisisa nocost publicityopportunityfor EcoDMS.
12. EcoDMShas the benefitof beinga part of manyindustryassociations. All have the opportunityfor increased
exposurethroughprovidingcontentupdatesabout Aruba through association newsletters. TheInternational
SpecialEvents Society(ISES) publishesane-magazine andawell-knownincentivetravel publication,“Special
Events Magazine”,it wouldbe advantageousto try to get coveragein this publication.
13. Lastly, Ecoattends manyindustryevents in whichpublic speakersarerequested. Eco’sCEO WichitaVillacres
has over 30years of industry experienceandisa well-qualified speaker. MaoreenEvery, the Directorof
Operationsalsocomeswithnearly15 years of industry expertise. Volunteeringto leada workshopat an
industryevent or conferencesuchasSITEGlobalortheFICP EducationalForumwouldhelpincrease exposure
for Ecoand woulddemonstrateEco’sindustryknowledge.
14. BizBash, a popularindustrypublicationhostsregularpodcastson www.bizbash.com/gathergeeks#.Va05KvlViko.
Thisisyet anotheropportunityfor Ecoto reachits target audienceatlowto nocost. I wouldrecommenda
memberofEco’sleadershipteam chooseatopic ofvalue andpresent it as a podcast.
Summary:
EcoDMShas yet to seize manylowto nocost marketingopportunities. AlthoughEco’sbusinessappealstoa niche
marketthere are manyblogs, publicationsandindustryassociationswithdeeppenetrationintothesetarget markets.
If Ecoutilizes its currentconnectionsandbuildsoutits marketingtoincludekeyinfluencersthenEcowillfindit can
accessalargerclientbasewithoutincurringanyadditionalexpenses.
