Campaign Book for the Marshfield Convention and Visitors Bureau

8/7/2019 Campaign Book for the Marshfield Convention and Visitors Bureau

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M A R S H F I E L D C V B - C A M P A I G N B O O K





N u V o x A g e n c y - C a m p a i g n B o o k

M i c h a e l C h e n g - S t e r l i n g C r a i n - J a m i e D a i g l e - D a n n y D ‘ a p u z z oB e c k y L a z a r u s - L a u r e n M a k i - D o u g N e l s o n - C o r r y S a l m



04 TABLE OF CONTENTS



05

Our Team

Executive Summary

Situtation Analysis

Research

SWOT

Marketing

Advertising

Creative

Print

Collateral

Digital TV

Sales Promotion/PR

Media Plan

Budget

Additional Recommendations

Bibliography

Appendix

6

8

12

38

46

48

52

56

56

64

6876

80

88

98

102

108

DVD



06 TEAM MEMBERS

NuVox (pronounced new-vox) uses the Latin translation for “voice” to sum up our core philosophy.

We believe the best solutions don’t imitate what’s been done before, but instead provide our

clients with fresh and innovative ideas that improve their business. We look forward to working

with the Mashfeld Convention & Visitors Bureau to discover Marshfeld’s new voice.



07



08 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



09

The city of Marsheld is located in the center of Wisconsin, falling

within both Wood County and Marathon County. Being in the

heart of the state, Marsheld has been a destination for reunions,

conventions, festivals, and vacations. The Marsheld Convention

& Visitors Bureau works year-round to promote the abundance of

attractions and events that take place in Marsheld. Most festivalshave achieved great success, such as the annual Maple Fall

Fest that attracts about 22,000 people annually. The city’s warm

personality is what entices visitors to return.

The Marsheld Clinic, the largest private medical group in

Wisconsin, brings in large numbers of patients each year from all

over the state. The Marsheld CVB recognizes the opportunity in

reaching these patients and wants to encourage them to spend extra

time in the city, exploring all it has to offer. However, the Marsheld

CVB also recognizes that the clinic is an overshadowing gure in

the city, which is causing the CVB’s brand personality to fade into

the background. For this reason, the Marsheld CVB has decided to

seek a marketing plan in order to uniquely brand itself, apart from the

clinic.

The implementation of a strategic marketing plan will allow

Marsheld to capitalize on its potential as a vacation destination.

The NuVox Agency recognizes the importance of distinguishing

the Marsheld CVB as an entity separate from the Marsheld Clinic

and convincing Wisconsin residents that Marsheld is a city worth

visiting. These two goals led to NuVox’s new campaign, “It’s In Our

Nature.”

Research

In order to discover how Midwesterners plan vacations, NuVox

conducted quantitative and qualitative research through a survey

and digital ethnography. The goal of the survey was to determine

what motivates Midwesterners to take vacations, where they

seek travel information, and to gauge their willingness to visit a

destination after traveling to a clinic.

The most notable ndings include Midwesterners’ tendency to

seek information through travel websites and word-of-mouth,

their inclination of booking their trips on these websites, and their

eagerness to return home immediately after a clinic visit. The

survey reinforced that it would be difcult for the Marsheld CVB to

convert clinic visitors into leisure visitors; though there is potential

in keeping some patients for additional nights. It also conrmed

that marketing efforts must be focused on distinguishing the city

from the clinic. Another obstacle identied from the survey is that

visitors favor traveling to destinations where they can visit family

and friends. While potential guests may not have friends or family

living in Marsheld, NuVox took note that emphasizing traveling



1010

old. These young parents seek relaxing vacations where they can

reconnect with their family. They care more about bonding than about

specic attractions.

To appeal to both markets, NuVox decided to position Marsheld as

a place to create new memories, experience festivals and gain an

appreciation for the important things in life. NuVox will reach Baby

Boomers and young families living within 150 miles of Marsheld, for

whom the trip would remain convenient and cost-effective. Lastly,

NuVox’s highest priority is to provide the Marsheld CVB with a

strong web presence and consistent brand image through online

magazines, newspapers, and travel websites.

Advertising

NuVox’s advertising objectives are to increase awareness of

Marsheld as a top Central Wisconsin destination among potential

visitors, and to convince previous visitors that Marsheld is a place

worth revisiting and recommending to friends.

From both the primary and secondary research mentioned above,

NuVox focused on creating advertisements showcasing the warmth

of Marsheld as being a place to create memories and to rediscover

the important things in life. NuVox recommends the CVB use the

tagline “It’s In Our Nature”. This tagline plays on three different

aspects: Marsheld’s personality, Marsheld’s physical nature, and

human nature. First, it’s in Marsheld’s nature to have families come

together. Due to Marsheld’s interesting attractions, unique festivals,

natural recreation and welcoming spirit, Marsheld is a destination

where family and friends can bond and form memories that will be

remembered forever. Second, Marsheld’s physical nature offers

a fresh environment that allows visitors to partake in a variety ofoutdoor activities. Finally, it’s in human nature to want to take the time

to enjoy the little things in life with the ones we love.

with family and friends can still appeal to Midwesterners. Lastly,

the survey demonstrated the importance of reaching consumers

via travel websites and producing rewards programs that prompt

conversations.

After evaluating primary research, NuVox conducted digital

ethnography by scanning various blogs and travel platforms.

Through this study, NuVox discovered the unique Midwestern work

ethic – people in this region work very hard, but take pride in their

determination and get joy from being busy. Because of this nding,

NuVox was careful not to focus our campaign solely on escaping

work, as this is not something the target audience is looking for.

Other research led to the development of the eight steps a potential

Marsheld visitor will encounter when planning a vacation, a process

NuVox calls The Consumer Journey. The eight steps are as follows:

awareness, interest, intent, planning, booking, anticipation, trip and

sharing. By tailoring specic messages and overcoming barriers for

consumers at each of these steps, a trip to Marsheld will t more

easily into potential visitors’ habits. Each step is further addressed in

NuVox’s marketing plan.

Marketing

In order for the Marsheld CVB to increase revenues through hotel

bookings and visitors, NuVox created an extensive marketing plan

that will effectively reach two target markets, both living within 150

miles of Marsheld.

The primary target market consists of Baby Boomers, 46-64 years

old, who are avid travelers. This group is willing to travel more

than 100 miles for a vacation, and they enjoy traveling to uniquedestinations. Fifty percent of Baby Boomers enjoy sightseeing,

cultural events and historical sites, three activities that Marsheld

offers. They also use social media and enjoy interacting with brands.

The secondary market consists of young parents, 30-45 years



11

target audiences when they are seeking travel information. NuVox

also selected three print magazines that have large distribution

throughout Wisconsin and contain content relevant to Wisconsin

vacations. Magazines have a long shelf life, high pass-along rate

and superior print quality.

The Marsheld CVB demonstrated a desire to produce a television

commercial because success was achieved in the past through this

medium. NuVox created a storyboard for the Marsheld CVB to use;

however, we determined that producing and placing commercials

will be effective only with a larger budget. At the end of this book,

we have placed two separate media plans and budgets for the

Marsheld CVB. One plan is created for the $40,000 budget, the

amount that the Marsheld CVB originally proposed. The second

plan is for a $100,000 budget, which includes commercials and a

greater breadth and depth of placements. Using the spreadsheet

and pricing information we have provided, the Marsheld CVB will be

able to customize a media plan and budget that is appropriate and

ideal for their goals.

Conclusion

The Marsheld CVB already achieves annual success through

festivals, but NuVox believes there is potential to grow the city into

a popular vacation destination among Wisconsin residents between

festivals. By positioning Marsheld as a place to create memories

with family and rediscover the important things in life, Midwestern

Baby Boomers and young families will see the value in planning a

vacation to the area. Marsheld will develop a strong image and

reputation that is separate from The Marsheld Clinic. The NuVox

“It’s In Our Nature” campaign will reverberate among Midwesterners

and lift Marsheld to become a top-of-mind central-Wisconsinvacation destination.

PR/Sales Promotion

To increase awareness and word-of-mouth amongst both target

markets, NuVox Agency provides a set of public relations and sales

promotion activities to implement over the course of one year. These

activities include: The Marsheld Visitor’s Pass, “In The Marsh”,

Festival Giveaways, and Marsh Field Day.

The Marsheld Visitor’s Pass is a rewards program for visitors who

come to Marsheld and support local businesses. “In The Marsh”, a

social media campaign, creates an online community where visitors

can share their Marsheld experiences. The campaign will cause

word-of-mouth buzz, which will entice potential visitors to learn more.

Festival Giveaways will increase trafc to the CVB’s website and will

provide the CVB with a list of e-mail addresses, which they can use

to contact potential visitors in the future. Lastly, to capitalize on the

presence of the world-renowned Marsheld Clinic, NuVox developed

an event called Marsh Field Day, which aims to bring clinic visitors

out of the facility and into the city. The event has an emphasis on

children’s health education through games, activities, information

booths for parents and children, as well as the Doc Marsh character.

This event provides the potential to capture free media impressionsby publicizing the event though a press release.

Media/Budget

To achieve the best results for the Marsheld CVB, the emphasis

of the media plan has been placed on digital advertising, with the

inclusion of select traditional magazines. Since both target markets

seek travel information online, NuVox decided to place online banner

ads on local travel websites and online newspapers. These media

vehicles are effective because our target markets are visitors wholive semi-locally (150 miles from Marsheld). In addition, we believe

that people seeking information on Marsheld would use local

sources as reference guides, not national or large-scale publications.

Lastly, local digital vehicles are very cost-effective, and reach both



12 SITUATION ANALYSIS





1414

Company

The City of Marsheld

Location

The city of Marsheld is located directly in the center of the state of

Wisconsin, hence it’s nickname, the “Hub City.” Its boundaries fall

within two different counties, Wood County and Marathon County—

the majority of Marsheld being in Wood County. Wood County, with

about 77,000 residents, is famous for its local cranberry growers

who are among the nations largest cranberry producers. MarathonCounty is much larger, with about 136,000 residents. Marsheld is

123 miles from Green Bay, 141 Miles from Madison, 161 miles from

Minneapolis, 193 miles from Milwaukee, and 275 miles from Chicago

(Kirn, 2011).

An issue that is likely contributing to the slow tourism business is

Marsheld’s distance from any major interstate. This is a problem

because about 99% of visitors arrive in Marsheld by automobile

(Kirn, 2011). As seen in Figure 2, Highway 10 currently runs through

Marsheld, but is only two lanes wide. The city is 40 miles froma major interstate (I-39) and is 60 miles to I-90/94. Highway 10,

however, is currently under construction and will be a four-lane

highway by 2012.

There is a municipal airport in Marsheld, but the trafc through this

airport is sparse. The nearest regional airport, Central Wisconsin

Airport in Mosinee, is 35 miles away. Marsheld is not closely

located to any major bodies of water, a factor possibly adding to

the unsatisfactory tourism rates. Lake Michigan is 133 miles away,

and the Mississippi River is 101 miles away. Many of Marsheld’scompetitors are located near water where visitors can enjoy water-

related activities. See page 26 for Competitive Analysis.

Tourism is one of the major industries in Wisconsin, along with

agriculture and manufacturing. The travel industry provides most of

the jobs in Wisconsin, which in turn compliments the manufacturing

and agriculture industries. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism,

as a whole, spent around $10 million in 2009 to promote the state

as a travel destination. On an even more regional level Marathon

Country ranked 11th out of the 72 counties in Wisconsin in total travel

expenditures for 2009 with $2.5 million (2.07% of Wisconsin’s travel

expenditures). Wood County ranked 29th with $1.14 million (0.95%).

Looking over a 13-year period between 1996 and 2009, Marathon

and Wood counties experienced increases in travel expenditures by

128% and 59%, respectively. To put this in relation to the entire state

of Wisconsin, the total travel expenditures increased by 80.5%.

Figure 1. Breakdown of travel expenditures



15

Demographics

About 1,000 of Marsheld’s approximately 20,000 residents have

occupations within the medical eld. Because of this, the city’s

residents have a higher income/education level than Wood County as

a whole. According to the Census’ 2005-2009 American Community

Survey, Wood County has an average household income of $57,914

while Marsheld has an average household income of $58,794.

The median age is 40.9 years old. Ninety-seven percent of the

population is white, and families make up 58% of the households in

Marsheld. Ninety-seven percent of Marsheld’s population was born

in the United States, including the 78% who were born in Wisconsin.

In 2005-2009, 87% of people 25 years or older had at least a high

school diploma, and 26% had a bachelor’s degree or higher (U.S.

Census Bureau, 2009).

Personality

The city’s personality is considered to be rural, friendly, laid-back,

and down-to-earth. It is also closely associated to the medical

eld due to the Marsheld clinic in town, which drives Marsheld’s

economy. Also, most visitors to Marsheld come because of the

clinic; they are usually from Wisconsin or the surrounding states

(Kirn, 2011).

Forbes Magazine ranked Marsheld as the 5th best small city in

which to raise a family because of short commute times, educational

outcomes, median household income, rate of home ownership, and

housing affordability. The city was also ranked 14th in the nation, 3rd

in the Midwest and 1st in Wisconsin as best city to live in. Marsheld

ranked as the 8th best “Dream City” in America (Kirn, 2011).

