Have you ever been truly enthusiastic about a new tool for your business? I can count on one hand the times in my career that I have been as excited about a new product as I am about the Carlsbad Convention & Visitors Bureau's sleek new media kit.
After much research and countless conversations with travel writers and editors, the new kit has been totally redesigned to better suit the needs of the travel media. The new compact design is a sturdy five and a half inches by seven inches of brilliantly colored photographs and editorial that is designed to grab the eye of the travel media. All of the photographs depict Carlsbad at its best; the sea bluffs covered in springtime flowers, surfers, spas, the Village, golf, families at play and, of course, The Flower Fields and LEGOLAND.
Another component of the package is a CD that contains high-resolution photographs and press releases. The advantage of this element is that it can be designed to target specific markets or media outlets the bureau may be focusing on.
“I am pleased with how well this new project came together,” said Kurt Burkhart, the bureau's executive director. “Our new media kit is a vital component to the bureau's PR work plan.”
In recent years, large folder-style media kits have been bypassed by journalists who don't want to lug around a large package of collateral that could easily be obtained online or mailed at their request. We listened to their needs and with the creative expertise of our design group, we produced our all-inclusive media package. This new product initiative provides the bureau with a unique tool for getting through the editor's “brick wall” and to get our story in print, broadcast or online.
“The media is an incredibly competitive lot and so it is creativity, together with a heavy dose of persistence, which pays off in generating earned media,” Burkhart said. “We believe our new media kit will help in our effort to get those doors opened.”
I had a chance to test the waters in November with our new package while attending Travel Media Showcase, an annual media event that is attended by travel writers and editors from all over the United States and Canada. Time after time, each journalist stated they did not want a media kit because they take up too much space. However, during the prescheduled appointments I had with journalists, each decided that they really did love it, especially because of its compact size.
Writer Ann Terry Hill commented, “You guys have really hit a home run with this. All of the other writers are talking about it.”
From what I witnessed amongst the other exhibitors, I was the only one who apparently had no kits to bring back after the event. Mission accomplished!
The bureau produced 1,000 of these kits, with many of them to be mailed to specific travel editors and journalists. Of course, the goal is to have follow-up conversations, visits by journalists and, ultimately, a positive story written about Carlsbad, the best Southern California seaside city to visit.
After much research and countless conversations with travel writers and editors, the new kit has been totally redesigned to better suit the needs of the travel media. The new compact design is a sturdy five and a half inches by seven inches of brilliantly colored photographs and editorial that is designed to grab the eye of the travel media. All of the photographs depict Carlsbad at its best; the sea bluffs covered in springtime flowers, surfers, spas, the Village, golf, families at play and, of course, The Flower Fields and LEGOLAND.
Another component of the package is a CD that contains high-resolution photographs and press releases. The advantage of this element is that it can be designed to target specific markets or media outlets the bureau may be focusing on.
“I am pleased with how well this new project came together,” said Kurt Burkhart, the bureau's executive director. “Our new media kit is a vital component to the bureau's PR work plan.”
In recent years, large folder-style media kits have been bypassed by journalists who don't want to lug around a large package of collateral that could easily be obtained online or mailed at their request. We listened to their needs and with the creative expertise of our design group, we produced our all-inclusive media package. This new product initiative provides the bureau with a unique tool for getting through the editor's “brick wall” and to get our story in print, broadcast or online.
“The media is an incredibly competitive lot and so it is creativity, together with a heavy dose of persistence, which pays off in generating earned media,” Burkhart said. “We believe our new media kit will help in our effort to get those doors opened.”
I had a chance to test the waters in November with our new package while attending Travel Media Showcase, an annual media event that is attended by travel writers and editors from all over the United States and Canada. Time after time, each journalist stated they did not want a media kit because they take up too much space. However, during the prescheduled appointments I had with journalists, each decided that they really did love it, especially because of its compact size.
Writer Ann Terry Hill commented, “You guys have really hit a home run with this. All of the other writers are talking about it.”
From what I witnessed amongst the other exhibitors, I was the only one who apparently had no kits to bring back after the event. Mission accomplished!
The bureau produced 1,000 of these kits, with many of them to be mailed to specific travel editors and journalists. Of course, the goal is to have follow-up conversations, visits by journalists and, ultimately, a positive story written about Carlsbad, the best Southern California seaside city to visit.