The Ohio Tourism Division is responsible for promoting tourism to stimulate in-state spending and the economy. Fahlgren Mortine has served as agency of record for 9 years and has repeatedly won national recognition for maintaining the best strategic media relations program of its kind.

Challenges

• To maintain and increase market share against key competitors (contiguous states), Ohio must differentiate itself in the minds of key influencers to earn additional exposure despite being outspent in terms of marketing budget
• Based on the funding model for the Division, program efforts and results must highlight and include all types of destinations, geographies and industry segments

Approach

Create a multi-level program focused on telling the stories of Ohio’s unique experiences, new additions, unique attractions, legendary sites and little-known hidden gems.

• Use media tours, micro-campaigns, media partnerships, social engagement and constant story mining to ensure year-round coverage
• Cultivate relationships with travel partners (CVBs, DMOs, travel agents, etc.) to build statewide collaboration
• Embrace social engagement to connect directly with consumers seeking travel information and ideas

Results

• On average, the media relations campaign is directly responsible for an audience reach of approx 190M with an estimated 20% annual increase
• The media relations campaign supports an overall marketing ROI of 12:1
• Each year, Fahlgren Mortine successfully secures feature coverage in key targets including network morning shows, USA Today, Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, Sherman’s Travel, Travel + Leisure, Midwest Living, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, MSNBC.com, popular travel blogs and many others

“The Ohio Tourism Division is always so organized and I really appreciate the work you do for them.” — Beth Harpaz, National Travel Editor, Associated Press