While it is a popular consideration for a residential area, Marsheld is

not a common vacation destination. Marsheld’s peak tourism times

are May through October, and the down time is during January and

February. Most visitors are from Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Michigan,

Illinois and Iowa (Kirn, 2011).

Figure 2. Map of Interstate highways surrounding Marsheld



1616

Marsheld often plans new and different festivals each year because

it is often the same people who attend the festivals; therefore, variety

is necessary to keep them coming back.

Area Attractions/Tours

One of the most popular attractions in Marsheld is the unique

JuRustic Park, seen in Figure 3. It is a collection of rusted metal

sculptures created by a resident, Clyde Wynia. Also on site is Clyde’s

wife’s art shop where visitors can purchase jewelry, crafted glass,

bers (knitting, spinning, etc.) and life size soft sculptures. JuRustic

Park is open most of the spring, summer and fall until 4:30 p.m. and

has no admission fee; however, fees are assessed for guided group

tours (Preuss, 2010).

The World’s Largest Round Barn (Figure 4) is also located on the

Marsheld Fairgrounds. It is the only one of its kind in the entire

United States. It was built in 1916 and is 150 feet in diameter and 70

feet high. It has a unique architectural build as there are no apparent

supporting beams and was built without the benet of scaffolding.

Festivals/Events

Marsheld hosts a multitude of festivals and tours every year,including Dairyfest, Maple Fall Fest, and Dance and Romance

weekend. The city offers a service to visitors by helping groups book

hotels and by providing itineraries and guides for the tours.

Dairyfest, which takes place in June, is one of the largest festivals. At

the festival, breakfast is served in the World’s Largest Round Barn to

5,000 people. The festival then concludes with a parade. This event

usually brings in about 25,000 people and has been a part of the city

for 29 years.

Another event is the Dance & Romance Weekend, which is in its 11th

year. At this year’s event in February, Marsheld brought in Polka

bands, a Beatles Tribute band and an Elvis impersonator. This event

is the only event for which tickets are sold; however, it has been a

consistent outcome each year to barely break even.

A popular event in September is the Maple Fall Fest. Here, visitors

will nd 150 arts and crafts vendors, a pancake breakfast, maple

seminars, Amish specialties, a farmer’s market and a children’s

petting zoo. The Marsheld CVB uses this event as a promotion for

the harvest season, and it brings in about 22,000 attendees.

Two days out of the year the Marsheld CVB hosts a Spud, Berry

and Dairy Tour. For 48 years there has been a Mother’s Day art fair,

where visitors can nd ne art, crafts, mid-western artists, and area

musicians and performers. The Marsheld CVB also puts together

a Fall Color Motorcycle Ride in early October, a National Trappers

Convention in September, and a Snocross Race in February. Each

year during early September, the Central Wisconsin State Fair brings

in 100,000 people to Marsheld. It is held in the World’s LargestRound Barn before Labor Day. Downtown Days is the last weekend

in July where attendees can enjoy live music, food, and beverages all

along Central Avenue in Downtown Marsheld.

Figure 3. Statues in JuRustic Park.







19

Marsheld Convention and Visitors Bureau

Mission

The Marsheld CVB is a non-prot organization dedicated to

attracting visitors to the greater Marsheld, WI area. The mission

statement is as follows: “The mission of the Marsheld Convention

and Visitor’s Bureau is to lead the development of Marsheld’s

hospitality industry through aggressive marketing of its attractions,

assets and facilities” (Kirn, 2011).

Purpose

The Marsheld CVB supports the local hotels and motels,

restaurants, attractions, festivals, and conference center facilities.

The Marsheld CVB’s main focuses are getting “heads in beds,”

hospitality, conference center services, festivals and events,

promotion of area attractions and motor coach tours.

Income

The Marsheld CVB is funded by two main sources, hotel room

tax and income generated by festivals. The hotel/motel room tax

is collected and administered by the City of Marsheld, WI; the

Marsheld CVB does not directly collect this money.

The Marsheld CVB’s income statement from 2010, showed a Year-

to-Date total revenue of 263,560.86, a Year-to-Date total expenses

of $241,477.08 resulting in a net income of $22,083.78.

As shown in Figure 6, there is a severe drop in income from 2007 to

2008. This is largely due to the fact that neither 2006 nor 2007 hada visitor guide expense, but 2008 included a visitor guide expense

of slightly over $21,000. In 2008 Marsheld CVB only had a visitor

guide revenue of $11,880, but this jumped to nearly $21,000 in

2009, explaining the large increase in income from 2008-2009. After

personnel. Rates are around $38.70-$46 per night (“Park motel,”

2008).

The Stardust Motel is a small family-owned motel, which offers AARP,

AAA, construction worker, and clinic discounts (“Stardust motel,”

2011).

Woodeld Inn & Suites has 105 oversized rooms as well as 5 suites.

It is located 6 blocks from the Marsheld Clinic. Many online reviews

indicate that this hotel is dirty and the staff is rude (“Trip advisor;

Woodeld,” 2011). The room rates range from $58.85-$79.98 per

night (“Woodeld inn and,” 2011).

Hillcrest Motor Lodge is a small motel, bringing in a revenue of less

than $500,000 a year (“Hillcrest motel,” 2011). Neva Jean Motel is

another small motel, which offers nightly and monthly rates (“Neva

jean motel,” 2011).

Pricing

Hotel prices range from $38.70 at the Park Motel to $204.99 at the

Holiday Inn and Conference Center.

The majority of the attractions, including JuRustic Park, Wildwood

Zoo and the World’s Largest Round Barn, have no admission fee;

however, some attractions require fees for group tours. Upham

Mansion requires a $2.00 admission fee for adults, but children enter

with no fee.

Distribution

Visitors come from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, and North

Dakota (Kirn, 2011).



2020

marketing plan, which is vital for attracting tourists and encouraging

them to return, has not been established.

The Marsheld CVB uses a variety of outlets to attract visitors,

including visitor guides, public relation pieces, event T-shirts,

a Marsheld CVB website, a Facebook page, television ads,

promotional videos and ads in a few prominent newspapers.

Visitor’s Guide

Explanation:Each year the Marsheld CVB prints out 20,000 new visitor guides

and mails them to potential visitors in the Marsheld area. Thevisitor guide is also available online, although it is difcult to locate.

The 2010 Marsheld Visitor Guide is seen in Figure 7 and the 2011

Marsheld Visitor Guide is seen in Figure 8.analyzing the Marsheld CVB’s income statement, it is apparent that

their net income relies heavily on the expenses and revenues related

to the Visitor Guide.

Partnerships

Marsheld has partnered with many local businesses and

organizations such as the Marsheld Area Chamber of Commerceand Central Wisconsin Synergy, which help with business

development. Marsheld is a part of the Central Wisconsin Tourism

Association, a collaboration of Central Wisconsin convention centers

including Marsheld’s competition. Marsheld also partners with

Wood County, WI; City of Marsheld, WI; Marsheld Clinic; St.

Joseph Hospital; and various local community and civic organizations

(Kirn, 2011).

Current and Past Promotions

The Marsheld CVB has struggled to maintain a strong, uniform

brand identity over the years. Although the Marsheld CVB has

implemented advertising strategies, these have not been consistent

enough across promotional items. In addition, a well-drafted

Figure 6. Graph of the Marsheld CVB Net Income

Figures 7 & 8. Marsheld CVB Visitor’s Guides.



21

calming scene of ducks and the tagline, “You’re in Marsheld,

Relax.” This positioning is stronger than “Fairs, Festivals and Fun”

and NuVox believes it will resonate more strongly with the targetaudience. The layout is much cleaner than the 2010 guide, and the

font is signicantly more readable. Although photos would make it

more attractive, it has enough text and color variations to keep the

reader interested. The map on the inside is colorful, fun, and a great

guide to the city.

PR Pieces

Explanation:

The Marsheld CVB disperses public relations pieces mainly toencourage potential tourists to attend its events. These pieces have

calendars that list the main events for the next few months.

Creative Evaluation:The pieces available to NuVox were all easy to read and informative.

The photos used were fun and t the season in which the events are

held. However, the fonts from the four pieces we evaluated were all

different, and the only slightly uniform branding was the Marsheld

Convention and Visitors Bureau logo, but even the design of this

varied. NuVox believes that a consistent tagline and branding of

Marsheld should be implemented in every Public Relations piece.

Event T-Shirts

Explanation:The Marsheld CVB makes and sells T-shirts for two of their

festivals: Maple Fall Fest and Yellowstone Trail Fall Color Ride. The

Chamber of Commerce creates a T-shirt for Dairyfest. The T-shirts

that are not sold are donated to the local businesses that sponsored

the events.

Creative Evaluation:In the 2010 guide, the cover is colorful and eye-catching, promoting

its tagline of “Fairs, Festivals and Fun”. The second page offersa very informative list of Marsheld’s most popular festivals.

Throughout the pamphlet, the layout and font are consistent;

however, the guide is very text-heavy. Ads are primarily placed on

the right page, which draws the eye away from important information

about Marsheld, located on the left page. An example of this can

be seen in Figure 9. At times, the content is mixed with ads, making

it hard to distinguish one from the other. There are few pictures

associated with the content, and when present, they seem random

and forced. The guide appears too cluttered and large (67 pages) to

act as a positive representation of Marsheld.

The 2011 guide, however, is a big step in the right direction. It is

only a few pages long; this condensed version makes the planning

process much easier for potential tourists. The cover features a

Figure 9. Inside of the 2010 Marsheld CVB Visitor Guide.



2222

Website

Explanation:The ofcial Marsheld CVB website sees an average of 1,600-1,700

hits a week, which is fairly high considering the size of the city. Its

main use is for providing festival and attraction information, but the

website itself has not been updated since its creation two years ago.

When searching for “Marsheld CVB” on Google, it is the rst result.

However, if you simply search for “Marsheld”, “Marsheld Vacation”,

“Marsheld Information”, or “Wisconsin Vacation”, the CVB site does

not show up on the rst page. In order to direct as much trafc to the

website and, consequently, the city, the website must be optimized to

appear as high up on the results page as possible.

Creative Evaluation:Upon arriving at the site, the amount of information and pictures

makes the homepage appear cluttered and overwhelming. Because

it lacks a focus, the average viewer may feel confused and unsure

of where to click rst. Besides the chaos on the home page, the site

appears professional and has a well-organized navigation system.

In particular, the “Featured Events” bar on the home page is very

helpful for tourists. There are many pictures that correspond with

places and events, which help to bring the site together. More specic

recommendations regarding the website can be found on page 73.

Creative Evaluation:The shirts created by Marsheld CVB (Maple Fall Fest and

Yellowstone Trail Fall Color Ride; Figures 10 & 11 respectively)look to be professionally designed and printed. The Marsheld CVB

makes use of screen-printing and gradients rendered as a halftone

pattern. The Marsheld CVB’s T-shirts are colorful and the graphics

are appropriate for each event.

The Dairyfest T-shirt (Figure

12), created by the Chamber of

Commerce, is an iron-on graphic.

This technique looks much less

professional than the screen-

printed technique. The graphic

is a bit out-of-date and looks too

much like clip-art.

Figure 10. Maple Fall Fest

T-shirt.

Figure 12. Dairyfest T-shirt.

Figure 13. Marsheld CVB Website.

Figure 11. Yellowstone Trail Fall

Color Ride T-shirt.





2424

Prospect

Currently, Marsheld is heavily dependent on the visitors who attend

its many festivals such as Dairyfest, Dance and Romance weekend,

and the Maple Fall Fest. These events have been quite successful in

bringing in tourists from surrounding areas. For example, Marsheld’s

Dairyfest has had an attendance of almost 25,000 people, and the

Maple Fall Fest has had an attendance of around 22,000.

Secondary research, through Mintel Consumer Reports, revealed

the best potential market for the Marsheld CVB to target is Baby

Boomers aged 45 to 64 years. According to these reports, thisgeneration has unique traveling habits that make them an appealing

target to Marsheld. One-third of all leisure travel spending comes

from this generation. Sixty-eight percent of Baby Boomers have taken

a trip to a destination that was over 100 miles away in the past year,

putting Marsheld CVB’s primary target market in the Wisconsin area,

as well as parts of Iowa and Northern Illinois. Sixty-eight percent of

this group report staying overnight at a hotel/motel domestically in

the past year. Because Marsheld CVB is dependent on revenues

from local hotels, this statistic emphasizes why Baby Boomers are an

important market to target (“Baby Boomers,” 2010).

Baby Boomers have a wide variety of interests when they travel.

Because of this Marsheld’s advertising efforts should avoid

narrowing the target audience, as it would be ineffective to alienate

any of these potential visitors. Baby Boomers’ varying interests

indicate that a destination offering cultural activities and overall

uniqueness appeal most to them. Most importantly, 70% of Baby

Boomers who have taken a domestic vacation in the past year claim

that relaxation is the most important factor when planning a trip.

Baby Boomers are also looking for independence in their trips; morethan one-third cite wanting to “get off the beaten path” as a reason

for traveling. Around half of these travelers report an easy-to-reach

location to be a key factor in selecting their vacation destinations.

