The state will spend $2.8 million, most of it for television ads in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix, to attract tourists to visit Nevada in the spring and summer months.
The Nevada Tourism Commission said Wednesday it would spend $1.7 million for a total 2,794 30-second spots to run on NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox networks in Los Angeles and San Francisco, on Comcast SportsNet in San Francisco and on CBS, ABC and Fox in Phoenix.
The campaign runs from April 16 through June 30.
The state plans to again run its “Clueless Tourist” spot, which depicts a kayaker in a wetsuit on the Las Vegas Strip before dissolving into a series of scenes from Nevada’s outdoors featuring hikers, mountain bikers, kayakers and skiers. The spots are meant to convey that, in addition to the Strip, the state is home to scores of outdoor recreation opportunities.
The spots broadly display the commission's TravelNevada.com Internet site, encouraging viewers to obtain the state’s 120-page “Travel Nevada” travel and leisure guide.
The TV spots give the state additional bang for the buck, with tourism officials appearing on the “Better Arizona and Sonoran Living” television show in Phoenix and giving “Jeopardy” clues about Nevada attractions.
The commission also is spending $1 million for Internet display ads on Google and Yahoo!, video on Yahoo! and search-engine marketing on Google, Yahoo! and Bing. The ad buy also includes $60,000 for mobile media, $60,000 for social media and $6,000 for print ads in Nevada magazine.
In addition to the primary markets of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix, the state will have a smaller presence online in the markets of Salt Lake City, San Diego and three other California cities — Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield. The target market is people 25 to 54 years old, married and with a household income of more than $75,000 a year. The target market also is “travel adventure enthusiasts, young at heart, seeking new and unique experiences.”
It’s the second run for the “clueless tourist” ads, which debuted last year.
In past years, the state has conveyed a similar message with its “Bring it on,” “Discover both sides of Nevada” and “Let Nevada capture your heart” ads.
Commissioners debated whether to save some of its advertising dollars to promote its soon-to-be-unveiled brand identity, which is expected to be rolled out in late May.
John Rubino, of brand consultant GreenRubino, said in December that his firm was tinkering with a “Nevada is for do-ers” concept to deliver the message that the state is ideal for people who like to participate in a variety of activities.
Tourism Commission Director Claudia Vecchio also told the board that the commission was working on a campaign to encourage instate travel. That effort is being driven by the organization's media relations staff and will incorporate viral marketing and digital and social media.
That campaign will kick off March 1 and continue through the Memorial Day weekend and feature a competition to determine the state’s top tourism treasures in six geographic areas in the state. Using an “American Idol” style voting format on a website, the public will whittle down the top contenders from a broad field, to a top 20, to a top 10, to a top five, to a top two and the final week of voting determining the top treasures in each geographic area.
The best attractions will be announced just before Memorial Day, the traditional start of the summer travel season.
Gov. Brian Sandoval is expected to launch the “Discover Your Nevada” campaign at a press conference and take two scheduled trips between March and May to Nevada locations where he will discuss the economic impact of tourism in each area.
All creative content for the project will be designed in-house by commission staff, and $150,000 has been budgeted.