The document discusses the shift in marketing strategy for Southern Norway's Destination Management Organization (DMO) from a "bought and paid for" approach to one focused on building honest and deserved experiences. With limited resources, the DMO aims to be a local champion rather than world champion. It started digitizing in 2010 and its vision is to be number one in repeat visitation and repurchases. The DMO is part of a cluster program to drive research, innovation, and digital focus while delivering short-term results and long-term strategy. The key is meeting customers where they are through experiences, guest management, and digital and management systems.

1. A DMO shifting from
”bought and paid for to honest
and deserved” marketing
- a case from Southern Norway
Heidi Sørvig
managingdirector

2. Southern Norway???
”Sørlandet”

5. What to do?
• Primarilydomestic market
• Limited resources (money)
• More important to be ”local champion”
than world champion
• Little or noknowlegdeofthe digital
marketing shift

7. Satisfiedcustomersareour most
important marketing assets

9. Our ”digital starting” in 2010

10. Vision:
Sørlandet are to be no.1 in
repeatvisitation/repurchase

11. It costs up to five times as
much to
developnewcustomers as
it does to
retainexistingcustomerrel
ationships(Framnes and Thjømøe, 2003”

12. • Part
oftheNorwegianclus
ter program
”Arena”
• 74
companiesthatwork
in a
commitednetwork
• Research and
Innovation
• Digital is

13. During thevisit
EXPERIENCES
Beforethevisit Afterthevisit
GUEST MANAGEMENT
DREAMS SYSTEM MEMORIES
REPURCHASE
RECOMMENDATION

14. Secureshort-
termresults, whiledevelopin
gstrategic and long-term
Visitor Corporate Social
experiences
and analog Responsibility
repeatvisitati
on/repurchas
e
ERM systems
CRM systems
digital
Management systems
(RevenueMangement)
2012 2016 Time

15. Ensurepresentation

16. Attitudes, tools and methods
Complaintsarethe best!
Are
yourcustomerssayin
g ”thankyou” or
WoW? Everybodyonboard!
Want to be best in theindustry?
Involveyourcustomers!

17. Futureroleof DMO?
• No longer in ”chargeofthe marketing”
• Facilitator to assisttheindustry to be the
best – customerexperiencesarekey
• Flexible and change-oriented

18. So whatabout Southern Norway?
• Constantlytrying to keep up withchanges.
• Clusternetworkbasedonindustryneeds.
• Knowlegde-basedorganizationwithhigh
digital focus.
• No prestige in doingeverythingourselves –
better to partner withthe best.
MEET THE CUSTOMER WHERE THE CUSTOMER IS!

19. Thankyou!
/hsorvig heidi@visitsorlandet.com