The addition of Highway 10 in the near future will greatly help

Creative Evaluation:The Doc Marsh graphic is of very low quality and looks more like a

sketch, not a cartoon. Since the character was designed to be usedin the Pediatric Ward, we believe that Doc Marsh should be more

cartoon-like and fun in order to appeal to a younger generation.

Branding

Explanation:In the past, the Marsheld CVB has branded itself as the place for

“Fairs, Festivals and Fun”. Although this slogan lacked a uniform

typeface and image across mediums, the message was the same

and the imagery was always fun and whimsical. This branding putgreat emphasis on unique events happening in Marsheld. Currently,

the Marsheld CVB is implementing the branding of Wood County as

a whole, with the tagline “Good Times Are Carved In Wood County”.

Creative Evaluation:The past use of “Fairs Festivals and Fun” was not cohesively

branded due to the lack of a uniformed typeface, color palate, and

image. Although “Good Times Are Carved In Wood County” is a

suitable branding effort for the county as a whole, it does not allow

Marsheld to stand out as a vacation destination independent of

Wood County. In order to establish Marsheld as an identiable

place to visit, a campaign for the city’s unique attractions, festivals,

and characteristics should be implemented.

Figure 16. Branding Examples for Marsheld & Wood County.



25

percent of families feel that they are emotionally closer after going on

a trip. This suggests that messages from the Marsheld CVB need

to go beyond merely advertising specic attractions, but promote thepotential family-bonding activities that could bring families together

(“Family vacations,” 2010).

According to primary research (which can be found on page 38),

the ideal characteristics for both prospective markets are that they

live at least within a 150-mile radius of Marsheld and are willing

to spend between $150 to $299 on a vacation. These groups are

looking for a wide variety of reasons to travel, but the most common

characteristics are to relax and experience something new. These

people plan their trips about one month in advanced and usewebsites to both plan and book their trips.

Behaviorally, these two groups exhibit some similar traits. They

are extremely family-oriented, exhibit a hard Midwestern work

ethic, seek a personal connection with hotels, and love their food.

Research also indicated the vast potential inherent in targeting

Marsheld Clinic visitors. Primary research found that signicant

amounts of people are indifferent towards staying an additional night

in Marsheld for recreational purposes. By appropriately targeting

this segment, Marsheld could gain a substantial amount of visitorswho hadn’t considered staying before.

Lastly, the Marsheld CVB’s services, which plan trips for visitors,

may not be an important selling point for those looking to visit.

According to NuVox’s survey, 73% of people prefer planning their

trips completely independently and expressed no interest in a trip

planning service.

the Marsheld CVB in attracting these consumers as it will make

traveling to Marsheld faster and more convenient. Half of Baby

Boomers enjoy sightseeing, cultural events, and historical sites.Thirty-two percent of all Baby Boomers have attended a local festival

while on vacation in the past year. Given the strong presence of

festivals within the community of Marsheld, there is a huge potential

to capitalize on these local events (“Baby Boomers,” 2010).

Baby Boomers are the primary target for direct mail across all travel

sectors; however, social media is quickly beginning to play a larger

role in Baby Boomers’ media habits. According to Anderson Analytics,

73% of Baby Boomers who engage in social networking are on

Facebook, as of May 2009. This statistic is likely to be higher now,in 2011. Baby Boomers enjoy brands they can interact with through

social media, such as posting stories, reviews, and photographs of

their experiences. The number of Baby Boomer travel websites is

also increasing. These websites allow users to share and receive

travel advice, vacation suggestions, tips and budgets. Baby Boomers

also show an afnity toward rewards programs, such as frequent

ier miles and car rental rewards programs. Because Baby Boomers

travel more frequently and spend more than any other generation

while traveling, a rewards program can be utilized to increase the

number of repeat visitors (“Baby Boomers,” 2010).

NuVox Agency has also identied a secondary market that could

potentially yield visitors to Marsheld. Families in which the parents

are from the age of 30 to 45 years old are also a promising group

to target. These families may have kids who are not necessarily

toddlers, but a little older in age. According to Mintel, the older the

children are in a family, the more likely they are to travel due to the

fewer hassles needed to take a vacation. Also, 40% of respondents

report taking a car trip rather than traveling by air in order to save

money. This is favorable to Marsheld due to their lack of a large

airport and the close vicinity of their visitors. These young families

are looking for a getaway; not just to experience something new, but

more importantly, to become closer with their families. Eighty-two





27

• Downtown:

• “Downtown Eau Claire is about authenticity and

discovery, without the cookie-cutter options found inalternate destinations. It’s a place that is about people,

what they do and what they like. Downtown Eau Claire

offers visitors the arts, biking, classes, culture, food,

dining, entertainment, farmers market, music, shopping

– the entire spectrum of living. Ready for discovery.

Ready to be called home. Or work. But denitely

Nothing Articial,” (“Downtown eau claire, 2011,” )

Weaknesses: • Eau Claire may be targeting too many audiences through

overly-broad positioning

Facts • Located in Northwestern Wisconsin

• Ninety miles from Minneapolis and St. Paul

• Sits between the Eau Claire and Chippewa rivers

• Accessible by Interstate 94, U.S. Route 12, U.S. Route 53 and

a couple of local highways

• Population of 65,000

• Economy supported by manufacturing, health care, information

technology and retail trade industries • University of Wisconsin satellite campus located in the city

• Historic city with many museums, preserved homes, farms,

barns, public libraries, and schoolhouses

• Twenty-three parks in or near the city where visitors can picnic,

hike, bike, canoe, sh, swim, cross-country ski, follow trails or

attend farmers markets

• Other outdoor activities include golng, Trinity Equestrian

Center, Crystal Cave and James Newman Clark Bird Museum

• (“Visit eau claire,” 2011)

Social Media Breakdown

Facebook

• More than 350 likes• Drives fans to their the officialwebsite• Status updates once or twice

per week, allowing fans to

discuss topics like their weekendplans

• Tabs for pictures, events andtwitter updates

Flickr

• Nineteen sets that highlight

outdoor activities, parks, events,shopping and more

• Forty-seven members as partof their LinkedIn group, VisitEau Claire

LinkedIn

• Content and fan base is not

as significant as their othersocial media accounts

Myspace

• YouTube channel, with 25videos and more than 5,000upload views

Youtube

• The Eau Claire CVB

tweets every few hoursabout different eventsoccurring that day• They currently have

more than 800 followerson Twitter

Twitter

Figure 19. Downtown Eau Claire Logo.





29

Stevens Point

Campaign Evaluation & Analysis

Summary: The Stevens Point CVB’s messaging provides information

on a wide variety of city activities and events.

Strengths:• Focused marketing efforts on four key markets, rather than

trying to reach everyone

Weaknesses:

• Highlight so many different aspects of visiting Stevens Point

that their efforts lack focus

• Missing consistent branding when using the term “The Point”

on their promotional materials

• The website is not visually appealing and is text heavy

• Navigation is difcult; there is nothing about the design

or layout to draw visitors in

• Their effort to provide information through press releases and

newsletters does not exhibit the qualities necessary to draw

potential visitors to the area

Facts • Located in central Wisconsin, on the Wisconsin River

• In Portage County, and serves as the county seat

• Situated at the intersection of State Highway 10 and I-39

• Population of 24,551(“Stevens point census,” 2000)

• Four key markets:

• The meeting and convention market

• Sports market

• CVB arranges local and amateur sports competitions, and

maintains the ofcial sports website for Portage County

• Motor coach and group market

• Leisure market

Promotions • Sweepstakes

• Encourages visitors to select their desired “Unexpected

Adventure” and enter personal information for the

chance to win a prize

• Helps Eau Claire track potential visitors

Mobile • Text Messaging:

• Visit Eau Claire sends text messages to subscribers

about events and restaurant deals

Nontraditional • In May and June of

2010, The Eau Claire

Convention and Visitors

Bureau created a

mobile visitor center to

disseminate informationto attendees at festivals

and sporting events

Figure 21. Eau Claire Website.

Figure 22. Mobile Application.

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3030

• Various historical sites

• Downtown area:

• Nineteenth century buildings• More than 200 businesses such as taverns, restaurants

and shops (“Attractions,” 2011)

• Accommodations:

• Sixteen hotels and motels

• 1,434 rooms available in and around Stevens Point

• Cottage rentals, campgrounds and ve bed and

breakfasts

• Pricing and Packages:

• Travelers spend an average of $341.56 during their stay

• Overnight sporting event travelers spend an average of$241.40

• Sporting event attendees spend on average $56 per day

(Stevens Point website, 2011)

• Packages:

Romantic Getaway Package

• $400, plus tax

• Two-night stay

• Champagne, owers, dinner for two and two gourmet

breakfasts.

Ramada Romance Package • Starts at $150

• Champagne and chocolates

• $50 dining credit

• Late checkout

• Exclusive discounts to visitors:

• Reduced prices at local shops, restaurants, hotels and

recreational attractions (“Specials,” 2011)

Visitors Guide

• Fifty-six pages

• Available in print and online versions

• Online Visitors Guide has scroll tools for quick and easy

viewing and an option to enlarge selected pages

• “Desirable destination for families, couples, and friends to

enjoy”

•

Attracts Midwesterners through promotional materials,including brochures, maps and travel guides (“What we do,”

2011)

• Event planners position the location as an easy destination for

conventions, events and family reunions

• Collaborates with Wisconsin Rapids and Marsheld as all

three towns are members of the Central Wisconsin Tourism

Association (CWTA)

• CWTA helps groups with their travel plans, including

arranging step on guides, welcome receptions and

planning assistance • Not a festival destination

• Local community events, which are held year round, include

concerts, museum nights and community theatre performances

• Recreational activities include biking, hiking, bird watching,

boating, shing, skiing, snowmobiling and waterway activities

• Unique Attractions:

• Stevens Point Brewery—the fth oldest continuously

operating brewery

• Sculpture Park

• 150-year-old farmers market• Planetarium


Facebook

• More than 370 likes

• Contains links to their website and visitors guide

• Status updates are shared roughly once or twice a week with

links to local events or establishments

• Video tab with four videos about recreation and attractions in

the city• Eight photo albums containing pictures from all seasons.

• The convention and visitors bureau does not promote or have

accounts with other social media such as Flicker, LinkedIn,

Myspace, Twitter, or YouTube.



31

• Press room:

• Most recent communication materials that have been

disseminated to journalists and the news media

• Information about general area attractions, county news

and special events

• Links to monthly newsletters, containing content about

specials and packages, upcoming events, visitor

information and promotions

• February Newsletter: highlights a giveaway for a free

overnight stay and dining certicate to the Stevens Point areaupon lling out a survey (“February newsletter 2010,” 2010)

• Both versions are full color

• Organized by the following sections: Table Of Contents,

Calendar Of Events, Attractions, Portage County Communities,

Sports And Recreation, Shopping, Discount Offers, Getting

Around, Dining And Entertainment, Accommodations,

Businesses And Services and Places Of Worship

• An abundance of local advertisements within the visitor guide,

including consecutive full pages of ads, with an advertiserindex in the back

• Corresponding photos are displayed next to the relevant

attractions

Website • Emphasizes what Portage County has to offer, with the

majority of attractions and events located in Stevens Point

• The individual cities in Portage County do not haveseparate websites or CVBs

• Compared to the other competitor websites, this home page is

not as reader friendly or aesthetically pleasing

Figure 23. Stevens Point Visitor’s Guide.

Figure 24. Stevens Point Website.

Figure 25. Stevens Point

Giveaway.

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3232

• Interested travelers are inhibited from learning more

about Wausau without requesting a copy through the

mail.• There is inconsistency of branding across the different

mediums

• City’s tagline is not featured in the visitors guide nor on social

media pages

Facts • Located in North Central Wisconsin

• Contains the exact geographic center of the Northwest

hemisphere

•Surrounded by woods, lakes and hills

• 30,000 acres of lakes, 34 local parks, and 23 county

parks

• U.S. 51, WIS 52 and WIS 29 are three of the major highways

that lead to Wausau

• Population of about 38,000 people

• Original and current primary industry is lumber

• Products include paper and food packages, lumber, building

materials, dairy products, boxes, road building, industrial

machinery, veneers, and red granite monuments.

• Offers “big city amenities with the look and feel of the greatNorthwoods and small-town hospitality”

Wausau


Summary: The Wausau Convention and Visitors Bureau’s slogan

is “Where all the seasons come alive!” This concept enhances the

city’s slogan of “Perfectly seasoned.” These two statements highlight

Wausau’s abundance of activities, especially outdoor activities. Even

though they suggest there are things to do year-round, the website

currently (January, 2011) emphasizes the winter sports. However, this

can change according to the season (ex. Summer-themed website

during the May-August months).

