Carlsbad, the West's hottest, must-visit vacation destination.
Sound too good to be true? On the contrary, Carlsbad has every amenity that a Southern California coastal city needs to become a sustainable and desirable destination. The missing element is one thing that all successful destinations have in common, and that is a recognizable trademark or “brand.” Branding creates a positive image, deters competition, develops loyalty and provides staying power.
At a recent meeting of the Carlsbad Tourism Business Improvement District's advisory board, a consultant hired by the group to do a brand positioning study said the feedback from visitors interviewed was very positive. However, Carlsbad seemingly had little recognition outside of its primary geographic area, which includes greater Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside metro and San Diego County.
The Carlsbad Convention & Visitors Bureau has initiated a strategic public relations plan that will place focus on national media coverage for the city. The bureau's public relations plan is not a sideline or a part-time endeavor. It is a key element in our overall destination marketing program, which is crucial to achieving and maintaining our competitive edge.
Publicity does not happen magically nor do media opportunities simply drop in your lap. Understanding the behind-the-scenes conversations, relationship building and groundwork that must be laid in order to get a story in print is essential to producing unpaid coverage. This unpaid, or earned, media coverage can have a far greater impact than paid advertising or advertorial because it carries a message of implied independent endorsement by the publication that prints the story.
New tactics have been incorporated into the current public relations plan in order to have success with new goals and strategies. Some of the tactics will include market-specific regional media visits in several targeted market areas. Aside from our primary market, visits will include Phoenix and Las Vegas, as well as the Northern California area. Ongoing press releases, covering a wide range of interests promoting our destination, will be distributed either regionally or nationally, depending upon the nature of the release.
Media familiarization tours are another approach to give invited journalists an opportunity to experience Carlsbad and all that it has to offer. This was the main topic of discussion at the bureau's first public relations roundtable meeting recently held at West Inn & Suites.
The meeting was attended by public relations and communications professionals from local hotels, attractions, the city, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and the Carlsbad Village Business Association. The consensus of the group was to follow the lead of the bureau's public relations plan for themed media tours, which will highlight the best of Carlsbad.
The bureau will continue its media outreach with visits by individual journalists in order to accommodate their specific assignments, as well as generate additional coverage by attending media events sponsored by the California Travel & Tourism Commission, pitching stories, providing story ideas and distributing information about Carlsbad to editors and travel writers nationally, statewide and regionally.
Sound too good to be true? On the contrary, Carlsbad has every amenity that a Southern California coastal city needs to become a sustainable and desirable destination. The missing element is one thing that all successful destinations have in common, and that is a recognizable trademark or “brand.” Branding creates a positive image, deters competition, develops loyalty and provides staying power.
At a recent meeting of the Carlsbad Tourism Business Improvement District's advisory board, a consultant hired by the group to do a brand positioning study said the feedback from visitors interviewed was very positive. However, Carlsbad seemingly had little recognition outside of its primary geographic area, which includes greater Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside metro and San Diego County.
The Carlsbad Convention & Visitors Bureau has initiated a strategic public relations plan that will place focus on national media coverage for the city. The bureau's public relations plan is not a sideline or a part-time endeavor. It is a key element in our overall destination marketing program, which is crucial to achieving and maintaining our competitive edge.
Publicity does not happen magically nor do media opportunities simply drop in your lap. Understanding the behind-the-scenes conversations, relationship building and groundwork that must be laid in order to get a story in print is essential to producing unpaid coverage. This unpaid, or earned, media coverage can have a far greater impact than paid advertising or advertorial because it carries a message of implied independent endorsement by the publication that prints the story.
New tactics have been incorporated into the current public relations plan in order to have success with new goals and strategies. Some of the tactics will include market-specific regional media visits in several targeted market areas. Aside from our primary market, visits will include Phoenix and Las Vegas, as well as the Northern California area. Ongoing press releases, covering a wide range of interests promoting our destination, will be distributed either regionally or nationally, depending upon the nature of the release.
Media familiarization tours are another approach to give invited journalists an opportunity to experience Carlsbad and all that it has to offer. This was the main topic of discussion at the bureau's first public relations roundtable meeting recently held at West Inn & Suites.
The meeting was attended by public relations and communications professionals from local hotels, attractions, the city, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and the Carlsbad Village Business Association. The consensus of the group was to follow the lead of the bureau's public relations plan for themed media tours, which will highlight the best of Carlsbad.
The bureau will continue its media outreach with visits by individual journalists in order to accommodate their specific assignments, as well as generate additional coverage by attending media events sponsored by the California Travel & Tourism Commission, pitching stories, providing story ideas and distributing information about Carlsbad to editors and travel writers nationally, statewide and regionally.