Strengths: • Aesthetically pleasing and well-designed website

• City’s tagline is prominent on the website

Weaknesses: • Website does not offer as much content as other competitor

websites do

• Pages are text-heavy, and could use more photos to help

authenticate attractions and events

• Visitors guide is not available to download from the website


Facebook

• More than 650 fans• Updates every few days with eventinformation• Twitter tab that links to their Twitteraccount and shares the most recent tweets

• One photo album, titled “Where all theseasons come alive,” showcases high-

quality photos, the majority of which arefrom the fall season

• 150 friends• Content on this account outlines theVisitors Guide, and links directly to thewebsite• Myspace blog is a running list of

events occurring in the county andtown, but has not been updated since2009

Myspace

• More than 1,150 followers• “A Destination Marketing Orga-

nization that represents Krone-

wetter, Mosinee, Rib Mountain,Rothschild, Schofield, Wausau

and Weston (Wisconsin)”• Posts every few days with localstories and event information

Twitter



33

Visitors Guide • Cannot be viewed online. Potential guests must request a

print copy

• Does support older generations’ tendency to view print

materials more than online content

• Makes it difcult for younger generations to access

more information about Wausau

• Attractions

• Wausau’s promotions emphasize their outdoor activities,

which include golng, ice skating, cross-country skiing,snowmobiling, hiking, biking, baseball games, tennis,

shing, camping, kayaking, horseback riding, downhill

skiing, water skiing, tubing and a ski show team.

• Indoor activities include ice skating, tennis, movie

theaters, bowling centers, casinos, museums, theaters,

music centers, and shopping and dining in the historic

downtown and water district (“Cwcvb,”).

• Granite Peak is located in Wausau, and is the highest

ski mountain in the state (“Skitown.com - wisconsin,”

2011) • Accommodations

• Three bed and breakfasts and seven hotels/motels are

located within Wausau

• Many more accommodation options in surrounding

towns are available

• Pricing and Packages

Three-Day Weekend

• Encourages visitors to stay one extra night

• If a guest pays for accommodations for Friday and

Saturday night, they get Sunday night free.• Purpose is to “make it as easy as possible for you to

enjoy a long weekend in the Wausau Area” (“Cwcvb,”)

Website • The content on the website is organized by: Welcome

Information, Attractions, Calendar Of Events, and Request A

Visitors Magazine

• Lacks a Press Room, promotional videos, and photo albums

Figure 26. Wausau Website.

Figure 27. Wausau Visitors Guide.

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34

Facts • Population is 18,435

•

County seat of Wood County and makes up the Marsheld-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolitan Statistical Area

• Near Highway 54

• Accommodations

• Fourteen lodging options

• Hotels, motels, cabins, cottage rentals and ve

campgrounds

• Attractions

• Alexander House, McMillan Memorial Library, Performing

Arts Center, South Wood County Historical Museum and

Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre• Main draw of Wisconsin Rapids is its outdoor allure

• Glacial Lake Cranberry/Cranberry Link Visitors Center

offers tours of the oldest cranberry marshes in central

Wisconsin

• Farm/agricultural tourism featuring pumpkin patches and

farms

• Recreation

• Four golf courses, ATVing, biking, walking, motorsports

and snowmobiling

• Fishing, boating and hiking in Lake Wazeecha and theWisconsin River

• Cranberry Highway and Sandhill Wildlife Area Trumpeter

Auto Trail

• Largest tree nursery in the state (“Places to go,” 2011)

• Pricing and Packages

The Prairie Chicken Viewing Experience

• Witness chickens defend their territory during mating

season

• This package starts at $100 and includes a one-night

hotel stay, goodie bags, poster, water bottle and local

literature and information

Wisconsin Rapids


Summary: The Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention and Visitors

Bureau uses the slogan “Inner Wisconsin, Outdoor Inspiration.” This

highlights the central location of the city within the state and the

outdoor allure of the city.

Strengths: • Use of Cranberry guy, seen in

Figure 28 as a spokesperson

allows for the CVB to reach outthrough a friendly character while

highlighting the popular cranberry

marshes of the area

Weaknesses: • The Wisconsin Rapids CVB does not implore a strong brand

identity

• Website is not user friendly nor aesthetically pleasing, and

contains broken links

Figure 28. Cranberry Guy.


Facebook

• 1,000 friends• Operates a Facebook page under the

name of “Cranberry Guy”• About Me section takes famous quotesand slightly alters them such as:

• “To be or not to be, that is thecranberry.” –Shakespeare

• Cranberry Guy is the “Spokesberry” ofthe CVB

• 200 followers• When Wisconsin Rapids tweets

(not daily), more than one tweetis shared• “Cranberry Guy” is also utilized

through their Twitter account

Twitter

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35

provided (“Wisconsin rapids Home, 2011”)

Visitors Guide • 48 pages

• Available both in print and online versions

• Online version features scroll bars, thumbnail images, and

enlarging options

• Full color

• Organized by a table of contents, sections include: Welcome,

Photo Opps, Area History, Area Communities, Map Insert,

Things to See and Do, 2010 Calendar of Events, Outdoor

Pursuits, Autumn Adventures, Accommodations, Dining,

Beyond the Boundaries, On the Water, Winter Wonders, Town

of Rome, City of Nekoosa, Shopping, Business and Services

• Local advertisements make up pages within the visitor guide

• Social Media Character, Cranberry Guy, can be seen in the

visitor guide’s table of contents as well as throughout the

sections dealing with cranberry tours

The Cranberry Color Package

• Tour of the “world-famous” Cranberry Highway.

• Starting at $165, this package includes a two-night stay,two tickets to various cranberry destinations, cranberry

sweets, a water bottle and a map

The Betty Boop Festival Package

• Celebrates the animator of the famous cartoon, who

was born and died in Wisconsin Rapids

• Starting at $199, this package includes a two-night stay,

continental breakfast for two, two tickets to the festival,

sweets, a water bottle, local literature and coupons

The Spud, Berry & Dairy Tour

• Three-day excursion and guides visitors to variouscranberry, dairy and vegetable farms

• The packages range from $100 to $800

The Hotel Mead Movie Package

• Starting at $135, this package includes a one-night stay

in a deluxe guest room, a $35 dining certicate, two

movie tickets and a special movie-themed gift

The Hotel Mead Casino Package

• Starting at $99, this package includes a one-night stay

in a deluxe guest room, a $20 dining gift certicate, $10

casino credit and free shuttle to and from Hotel Mead(“Packages,” 2011)

Website • Home page contains links to the two most highlighted aspects

of the site: the Wisconsin Rapids Virtual Visitors Guide and the

Wisconsin Rapids Area Packages

• Presents a broken link labeled “Welcome to Wisconsin Rapids

Area”

• The content on the website is organized by home page, places

to stay, places to go, places to dine, visitor information, groupinformation, calendar of events, and about WACVB.

• In the About WACVB, there is a section devoted to media/

press related information; however, no past materials are

Figure 29. Wisconsin Rapids Website. Figure 30. Visitors Guide.

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36



36

Macro Trends

This section aims to focus on three key macro-environmental factors

in the tourism industry, and more specically in Marsheld, WI. These

three factors are economic trends, population demographics and

social media.

Economic Trends

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income

has shown a 0.4% increase from November to December, nation-

wide. Real disposable personal income had risen .2% from October

to November, and was still up by .1% in December as compared

to November. In addition, real consumer spending increased from

November to December (“U.S. economy,” 2010).

In the third quarter of 2010, the growth of state personal income

slowed, but was still increasing. A growth of 0.8% was recorded in

Illinois for personal income ranking 21st overall. Minnesota grew

1.2% and ranked 6th, and Wisconsin grew 1.0% ranking 12th. (“U.S.

economy,” 2010)

The state of the economy has a large effect in the tourism industry,

as it affects people’s economic capability to travel. According to the

World Travel & Tourism Council, travel and tourism is highly resilient

and helps to jump-start an economy following a nancial crisis. The

Council also states that the GDP will rise from 9.2% to 9.9% by 2020.

In 2010, the US saw a 60% increase in travel for the summer season,

which began Memorial Day, compared to 2009 (World Travel and,

2010).

Travelocity conducted a survey of 2,000 Americans and found thattravel intentions are up 49%, compared to 21% six months ago.

Only 7% plan to decrease travel, compared to 34% a year ago. Also

important, is that 34% of people plan to increase a predetermined

travel budget (“Signicant increase in,” 2010).

Population Demographics

Baby Boomers took, on average, 3.6 trips in 2009, and 67% took atrip lasting ve or more nights. Subjects in this survey had household

incomes of $50,000 or more (“Marketing to baby,” 2010). 80 percent

of women surveyed made their own travel decisions, including the

63% who are married (“Marketing to baby,” 2010).

The most important assumptions we can make about Baby Boomers,

based on these surveys and studies, is that those who have money

are traveling and spending whether they are retired or employed,

married or single.

Social Media

Social networking grew in 2010 with nine out of 10 U.S. Internet

users visiting a social networking site within the past month. Users

are staying on these social networking sites for at least four hours

each month. Facebook dominates with one out of every eight minutes

spent online (“Us social network,” 2011).

Consumers are now showing that they trust peer reviews on social

networking sites more than they trust traditional advertisements.Seventy-eight percent of customers are accepting of peer reviews,

while 14% trust advertisements. Baby Boomers are on the rise

regarding social media usage, along with Generation X and Matures.

Baby Boomers ocked to Facebook and other social networking sites

in 2008-2009, with 47% of this group actively maintaining a prole

(Grove, 2010).

Usage based on specic sites shows that Generation X, Baby

Boomers and Matures use Facebook more so than any of the other

social networking sites.

Key trends to watch for in 2011 include social commerce, group

buying, Q&A sites and mobile, according to Gini Dietrich CEO of







39

Key Findings

There is no signicant discrepancy between age or region when

it came to how much respondents were willing to spend on an

overnight trip. Fifty-six percent of all respondents stated they were

willing to spend anywhere from $150 to $299 on an overnight trip.

In regional differences the only discrepancy between the Midwest

and the general population is that travelers in the Midwest are willing

to drive farther than travelers in other regions (37% compared to

25% said they were willing to drive more than 250 miles). We infer

that this is the case because cities are more spread out in the region

of the United States.

When asked how strongly they agreed with certain statements

pertaining to specic reasons for travel, the two age groups haddiffering preferences. To interpret the ndings we looked at the

percentage of respondents who either “agree” or “strongly agree”

within each age group.

Figure 31 illustrates the difference in motivations behind the two age

groups. Both consider visiting family and friends their most agreeable

reason for traveling. Unfortunately, this is an uncontrollable factor

for a city seeking to draw in visitors. However, when looking at how

Quantitat ive

Key Questions

• What consumers look for when planning an overnight trip

• How consumers go about planning trips • Consumers’ openness to staying additional nights after paying

a visit to an out-of-town clinic

Methodology

NuVox Agency constructed a twenty-question survey and distributed

it through our personal networks, social media, and other contacts

we had in the Midwest region. The survey was distributed over ve

days. In that time we were able to get 144 responses from varying

regions and age groups. In order to gain better insights, we askedrespondents a few demographic questions in order to determine if

age and region had an effect on how our participants responded. We

specically split the age groups into two segments: 30-45 year olds

(young families) and 46-64 year olds (Baby Boomers, 2010). Using

this information, we were able to narrow the results to see how these

specic factors affected the results.

40

40



night. This poses a great opportunity for Marsheld because if the

Marsheld CVB can persuade those who were receptive to the idea of

staying for a night, a huge amount of business could be gained.

Lastly, we looked to see how the respondents planned their trips, from

the planning to booking stages. When it came to how far in advance

they plan for a trip, age and region did not have an effect. Fifty-eight

percent answered that they plan trips about a month in advance, as

illustrated by Figure 32.

When looking up information on travel destinations, the sample

overwhelmingly selected travel websites and word-of-mouth as their

top two sources. Figure 33 illustrates how respondents ranked each

choice.

As can be seen travel websites and word-of-mouth were consistentlyranked as the top two choices. When broken down by age, however,

younger audiences, those 30-45 years old, surprisingly favored word-

of-mouth slightly more than travel websites. On the other hand

they rated other statements, we can see differences in opinions. In

the order of how strongly respondents agreed with each statement,

the younger demographic chose visiting family and friends, relaxing,

experiencing something new, attending a specic event, celebrating a

personal event, and having an adventure. Baby Boome

rs, on the other hand, chose visiting family and friends, celebrating

a personal event, experiencing something new, attending an event,

relaxing, and having an adventure. Because we are looking to target

both of these demographics, all of these motivations need to be

synthesized in a way that appeals to both groups. It is possible to

combine them all into a formidable campaign that resonates with the

audience because no respondent showed any disagreement with any

of these factors.

To gain a perspective on the target markets’ openness to staying

an additional night for recreation after visiting an out of town clinic,

we gave them four hypothetical situations with two varying factors:

whether or not they were the patients, and if they were an inpatient

or outpatient. We then asked them how much they agreed with three

statements: how much would they want to return home right away,

how much would they be willing just to stay the rest of the day, and

how much would they be willing to stay an additional night. Overall,

we found in all cases that most patrons would simply want to return

home as soon as their clinic visit was over. However, about a third

of respondents said they were neutral towards staying another

When I go on an overnight trip,

I look to…

30 – 45

years old

(%)

46 – 65

years old

(%)Have an adventure 59 56

Experience something new 73 83

Relax 82 78

Visit friends and family 91 87

Attend a specic event (concert,

festival, conventions, etc.)

68 79

Figure 31. Vacation Motivations Table.

Figure 32. Graph Illustrating How Far Out Trips are Planned.

41



trips over the telephone into the campaign.

Seventy-three percent of respondents prefer to book their own

vacations, rather than relying on a travel package. This reects the

lack of enthusiasm for packaged vacations, as consumers would

rather select their accommodations and activities individually. The

survey respondents also expressed independence when responding

to the question, “In what situations would you use an event planning

service?” The majority (55%) said they would use such a service

only when planning a big occasion. Forty percent said they prefer

to plan all events on their own. Twenty-ve percent said if they

were unfamiliar with the location, they would use the service. These

answers demonstrate that highlighting or emphasizing the fact thatthe Marsheld CVB offers event-planning services may not be an

effective endeavor.

When planning special occasions the most important factor

respondents considered is the hotel accommodations. Almost half

rated this factor as their top consideration. This gives the Marsheld

CVB a clear indication that it needs to make sure that the hotels

it partners with uphold high standards and quality. Convenient

location ranked as respondents’ second most important factor. This

is currently a problem for Marsheld considering its distance fromthe Interstates or any major highways; however, the expansion of

Highway 10 in a couple years could help increase the convenience

to reaching Marsheld. Local attractions and event venues were not

considered to be as important as hotel accommodations.

Baby Boomers more strongly preferred nding information on travel

websites. Travel magazines and brochures were ranked as either

their third or fourth choice for both demographics. Travel agencies

and direct mail were the least favored sources of travel information.

This is a paradox when compared to the secondary research,

which stated that Baby Boomers were the largest targets for direct

mail tourism campaigns. The lack of response toward direct mail,

along with the emphasis on travel websites and word-of-mouth isan important nding that we will use when determining the media

placement.

When investigating how consumers book their trips, we again saw

an overwhelming majority respond that they use websites (73%)

followed by phone bookings (24%). When broken down by age

groups, we found that the older the consumer, the more likely he or

she is to book on the phone. The other two options, travel agencies

and on location, comprised an insignicant percentage of the

responses. These ndings support the importance of travel websitesas a source of vacation information and a method of booking

travel. In addition since part of the target audience consists of Baby

Boomers, NuVox must not neglect to incorporate a focus on booking

Figure 33. How Consumers Hear About Travel Destinations.

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42



make sure the lambs stay alive etc. Those habits stay strong and are

passed through the generations. My neighbor told me whenever he

needs to hire someone to paint his house, rake his yard, move heavy

objects, etc., he likes to hire farm people because they do a good job

with no complaining” (Benaround, 2007).

3. Personal connections at hotels are important

When staying in hotels, the quality of customer service greatly affects

a visitor’s opinion. We found that those who stayed in Marsheld

hotels, and especially the Baymont Inn, felt very connected to the city

because they were treated like family. Workers went of their way on

numerous occasions and were consistently friendly and helpful.

“On our last morning there, after my father was out of the hospital and

staying there to rest for a few days, we all went to have the fabulous

continental breakfast. The tables were full so we said we would go

back to our rooms. Sara, the front desk attendant, overheard us and

told us she would open the conference room for overow seating.

This was such a generous gesture and it made our breakfast a

relaxing and enjoyable event. It was just what our family needed after

my father’s surgery” (Sandysarri, 2010).

4. Midwesterners love their food

Although all Americans love to eat, Midwesterners do it best. While on

a Midwest vacation people are not afraid to indulge themselves. They

especially love their meats and other classic Midwestern fare.

“I travel from San Diego to snow-covered Wisconsin each year for

about a week. It’s generally the greatest week of my year. In that one

week I, on average, gain 15 lbs” (Crapturd, 2008).

“ On Friday I had corned beef, Saturday we had steaks and Sunday

was chicken – CRAZY. I’m trying to eat better, but everytime I head

to central Wisconsin I get plenty of meat, that’s for sure” (Royalsyn,

2008).

Qualitat ive

To supplement the quantitative research NuVox conducted qualitativeresearch by searching through various websites, blogs and social

media. From this, we discovered the following themes and quotes:

1. Moms are family-oriented

The moms in the target market live busy lives, and they always nd

time to involve themselves with their children. While it seems that the

years with their young children y by, they often reminisce on these

special moments when their children are older. In the same light they

value family vacations because they serve as a time to bond and

create memories with the most important people in their lives.

“Being a woman in my mid-forties with older kids, I don’t always feel

that I t in with certain groups of women... Mom’s with little ones?

Toddlers? Newborns? I love talking to them. They take me back in

time when they share a few moments with me” (Sherri, 2011).

“I’ve been so busy this fall -- responsibilities at school have really

ramped up. (Now’s about the time I need to start to learn to say NO.

-- LOL) Anyway, it makes me feel good to be involved” (Julia, 2009).

2. Midwesterners have a strong work ethic

Like most Americans the average Midwesterner leads a very busy

life. However, unlike many Americans, they truly enjoy being busy.

This brings about the idea of the “Midwestern work ethic”, which

describes the determination and hard work of those in the region.

“I think the ‘work ethic’ that people from MN and other Midwestern

states pride themselves in is the region’s agrarian base. Lots of

people around here are only one or two generations removed from

the farm. The old timers talk about getting up at 4:00 am 7 days a

week, including when it’s 40 below to milk the cows, plow the crops,

43



44

44



Intent

The intent stage is the point in which the consumer has been

convinced to come to Marsheld. During this stage there are manypotential barriers that must be overcome including time, money, work

or other prior engagements.

Planning

After the consumer has made the decision that they intend to visit

Marsheld, the planning process begins. During this stage the

consumer is looking to gather as much information and do so as

easily as possible. The Marsheld CVB plays a large role during thisstage. The CVB’s advertising and informational materials help the

consumer plan their visit and drive them to the next step - booking

their trip.

Consumer Journey

Through our research NuVox Agency identied eight different

steps of the consumer journey for a potential Marsheld visitor. By

establishing these different parts of the travel process we were able

to identify potential barriers, ways to overcome them and to determine

how the Marsheld CVB could t into potential visitor’s current habits.

Awareness

The awareness stage is the time when the consumer becomes

aware of Marsheld as a travel destination. Through research NuVoxdiscovered that many people within Wisconsin and its surrounding

areas are not currently aware of Marsheld as a vacation destination

or all of the city’s offerings.

Interest

The interest stage is that little spark that grabs the potential visitor’s

attention. Once the consumer is aware of Marsheld there must be

something to ofcially pull them in. Because a wide array of interests

exists within the target markets, a campaign for the Marsheld CVBshould encompass many different product benets. In order to appeal

to a larger amount of people, each execution should have a clear

focus, allowing for greater targetability.

45



ANTICIPATIONAWARENESS INTEREST PLANNING BOOKINGINTENT TRIP SHARING

Trip

This is the stage when the consumer has arrived at the destination.The Marsheld CVB can help ensure the trip goes well through

the planning of festivals, tours and specic programs designed to

continue interaction throughout this step. In this stage the CVB

can make or break expectations and lay the foundation for repeat

visitors.

Sharing

The sharing stage is an ongoing process throughout the entire

consumer journey. Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful andcost-efcient advertising tools that should be fully taken advantage

of. The Marsheld CVB should set the stage and encourage visitors

to share positive experiences and begin to build a strong community.

Booking

This is the stage when the consumer make his or her biggestcommitment and ofcially book the trip. NuVox has learned that the

majority of the target market books their trips online. The Marsheld

CVB should analyze the most easily accessible and convenient ways

to aid a visitor in booking his or her trip.

Anticipation

After the trip is booked, the anticipation phase begins. This is a phase

where emotions are high and the excitement begins to grow about

the vacation. This step is often overlooked by advertisers; however,if the Marsheld CVB can make an impact at this stage, it may help

boost opinions of the city and begin the experience before these

vacationers even arrive.



47





Marketing Objective Target Market



49

• To increase the Marsheld CVB revenues by 25% over the

next two years by increasing hotel bookings and visitors to

Marsheld

According to the Marsheld CVB’s Income Statement from 2006-

2010, there has been a 20% growth in total revenues from 2009 to

2010, illustrated by Figure 1. Neither the Marsheld CVB nor research

could provide the reason behind this growth that followed a year of

stable revenue. By implementing a marketing plan for the rst time in

the Marsheld CVB’s history that strategically reaches and speaks to

potential Marsheld visitors, we predict we can add 5% to the already

present 20% growth, achieving a total 25% growth by 2012-2013.

Primary Target Market

Baby Boomers • 46-64 years old

• Live within a 150-mile radius of Marsheld

• Avid travelers, bulk of travelers within the U.S.

• In the past year 68% have traveled more than 100 miles away

for a vacation

• When picking a destination they seek off-beaten paths and

unique destinations

• 50% enjoy sightseeing, cultural events, and historical sites

• 32% have attended a local festival while on vacation in the

past year

• 73% use social media, majorly Facebook, and enjoy

interacting with brands on these platforms

• Enjoy rewards programs

• Motivations to travel include relaxing and experiencing

something new with their signicant other

• Seeking an experience they will be able to share with others

through social media and word-of-mouth

• For addition information refer to our qualitative research on

page 24 and our prospect section on page 42.

Figure 34. Total Revenues from 2007-2010.

$200,000.00

$225,000.00

$250,000.00

$275,000.00

2007 2008 2009 2010

Marshfield CVB's Total Revenues

50

50



Place • More emphasis will be placed on drawing visitors from smaller

cities and towns located within a 100-mile radius of Marsheld,

Wisconsin. As seen in Figure 35, cities include Eau Claire,

Wausau, Madison, Green Bay, and the Chippewa Valley (refer

to the gure below). Within three years and with a larger

media budget, visitors will be drawn from a 250-mile radius,

including southwest Minnesota, northeast Iowa, north Illinois,

and the entire state of Wisconsin. Specic major cities include

Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago.

Price

• According to the survey NuVox conducted (refer to appendix

DVD), 52% of Midwesterners are willing to spend $150-$300

on an overnight trip, which is well within the price range of

Marsheld’s hotels and attractions.

• Prices for Marsheld hotels range from $38.70 a nightat the Park Motel to $204.99 at the Holiday Inn and

Conference Center.

• The majority of attractions have no admission fee, such

Secondary Target Market

• Young parents with children

• 30-45 years old

• Seeking relaxation and vacations to reconnect with their family

and grow closer together

• Emphasize nding an experience that will help their family

bond rather than a specic attraction itself

Both Target Markets

• Plan trips one month in advance

• Looking to spend between $150 to $299 dollars on an

overnight trip (refer to quantitative reseach - page 39)

Marketing Strategies

Product • To sell Marsheld as a place to create new memories,

experience festivals and gain an appreciation for the important

things in life

Features & Benefts

• Unique attractions that appeal to both Baby Boomers and

young families. Attractions include JuRustic Park, The World’s

Largest Round Barn, Wildwood Zoo, Yellowstone Trail, tours

and the Upham Mansion Historic District.

• Affordable hotels and free or inexpensive attractions that allow

families to have enjoyable vacations without a heavy nancial

cost.

• Central location and future expansion of U.S. 10 makes

Marsheld an easy location for an overnight trip.

•

Variety of festivals year-round appealing to a variety ofinterests. Festivals include Dairy Fest, Maple Fall Fest, and

Dance & Romance Weekend.

Figure 35. Marketing Target Area.

51



as JuRustic Park, the Wildwood Zoo and the World’s

Largest Round Barn (refer to the Situation Analysis,

page 16 for a complete list of attractions).

Promotion • To encourage rst-time visits that will be instigated by the

advertising and promotions. In addition the Marsheld CVB

will encourage return visits and word-of-mouth through sales

promotion. NuVox plans to position Marsheld as an overnight

destination to create memories with the most important

company.

• As seen in the research, Figure 36 shows that travel

websites and word-of-mouth are the rst and second

most used sources for travel information.

Priorities • Provide a strong web presence and branding, through online

magazines, newspapers, and travel Web sites

Primary SupportThe vehicles through which the marketing campaign will be

supported include print advertising, digital advertising, e-mail

marketing, sales promotion and public relations. Advertising will

include print materials, local magazines, and collateral, such as

banners, posters, and t-shirts. Digital advertising will include display

ads, search engine optimization tips, and a social media plan and

strategy. E-mail marketing will be enabled through Constant Contact,

a service explained on page 75. Sales promotion and public relation

includes a coupon card, festival giveaway, press release, a new

event called Marsh Field Day, and social media efforts.

Figure 36. Top Choices for Seeking Travel Information.



52 ADVERTISING

Advertising Objectives Because of this when Midwesterners are looking to take a break

from their daily routines and go on a vacation, relaxation and quality



53

• To increase awareness of Marsheld as a top Central

Wisconsin destination by 10% among potential visitors

• To convince 10% of previous visitors that Marsheld is a place

worth revisiting and recommending to friends

NOTE: A 10% increase among these two goals is realistic because

Marsheld is currently not well known in the state of Wisconsin as

a travel destination. Knowing that there is a low awareness rate of

Marsheld as a travel destination within the state, the implementation

of the CVB’s rst marketing plan can achieve signicant increases.

Target Audiences

• Both Baby Boomers, aged 46-64 years old, and young families,

30-45 years old

Advertising Strategy

Through research, NuVox Agency discovered the strong emphasis

Midwesterners place on family time and memories created together.

We also found that these same people are proud of their “Midwest

work ethic” and all of the hours of hard work they put into their jobs.

from their daily routines and go on a vacation, relaxation and quality

time are high priorities. From these insights we created a positioning

statement that gives the Marsheld CVB a very differentiating point-

of-view and a meaningful brand purpose.

Positioning Statement

To Baby Boomers and young families, who are seeking a fun-

lled festival or an overnight getaway for relaxation, Marsheld is

a destination that provides a place where you and your family can

create new memories and rediscover your appreciation for the

important things in life. Marsheld is a down-to-earth, warm and

inviting destination with a small town charm.

With such busy and fast-paced lifestyles, it is sometimes easy to get

caught up in our daily routines and we then forget to take the time

to appreciate the truly important things in life. Marsheld is the place

to go when you are looking to step back, escape it all, and create

the memories that will last a lifetime. Based on the research we

condensed a strategy into a simple creative brief that serves as the

starting point for all of the creative executions.

54

54



Key InsightHectic lifestyles and a fast-paced society make it easy to get caught

up in our daily routines and forget about the important things in life

that make us happy.

ChallengeReveal the overlooked personality of Marsheld by inspiring people

to break their daily routines and visit Marsheld to rediscover the

important things in life.

Organizing IdeaIt’s In Our Nature

ObjectiveTo increase the amount of people visiting Marsheld and staying

in the city’s hotels – aka “Heads in Beds”

IssueBecause of a lack of presence and cohesive branding,

Marsheld is not currently in the consideration set for consumers

looking to take an overnight trip. Due to the strong branding and

presence of the established Marsheld Clinic, the personality

and offerings of the city are overshadowed. As a result, potentialvisitors consider Marsheld a place to go for a second opinion

rather than a place to go for a second night.

Challenge

Objective

Key Insight Issue

THEBRIEFOUR CREATIVE DIRECTION

55



Ofcial Color Palette

Creative Strategy

Whether it is in a photo album, online or the photos hanging on

your wall, pictures are a way to capture our memories and share

them with our friends and family. It has been said that a picture isworth a thousand words, but sometimes that’s not enough. Through

the creative executions NuVox Agency wants to communicate that

memories can’t be constrained by a picture frame.

Creative Objectives • To develop unique imagery that creates an iconic and

recognizable brand image for the Marsheld CVB

• To encourage further engagement with the brand by directing

viewers to the Web site and social media sites

Target Audiences • Both Baby Boomers, aged 46-64 years old, and young

families, 30-45 years old

Branding

Marsheld is known for being a very warm and inviting city with a

small town charm. These are key characteristics NuVox has kept

in mind during the re-branding process of the Marsheld CVB. We

have redesigned the logo and used our organizing idea as a theme

throughout the campaign to bring the new positioning to life.

This tagline plays on three different aspects: Marsheld’s personality,

Marsheld’s physical nature, and human nature. It’s in Marsheld’s

nature to have families come together. Due to the city’s interesting

attractions, unique festivals, natural recreation, and welcoming spirit,

Marsheld is a destination where people can bond with their family

and friends and form memories that will be remembered forever.Marsheld’s physical nature offers a fresh environment that allows

visitors to partake in a variety of outdoor activities. Finally, it’s in

human nature to want to take the time to enjoy the little things in life

with the ones we love the most.

Therefore, the campaign will focus its efforts around two key

strategies:

• Emphasize making memories and appreciating the important

things in life

•

Encourage people to share their memories and experiences inMarsheld

Advertisements will be placed in locations where the target markets

seek travel information and book vacations.

M ARSHFIELDConvention and Visitors Bureau

It’s In Our Nature #BB5227#E7D8C3#7B8D39

#485A28#213F21



56 CREATIVE PRINT

Print



57

Posters & Magazine Advertisements

The following series of print advertisements will be placed in print

magazines and used as posters in strategic locations in Marsheld

and surrounding cities. Each execution ties in a different attraction or

festival specic in Marsheld. The body copy ties these attractions

and festivals with Marsheld’s new positioning as a place to

rediscover the things that matter most. The variety of executions

appeal to both of our target markets, including young families and

Baby Boomers.

Each print ad relates to a product benet of Marsheld and

contributes to the overall re-branding. Images correspond with

local attractions, such as JuRustic Park, Wildwood Zoo, and theYellowstone Trail. One ad simultaneously emphasizes Dance &

Romance Weekend as well as Marsheld as a place for older couples

to rekindle their romance. The ad with the image of the family outside,

as seen in Figure 37, is the most applicable for the Marsheld CVB to

use any time of the year and is the farthest reaching. We have also

made a version of this advertisement (found on the content DVD)

without Dairy Fest that can be used throughout the rest of the year.

In addition to the full page ads shown in the book, we have designed

three-quarter and half page versions of each ad to allow for greater

exibility in media placement. The Marsheld CVB has a large

variety of print ads to choose from and can pick which ads to run at

their own discretion. All eighteen les can be found on the content

DVD and are ready to be sent to the printer as is.

The NuVox Agency has also included all Photoshop les on the

content DVD. This will allow the Marsheld CVB to make any

content or date changes to the advertisements in the future. The

les can also be given to future partner agencies or graphic

designers who are working with the CVB to keep the branding and

messaging consistent.

58

58



Figure 37. Print Ad.



60

60




61




62

62




63



Figure 41. Half-Page Print Ad. Figure 42. Three-Quarter Page Print Ad.



64 CREATIVE COLLATERAL



66

66



Visitors Guide

NuVox Agency has redesigned the Marsheld Visitors Guide

cover to implement the new logo and brand identity. The iconicRound Barn was used as the focal point of the cover and we

utilized the burnt orange color from our color palette. NoVox have

also included the mandatories including the phone numbers and

website, however with this version we also included the Facebook

and Twitter icons in order to encourage readers to visit our social

media sites. The content of the Marsheld Visitors Guide will

remain the same or be updated by the Marsheld CVB, but the

2012 edition would include this cover.

Banners

NuVox has designed two types of banners. A hanging banner

and two standing banners. All of these banners were included in

the overall budget and the full sized versions are available in the

content DVD.

1-800-422-4541 1-715-384-4314

VisitMarshfieldWI.com

MarsheldVisitor Guide

It’s in our nature

67



T-Shirts In the past the Marsheld CVB has made and sold T-shirtsat festivals and events. We redesigned the Maple Fall Fest

and Dairy Fest T-shirts to be fresh and new, stimulating

increased sales for the Marsheld CVB. We also designed

a T-shirt for Marsh Field Day, a new event to be discussed

in the Public Relations (PR) section on page 86. We

recommend that all T-shirts are screenprinted for better

quality and a more professional look.

Letterhead, Business Cards &email signatures

The stationary kit that we have designed includes

customized business cards (front and back), envelopes,

letterhead and email signatures. All of these les can be

found on the content DVD and are printer ready.



68 CREATIVE DIGITAL

Digital Advertising

NuVox Agency decided to utilize digital media because it is the most

important channel for reaching our target market Both the primary

Digital Display Ads

Online newspapers, magazines and travel websites are an integral

component of the campaign Therefore it is important to be as



69

important channel for reaching our target market. Both the primary

and secondary markets use travel websites and social media to seek

travel information and book vacationst. A combination of display ads,

a website redesign and email marketing templates were created insupport of this campaign. While browsing other websites, our target

market will be directly reached through display ads. These ads will

be present on the top and sides of websites, specically targeting

people interested in central Wisconsin travel. A website redesign

simplies the content and strengthens branding of the Marsheld

CVB for potential visitors who directly log on to the site. Finally, an

email-marketing plan allows the CVB to push messages out to people

who have shown an interest in receiving information about the city of

Marsheld.

component of the campaign. Therefore, it is important to be as

prominent in those channels as possible. With the given budget we

strategically selected specic vehicles that are best aligned with

the target market’s interests, media habits and geographic location.The display ads are a continuation of the print ads, scaled down

and simplied for the digital media. Each banner ad links to either

the Marsheld CVB website or Facebook page, depending on the

placement and content.

We have designed two standard digital banner sizes: leaderboard

and rectangle. Both of these formats are accepted by websites that

accept advertisements. Refer to the media plan for specications on

placements. The text below each image describes the movement of

the text when displayed on a website.

70

70

What’s Inside



What s InsideLeaderboard Ad: 728x90

“It’s in Our Nature.” ies in from the left.

“Relaxation.” ies in from the left.

Orange words change in a scrolling motion.

After last word is revealed, “Romance. It’s in Our Nature.” ies out to the left.

”Learn More” button appears and then “Visit Marsheld.” ies in from the left. This banner ad links to the Marsheld

71

Romance



RomanceRectangle: 300x250

1 2

3 4

Beginning graphic. Text ies in from left one line at a time. After a short pause

the text ies out to the right.

Text ies in from the left one line at a time. After a short

pause the text ies out to the right.

The “Learn more” button and logo appear. This ad links to

the Marsheld CVB Web site.

72

72

Giveaway



Rectangle: 300x250

1 2

3 4

Beginning graphic. Text ies in from the left one line at a time. After a short


Text ies in from the left one line at a time. After a short


The Marsheld CVB logo, Facebook logo and “Sign Up

Here” appear. This ad links to the Giveaways tab on the

redesigned Facebook page.



74

74



75

Email Marketing



In order to promote upcoming festivals and events, the Marsheld

CVB can send email blasts with information specic to each eventsuch as ticket prices, hotel accommodations and a schedule of

events.

We recommend that the Marsheld CVB utilize the Constant

Contact program to manage their emails. With the non-prot and

prepaid discounts, the cost is only $21 per month. Features include

customizable HTML templates, capabilities to include pictures

and links to the social media sites, and ways to track and report

on engagement with the email messages. Emails will be sent to

the addresses that have been accumulated over time includingcontact information from MVP card sign-ups, past events and

those who have opted in for information on future events. Figure

44 demonstrates a template that can be made using the Constant

Contact program.

Figure 44. Constant Contact Email Template.



76 Creative Television

Maple Fall Fest TV Spot



77

VO (Deep Male Voice): It’s not about thenumber o pancakes you eat.

Music: medium tempo upbeat music throughthe whole ad

CU o a resh pile o pancakes

VO: It’s about who you eat them with.

Zoom out to a WS o amilies sitting aroundtables in a bright and sunny feld with booths inthe background.

VO: Join us in Marshfeld, Wisconsin onSeptember 17 and 18 or Maple Fall Fest.Go to VisitMarshfeldWI.com or connectwith us on Facebook or tickets and moreinormation.

Fade to Logo

78

78



Dance and Romance Weekend TV Spot

VO (Deep Male Voice): It’s about your partner’swarm embrace as you dance the night away

Music: Light romantic music

CU o a middle-aged couple staring longingly in each other’s eye.

VO: and alling in love all over again.

Zoom out to a WS o couples dancing in adimly-lit hall with the music being played by aband in the background.

VO: Join us in Marshfeld, Wisconsin onFebruary 11th and 12th or Dance and

Romance Weekend. Go to VisitMarshfeldWI.com or connect with us on Facebook or ticketsand more inormation.

Fade to Logo

Dance and Romance Weekend

Feb. 11-12

79



Dairyfest TV Spot

VO (Deep Male Voice): It’s more than justtoasting a resh glass o milk

SFX: Clink!

Music: medium tempo upbeat music

CU o a o three glasses o milk clinkingtogether

VO: It’s toasting to the ones you love.

Zoom out to a WS o amilies enjoyingthemselves in a feld as the Dairyest activitiestake place around them

4

VO: Join us in Marshfeld, Wisconsinrom June 4th to 6th or Dairyest. Go to

VisitMarshfeldWI.com or connect with us onFacebook or tickets and more inormation.

SFX at end: Cow’s moo

Fade to Logo

June 4-6, 2011



80 SALES PROMOTION / PUBLIC RELATIONS

Sales Promotion Objectives

• To increase awareness of Marsheld as a vacation destination

by 10% over a one-year period

• To increase word-of-mouth by 25% over a one-year period

Marshfield Vis itor Pass

MVP Card

The Marsheld Visitor’s Pass (MVP Card) as seen in Figure 45



81

Our approach can be broken down into four programs: the Marsheld

Visitor’s Pass, In The Marsh, Festival Giveaways, and Marsh Field

Day. Each of these programs, explained below, play a specic role in

the overall integrated marketing communications plan. NuVox Agency

believes these percentages can be attained because the programs

are newsworthy, important to our target market, and reach out to

vacationers who have not seen Marsheld’s advertisements before.

Target Audiences

•

Baby boomers, aged 46-64 years old • Young families, 30-45 years old

• The programs are intended to reach out to repeat visitors as

well as people who have never been to Marsheld before

The Marsheld Visitor s Pass (MVP Card), as seen in Figure 45

is a rewards program designed to increase the amount of visitors

coming to Marsheld and supporting local businesses. The cardgives Marsheld a competitive edge over competing cities through

a city-wide rewards program. In addition Marsheld will gain data

on prospective visitors who are looking to book a trip, allowing for

greater interaction with visitors in the future.

Marshfield Visitor Pass

Figure 45. MVP Card.

82

82

The card will be available to order, free of charge, through a new

page that will be added to the website. In order to request a card,

There are two options in managing the MVP program:



Ma rsh f ie l d V isi t or P a

ss

Acce p t e d

H er e !

potential visitors must enter their name, email address and mailing

address. Contact information will be recorded to use for promotional

emails and to ensure that duplicate cards are not being issued.

All businesses who are interested in offering a special discount or

promotion can apply. Businesses that apply will be placed on the

MVP tab on the website and will be given a sticker as shown in Figure

46.

1) Scanable Barcode

• This would be the most ideal way to manage the program;

however, it is unsure if all businesses in Marsheld would be

able to support the scanning feature.

• This allows the CVB to track which business offers visitors are

most interested in.

2) Punch Card

• This is NuVox Agency’s back-up plan and can be easily

implemented with minor changes to the MVP card. • We recommend that each card consist of six check-boxes

on the back. Each time a specifal offer is claimed, one of the

boxes will be marked.

• This will help enure that cards are being used by visitors and

not Marsheld residents who could use the card frequently.

You’re on the MVP list for special discounts atMarsheld’s best shops, restaurants, and attractions.

Check out VisitMarsheldWI.com for a list of participating vendors and start saving today!

Congratulations!

You’re on the MVP list for special discounts atarshfield’s best shops, restaurants, and attractions.

Check out VisitMarshfieldWI.com for a list of participating vendors and start saving today!

Congratulations!

Figure 46. MVP Sticker for Participating Businesses.

Figure 47. MVP Sticker Placement Example.

83

Social Media



Facebook

In order to increase interaction with our consumers

and engagement with the brand, we have placed a

signicant emphasis on redesigning the Marsheld

CVB social media pages. We have redesigned the

Marsheld CVB’s Facebook page using custom

FBML coding. This turns the Facebook page into

more of a website and gives Marsheld an edge over

its competitors with the new features we have added.

Step-by-step instructions, including the coding, have

been added to the content DVD. This allows the CVB

to easily implement these changes. As seen in Figure

48, the landing page encompasses the new branding

and has clickable buttons to the other features on the

Facebook page.

Figure 48. Facebook Mock-up.

84

84

In The Marsh



To push word-of-mouth about the fun and memorable

moments experienced by visitors in Marsheld, NuVox hascreated the “In The Marsh” program. We know that the

best memories cannot be constrained by a picture frame,

so we have designed a platform for visitors to share the

rest of their stories. There will be a tab dedicated to the

“In The Marsh” program on the Marsheld CVB Facebook

page where people can share photos and post their stories

for everyone to see. Figure 49 shows how this tab will

look on the Facebook page. Through this program the

Marsheld CVB will be able to increase engagement with

past and future visitors by facilitating conversation withthem and creating a community of those connected to the

city. In order to encourage participation in this program, the

following strategies will be implemented:

• Create a platform for visitors to share the memories

they created in Marsheld on Facebook

• Create a community by engaging with rst-time and

repeat visitors

• Utilize past visitors’ email addresses to drive them to

the “In The Marsh” Facebook tab

• Email addresses collected from festivals/ events

• Email addresses from Marsheld Visitor Pass

sign-ups

• Create a Twitter account to link followers to the

Facebook page

• Twitter updates can be automatically

generated from Facebook updates to

eliminate the hassle of maintaining two social

media accounts

• Messages created specically for Twitterfollowers can also be posted

Figure 49. Facebook Mock-up “In The Marsh” Tab.

85

Festivals Package Giveaway

U i F b k th M h ld CVB



Using Facebook, the Marsheld CVB can engage

potential visitors through vacation giveaway packagesbefore three Marsheld festivals (Dairy Fest, Maple Fall

Festival, Dance & Romance Weekend). See Figure

50 for the proposed sweepstakes tab on the CVB’s

Facebook page.

In order to be eligible for the sweepstakes, visitors must

sign up on the Facebook page with their name and

email address. This will increase trafc to the Marsheld

CVB Facebook page. It will also excite festival goers

and reward visitors with related, branded Marsheldprizes. The Marsheld CVB can use the provided

email addresses to contact potential guests for future

promotions. Prizes will include a $50 gas card, a two-

night stay at the Baymont hotel (a value of $200),

T-shirts, a MVP card, and gift cards to local restaurants

($50). The total package giveaway is worth more than

$300, and the total cost to provide such giveaways will

be $1,000 for the year.

A realistic goal is to receive at least 100 submissions pergiveaway. This will give the Marsheld CVB 300 email

addresses during the campaign year. In addition these

contacts are visitors who have demonstrated sincere

interest in visiting Marsheld. Figure 50. Facebook Mock-up Sweepstakes Tab.

NOTE: Submissions are currently forwarded to [email protected] have provided the account login information for the CVB to use or to forward to whichever email address they prefer.

Username: MarsheldCVB Password: GoMarsheld

86

86

Prole Pictures

In addition there will be new Facebook default pictures that relate

Marsh Field Day

In order to capitalize on the presence of the world-renowned



In addition there will be new Facebook default pictures that relate

to upcoming festivals and events in Marsheld. By utilizing the

default picture feature, the CVB’s social media presence will be kept

current and up-to-date. Each of the following festivals will have a

corresponding default picture: Marsh Field Day, Dance and Romance

Weekend, Dairy Fest and Maple Fall Fest as seen in Figure 51. This

will unify the new branding efforts and strengthen the role of social

media for individual fesitvals.

In order to capitalize on the presence of the world renowned

Marsheld Clinic, NuVox developed an event that will bring clinical

visitors out of the facility and into the city. The partnership between

the CVB and clinic will be emphasized through an event called

Marsh Field Day. Marsh Field Day has an emphasis on children’s

health education through games, activities and information booths

for parents and children. Vendors will also be present to sell food

and memorabilia. To ensure the success of this event, the following

strategies will be used:

• Create a partnered event between the Marsheld CVB and

Clinic/Kids Wellness Department

• Incorporate Doc Marsh into the event with a pediatric focus

• Send out press releases to gain positive publicity for the event

and bring in visitors

• Apply for the New Event JEM Grant with the Wisconsin

Department of Tourism

Sept. 17-18Maple Fall Fest

June 4-6, 2011

Dance and Romance Weekend

Feb. 11-12

Marsh FieldDay

April 15

Figure 52. Marsh Field Day T-shirt.

Figure 51. Festival Facebook Default Pictures.

87

To nance additional promotional materials for this event, theTo give the event a friendly personality, Doc Marsh will be used as



Marsheld CVB can apply for the Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant

through the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The JEM Grant offersa maximum of $39,550 and up to three years of funding. With this

kind of additional funding, the Marsheld CVB will be able to add

additional media to the marketing mix, including TV spots and direct

mail.

Introducing... Doc Marsh!

NuVox Agency has redesigned Doc Marsh to be of higher quality.

The new Doc Marsh is a working vector le and can be scaled to

any size without losing quality. The new design also has more of afriendly feel and was designed to be more kid-friendly.

a spokesperson. Since Doc Marsh is already a recognizable gure

in the clinic, he will be used throughout promotional materials thatwill target clinic visitors as well as recreational visitors. To publicize

the event we will leverage free exposure through the use of press

releases and e-mail marketing as well as the placement of print

advertisements. An example of a poster/print advertisement can be

seen below in Figure 53, as well as a t-shirt design in Figure 52. A full

press release on Marsh Field Day can also be found on the content

DVD. In addition to these efforts, the Marsheld Clinic will help to

spread the news about the upcoming event.

Figure 53. Marsh

Field Day Poster.



88 MEDIA PLAN



90

90

NuVox developed a media plan that centers around the peak tourism

months for Marsheld, WI, which are April through July. Some media

have been placed in earlier months, to take into account prospective



visitors’ one month vacation planning period, as found in the research

(page 40). From this NuVox has developed media ow charts for

both the streamlined (Figure 56) and ideal (Figure 57) media plans.

Streamlined

Figure 56. Media Placements Broken Down by Month for the Steamlined Media Plan.

91

Ideal



Figure 57. Media Placements Broken Down by Month for the Ideal Media Plan.

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92

Online Newspapers • Leader Telegram

• Chippewa Falls Newspaper

W D il H ld

Key Media

TV



• Wausau Daily Herald

• Madison Times Weekly

• Wisconsin State Journal

• River Valley Newspaper

• Green Bay Press Gazette

• Appleton Post Gazette

Collateral• Posters

• Banners

Email• Lists from client

Problems

The Marsheld CVB’s previous efforts in media have had several

problems. The budget is very limiting and does not allow for

much exibility in the media plan. Newspaper efforts have been

unsuccessful in the past as a result of to poor quality and a low rate

of request for brochures. Also, the target audience prefers to use

the Internet most for nding information and booking their travel

plans. Hence, traditional media may be less effective. Realistically,

the people who are most likely to visit live only within 150 miles of

the city, limiting the geographic target radius. The target audience

may be unaware of Marsheld as a vacation destination. Finally,

Marsheld does not have a consistent brand image to reinforce

people’s perceptions of Marsheld; therefore, large images and longer

messages are needed to enforce a brand identity.

• Green Bay

• WBAY (ABC)

• WFRV (CBS)

• WGBA (NBC)

• Eau Claire

• WQOW (ABC)

• WKBT (CBS)

• WEAU (NBC)

• Wausau

• WAOW (ABC)

• WSAW (CBS)

• WJFW (NBC)

• Madison

• WKOW (ABC)

• WISC (CBS)

• WMTV (NBC)

Magazines • Wisconsin Trails

• Volume One

•

Reunions Magazine

Digital Social Media

• Facebook

• Twitter

Websites • Wisconsin Beautiful

• Travel Wisconsin

•

Wisconsin State Farmer • The Country Today

93

Rationale

TV Th M h ld CVB h d i t t i d i d

Objectives

Overall, the plan utilizes media where the target audience seeks

t l i f ti Th h h k thi t i l d TV



• The Marsheld CVB has expressed interest in producing and

placing advertisements on TV

• The Marsheld CVB has seen success with this medium in the

past

• TV can demonstrate an emotional appeal and execute moving

copy

• Local channels are affordable

• Ads can also be placed on closed-circuit clinic and hotel

channels

Magazines • The medium is highly targeted

• Readers are already in the mindset of the magazine subject

(Wisconsin travel, Wisconsin culture, Wisconsin events, etc.)

• There is a freedom to select key months for placements

• Magazines offer the best quality for print advertisements

• The medium has a long shelf life and a high pass-along rate

• Although initial research did not support this medium, certain

publications have large circulations and focus on subjects

such as Wisconsin travel. Also, MRI demonstrates that both of

the target markets are heavy users of magazines (“Fall 2009media,” 2009).

Digital • Digital is affordable with minimal production costs

• From the primary research, both of the target markets

expressed that they use this medium to seek travel

information and book vacations

• With digital comes a creative freedom by allowing for rotating

images and text

•

The medium is measurable • Digital has the ability to drive consumers to the website and

social media to encourage word-of-mouth

travel information. Through our research we know this to include TV,

travel websites, word-of-mouth, and magazines. NuVox Agency’s

media plan aims to reach 20% of young families and Baby Boomers

living within 150 miles of Marsheld, Wisconsin. There are 1.2 million

people living in the target geographic areas, and we plan to reach

240,000 people through the media placements. We will reach each

of the target audience 1.5 times a month. However, the plan lacks

some depth, as the media placements are highly selective in terms of

the vehicle station and timing.

Strategies

Nuvox Agency’s strategy is to use TV to convey the Marsheld CVB’s

new branding and increase awareness of the Marsheld festivals

among the target audience. The media plan will utilize magazines

that the target uses to seek travel information while using as little

placements necessary in order to conserve the budget and maximize

efciency. Digital outlets will be used to reach the target while these

prospective visitors are in the mindset of seeking travel information.

Digital media will also unify the print efforts and engage potential

travelers to learn more about Marsheld. Collateral materials willhelp strengthen the brand material at festivals and events within both

Marsheld and surrounding cities. Email marketing will be integral

in increasing attendance of events and festivals by reminding past

visitors of upcoming events as they approach. Media spending

will peak during the months of April and August, with additional

heightened advertising during the month leading up to a festival

(January, May and August). The media plan will concentrate on the

following markets within 150 miles of Marsheld: Wausau, Green

Bay, Eau Claire, Madison, La Crosse, Chippewa Falls, and Appleton.

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94

Collateral (banners and posters) • Collateral has a long shelf life

• The medium can help to establish the Marsheld CVB’s

Figure 58. Streamlined

Media Plan.



The medium can help to establish the Marsheld CVB s

branding • Collateral has good quality for print advertisements

Email • Email has minimal costs

• The Marsheld CVB already has email addresses from the

target market that were gained through repeat visitors

• The messages can be personalized

• The medium has the capability of driving the target market to

the website and social media sites

Streamlined Breakdown

The media plan, shown in Figure 58, is a spreadsheet of all the

placements NuVox recommends to maximize the Marsheld CVB’s

reach within the specied budget. The table is organized by month,

medium, vehicle, coverage, unit type, unit price, number of units,

and total cost. As seen in Figure

59 it is noticeable that placements

are heaviest during the months

of February to July. This specic

budget is streamlined to match

the $40,000 budget. However,

all TV placements were removed

to prevent over-spending. These

spreadsheets are available on the

content DVD so that the Marsheld

CVB can design a media plan

that is suitable to their needs and

budget.

Figure 59. Monthly media

expenditures.

95





97





98 BUDGET

Budget Analysis

NuVox Agency has developed a campaign within the given budget

of $40,000 (Figure 62). However, we have also included a campaign

with an ideal budget of $100,000 (Figure 63). In order to see

signicant results, we believe a budgetary increase is necessary.

To account for the increase in budget, we have laid out options for

the Marsheld CVB to obtain the required funds. See page 100 for

these options.

The major difference between these two budgets is the media

plan. In the streamlined budget television was removed and

fewer ad placements were made. To see specic details on the



99

Figure 62. Streamlined Budget Breakdown Figure 63. Idea Budget Breakdown

100

100

Fees

We suggest charging $2 for adults (children enter free) for both

the Maple Fall Fest and Dairy Fest. This will bring in an estimated

difference between the two media plans see the media section

starting on page 88. The Giveaways, banners, and MVP cards

remain the same between budgets.



revenue of $40,000 per event, increasing the budget by a total of

$80,000. This signicant increase in funds will allow the Marsheld

CVB to attract more visitors by implementing a more extensive and

farther-reaching campaign.

Increasing the BudgetJoint Effort Marketing Grant

Applying for the Joint Effort Marketing Grant through the Wisconsin

Department of Tourism could increase the Marsheld CVB’s budget

by 200%. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism gives out up to

$1.13 million annually to keep Wisconsin’s tourism industry healthy.

The categories the Marsheld CVB would be applying for are

Destination Marketing, Existing Event and New Event. Each categoryoffers up to $39,550 individually; this is a possible increase of

$118,650 to the Marsheld CVB’s current budget.

The Destination Marketing category offers funding to projects that

focus on the city’s unique selling points. The Existing Event category

can be applied to targeting a new geographic or demographic market,

or advertising in a new medium for an event that already exists.

We suggest that the Marsheld CVB applies for this grant in order

to increase the attendance and revenue of Dance and Romance

Weekend. The New Event category applies to a new event that will

be repeated regularly. We suggest that the Marsheld CVB use this

for Marsh Field Day.

In order to apply for these grants, the Marsheld CVB must submit

an extensive application to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

The application includes a project description, goals, tracking

expenditures, target markets, public relations plan, media plan,

tracking specics, and income statement. Specics on the application

can be found at http://industry.travelwisconsin.com/Grants/JEM/Apply.

aspx. Funding can begin 90 days after the Department of Tourism

receives the application.

101





102 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

The Th ree-Year Plan

When the US 10 expansion project is completed in 2012, the

Marsheld CVB should be ready to implement some new strategies

to benet from the completion of the highway. NuVox Agency

recommends the following actions be taken.

D t th i d i ibilit t M h ld

Anticipation Emails

By establishing the consumer journey, as seen on Page 44, NuVox

identied the anticipation phase leading up to a potential visitor’s trip.

We dened this as:

A phase where emotions are high and the excitement begins

t b t th ti Thi t i ft l k d b



103

Due to the increased ease in accessibility to Marsheld, more

advertising dollars should be spent on a wider geographic radius.

Almost overnight cities closer to I-94 to the west such as Eau Claire,

and cities closer to I-39 in the Fox Valley will be been bridged by the

expanded US 10. Therefore, Marsheld will be in the consideration

set for people who value an easy destination in which to travel while

going on vacation. We recommend that branding messages be

disseminated throughout these better connected areas. Through

general branding advertisements Marsheld will benet from not

only being seen as a place to go for a festival, but also a place to go

because it’s an easy drive for prospective visitors. Therefore, NuVox

believes that spending more dollars towards reaching people going

on vacations will be benecial.

to grow about the vacation. This step is often overlooked by

advertisers; however, if the Marsheld CVB can make an

impact at this stage, it may help boost opinions of the city and

begin the experience before these vacationers even arrive.

We recommend that the Marsheld CVB take advantage of this

phase by implementing an email marketing campaign. By using

Constant Contact to send personalized emails to future visitors,

the Marsheld CVB can help demonstrate their small town

charm as stated in the new positioning statement.

There are several ways that the Marsheld CVB can attain the

email addresses of those planning on visiting Marsheld. Through

qualitative research we found that personal connections formed

at hotels are important. By supplying email templates to hotels in

Marsheld they can facilitate the distribution of emails to those who

have already booked hotel rooms.

104

104

SEO Recommendations

Search Engine Optimization allows for websites on the internet to

come up higher in search engines Currently the Marsheld CVB

JEM DestinationMarketing Grant

The Marsheld CVB can use the research strategies and campaign



come up higher in search engines. Currently the Marsheld CVBwebsite is not shown on the rst page of search engines when the

word “Marsheld” is searched. This hinders the ability for prospective

travelers trying to nd area information before booking a trip. In order

to make visitmarsheldwi.com appear higher in organic searches

through engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo, NuVox Agency

recommends that the Marsheld CVB take the following steps. By

working with your current webmaster these steps can be easily

implemented.

Fix Keyword Meta-Tags

The site’s current coding is not optimized for search spiders which

index wwebsites on the Internet through keywords and content.

Visitmarsheldwi.com uses techniques which were deemed

appropriate two or more years ago, but are now red-agged and are

hindering the current indexing on the site. Black Hat SEO tactics such

as spamdexing present on the current site means that it runs the risk

of being dropped from the engines, or at least being removed from

high rankings. This current technique used in the keyword section

presents a long list which has little signicance to actual contenton the site. The hidden listing of these keywords on the homepage

should be taken off.

Instead of having a long list of keywords, spiders prefer indexing a

shorter more representative list of words supplementing content on

the site. Therefore, to maximize searchability, we recommend the

site’s keywords for the hompage be: marshfeld, visit marshfeld,

marshfeld vacation, marshfeld wisconsin, travel marshfeld and

central wisconsin travel.

The Marsheld CVB can use the research, strategies, and campaigndeveloped by the NuVox Agency to apply for the JEM Destination

Marketing Grant available through the Wisconsin Department of

Tourism. According to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism Web

site, this Grant will be “awarding dollars to projects that market your

area’s point-of-difference - that’s your brand - and leverage state

resources.” NuVox is condent that we have developed a position for

Marsheld, giving the city a very unique point-of-view, differentiating it

from other cities throughout the state.

We have attached our full proposal as an editable Adobe InDesign

le in the CD attached to this book. The Marsheld CVB can use this

le to pick and choose this information to use to apply for this grant.

The full guidelines can be found at http://industry.travelwisconsin.

com/Grants/JEM; however, much of the requested information can be

found in this book.

Facebook Cleanup

In order to simply the Marsheld CVB’s presence on Facebook we

have the following recommendations:

• Delete the “Marsheld Cvb” fan page. There are currently two

fan pages for the Marsheld CVB. The “Marsheld Cvb” page

is not regularly utilized by the CVB and can be confusing to

consumers searching online.

• Rename the main fan page, the “Marsheld Convention and

Visitors Bureau”, to a shorter and simpler name: “Marsheld

CVB”. The full name can be overwhelming to users searching

for it on Facebook. Because the term CVB is recognized

nationally as standing for Convention and Visitors Bureau,

there would be no confusion with this change.

105

Proposed

<meta name=”keywords” content= “marsheld, visit marsheld,marsheld vacation, travel marsheld, marsheld wisconsin, central wisconsin travel” />

Current

<meta name=”keywords” content= “Visit Marsheld, legends golf

marsheld, marsheld fairgrounds events, pittsville wi theatre, hub city

days, marsheld, bead store in marsheld wi, "Visit Marsheld

Wisconsin" "Visit Marsheld" central wisconsin horse



Increase Page Rank and back links.

Since SEO is all about “closing the circle”, meaning that all

indexed information by bots should be relevant to one another,

we recommend that all links on the site, link back through the site.

Doing this “closes the circle”, allowing the site to be higher in search

results.

By having other sites link to the CVB page, the page is deemed

more important by Google’s spiders constantly crawling the internet

and increases the site’s Page Rank (a term named after Google

founder Larry Page).

The following sites should have a visitmarsheldwi.com link added

to them. The CVB’s Facebook page, Twitter page, PR sites, Vendor

Web Sites, The Marsheld Chamber of Commerce site, local

businesses and each of the area’s hotels.

Wisconsin", "Visit Marsheld", central wisconsin horse

expo, Convention and Visitor Bureau, Convention and Visitors Bureau,

marsheld, wisc, marsheld chamber, chamber of marsheld, bestwestern

of marsheld, super 8 of marsheld, marsheld super 8, visitmarsheld.

com, vistmarsheld.com, visitmarsheldwi.org, visitmarsheldwi.net, maple

fall fest, dance and romance, hub city days, central wisconsin state fair,

dairy fest, dairyfest, jurustic park, wildwood park, marsheld water and

electric, city of marsheld, common council, central avenue, mainstreet

street marsheld, sunrise rotary, marsheld clinic, marsheld hospital, st.

joseph’s hopsital, festival foods, rm of the year, business of the year, roddis

avenue, hwy 13, hwy 97, veterans parkway, Marsheld Tigers, Marsheld

High School, yourmarsheld.com, sharon kirn, mike mayor, mayor mike,marsheld cultural fair, green bay, stevens point, wausau, madison, la

crosse, eau claire, wildwood zoo, world’s largest round barn, news visions

gallery, marsheld art fair, UW Wood County, Wood County, Clark County,

Marathon County, Town of Hewitt, Town of Arpin, Town of Lindsey, Town of

McMillian, Town of Lincoln, Wisconsin Rapids, Town of Day, Rotary Winter

Wonderland, comfort inn, amerihost, holiday inn , holiday inn conference

center, Historic District, Marsheld Historic District, Northway Mall, Pizza

Hut, Marsheld Churches, Marsheld Shopping, Premier Printing &

Media, Premier Printing Media, Sunower, Roehl Transport, Marsheld

Doors, Figis, Wick, Marsheld Homes, Marsheld Furniture, Baltus, The

Store, School To work, Crystal Apple, Marsheld Young Professionals,

marsheld visitors bureau, marsheld wi visitors bureau, hidden wells quilt,piecemakers.com, wisconsin fairgrounds barns, 544449 , 54479, 54484,

54405, 54412, 54420, 54425, 54437, 54456, 54466, 54484, 54488, 54489,

54494, marsheld cheese chase, draft horse show marsheld wisconsin,

marsheld dairyfest 2006, visitmarsheldwi.com, atv trails in marsheld

wi, hiking trails in marsheld wi, marsheld visitors bureau, visitmarsheld.

wi.com, Marsheld Fairs, Festivals & Fun,Tourism, central Wisconsin,

downtown, NTA Convention, Jewelry Show, Historic Preservation, Mother’s

Day Art Fair, Dairyfest, Wood County, Maple Fall Fest, attractions, activities,

events” />

106

106

Remove Unnecessary Tags

The tags of author, copyright, rating, and robots are unnecessary and/

Keep and Rene Necessary Tags

The most important tags for SEO are

Title- This should be 5-10 words, include the CVB’s name, and be a



The tags of author, copyright, rating, and robots are unnecessary and/ or outdated for SEO purposes. NuVox discovered these in the current

coding of the Marsheld CVB website and suggest removing the

following tags:

<meta name=”author” content=”SchillerMedia (DLS)” />

<meta name=”copyright” content=”Copyright © 2008-2011

VisitMarsheldWI.com” />

<meta name=”rating” content=”general” />

<meta name=”robots” content=”index,follow” />

Title This should be 5 10 words, include the CVB s name, and be atotal of 90 characters.

Description- This is a summary of what the page has to offer. It

should be at most 170 characters.

Keywords- Each page should have around 10-20 keywords,

amounting to approximately 900 characters. Keywords should relate

to content on the site, not a random listing of words. These are also

what prospective travelers will hopefully be searching for.

All of these tags are currently present on the Marsheld website.

NuVox has reworked these tags below, making search engines pick

them up more easily.

<title>Marsheld Convention and Visitor Bureau</title>

<meta name=”description” content= “Located in Central Wisconsin,

Marsheld is ideal for bringing people together, travel and vacation.

Marsheld offers small-town charm, Wisconsin festivals and

events.”/>

<meta name=”keywords” content= “marsheld, visit marsheld,

marsheld vacation, travel marsheld, marsheld wisconsin, central

wisconsin travel, central Wisconsin vacation, traveling wisconsin” />

107



108

108

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February 8). What connects us [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://midwestmomments.blogspot.com/

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Skitown.com - Wisconsin ski resorts. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.wisconsinskiresorts.com

Specials. (2011). Retrieved from http://spacvb.com/specialspackages.html

Stardust Motel. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://stardustmotel.tripod.com/

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The early history of Marsheld. Marsheld Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

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Research/Hidden%20Research/2009%20Highlights.pdf

Trip advisor; Woodeld Inn and Suites. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60068-d1164403-Reviews-Woodeld_Inn_

and_Suites-Marsheld_Wisconsin.html

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ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2009_5YR_G00_DP5YR3&-ds_name=ACS_2009_5YR_G00_&-tree_id=5309&-redoLog=true&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=16000US5549675&-format=&-_lang=en

111

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aspx?code=emarketer_2000777

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id=482447



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Economic_Research/

Documents

Campaign Book for the Marshfield Convention and Visitors Bureau