Visit KC Focus Group Findings Report by Tanya Grover

Visit KC Focus Group Findings Report Buffaloes Professor Joseph Erba JOUR 460 5 May 2016

Table of Contents I. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….2 II. Participants…......……………………………...……………………………………....2 III. Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………3 IV. Findings…...………………………………………………………………………..…8 A. Category 1: Leisure/Free Time Activities…………………………………….…...8 B. Category 2: Midwest Perceptions & Attitudes…………………………………..22 C. Category 3: Kansas City Perceptions & Opinions……………………………….28 D. Category 4: Travel/ Vacation Planning…………………………………………..41 E. Category 5: Social Media & Millennials………………………………………...53 F. Category 6: Marketing Recommendations……………………………………....60

V. Conclusion……………………...………………………………………………….…65 VI. Reflection………………………………………………………………………....…68 VII. Focus Group Transcription………………………………………………………....72

I. Introduction: (Tanya) Our focus group took place on Friday, February 19 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM and consisted of seven participants. Starting with the introductions to the very last comment, the focus group lasted a total of one hour, 21 minutes, and 12 seconds. Our recruitment process was based entirely on a convenience sampling method. Each participant was either a close friend and/or roommate of a respective team member. The seven participants were the first people each team member contacted (one team member brought two participants), so there is no higher number of potential participants; all seven people contacted became the eventual attendees. These participants were identified by personal inquiry of the team members, through media such as texting, group messages, and/or verbal conversations. II. Participants: (Olivia)

Hometown

Kaitlin Chicago, IL

Age Major

20 Psychology

Ethnicity Gender Relationship status Children Projected income

Caucasian Female Casual Relationship None 100k+

Kayla Overland Park, KS 20 PreNursing Caucasian Female Single

Madeline Overland Park, KS 19 Applied Behavioral Science Caucasian Female Single

None 60-90k

Meredith Overland Park, KS 20 PreNursing

Emma Prairie Village, KS 19 Finance & Marketing

Harley Tulsa, OK

Caucasian Female Serious Relationship None 60-90k

Caucasian Female Single

None 60-90k

20 Journalism

Mara St. Louis, MO 21 Finance Caucasian Female Casual Relationship None 75k

The main observation about our focus group participants was that they were all very similar people. They were all the same age, all female, all had similar interests and all were friends or at least acquaintances. All of the participants being somewhat familiar with each other lead to a more relaxed, conversational atmosphere where discussion sometimes became off-topic.

Because the participants were friends with the students leading the focus group as well, sometimes the discussion and responses were not taken as seriously as they would have been if it were to be conducted in a more professional setting with an unknown moderator and focus group leaders. One main problematic observation was that he participants demonstrated a lot of phone use during the focus group, which lead to a degree of disconnect and distraction. A majority of the participants were also from the Kansas City area, which gave them more in-depth knowledge about specific aspects of Kansas City.

III. Data Analysis: (Mackenzie & Tanya) The transcription of our focus group is full; all six team members transcribed 13 minutes. Our transcription is comprised of 14,592 words. Victoria, Olivia, and Emma were the designated notetakers during the focus group. Each took two, one, and two pages of notes respectively, for a total five pages of focus group notes. The total number of words from our collective selfbriefings is 569 words. We analyzed the data by utilizing the “track changes” option on the Microsoft Word document of our transcription. Each group member thoroughly read through the transcription on their own time and searched for patterns within the quotes. When identifying a common theme, we highlighted the quote and made a “comment” signifying which theme, or code, the quote exemplified. Some members wrote a whole phrase as their comment which represented the code, while others used a number which was attributed to a specific code in her individual coding document. The codes were chosen based on a common conversational topic and were often named starting with an active verb, followed by a phrase that very specifically portrayed the ideas and opinions about said topic. For example, two codes that exemplify this structure are “Considering Kansas City not aligned with the Midwest stereotype” and “Enjoying vacation

destinations with warm weather.” We then studied similarities between codes to establish broader themes that multiple codes could apply to. Following the individual transcription analysis and coding process, we identified six broad categories that between anywhere from 6 to 24 codes fell under. The six categories were determined loosely based on Visit KC’s research questions. “Leisure/Free Time Activities” is our first category. This section covers the wide range of recreational activities millennials choose and/or prefer to engage in. Data from this category reveals important information regarding the research question concerning what millennials are attracted to when visiting a city. Codes including enjoying activities like food/restaurants, shopping, and nightlife reveal that millennials’ idea of leisure is very much aligned with attractions cities have to offer. Our second category is “Midwest Perceptions & Attitudes” which portrays millennials’ thoughts and perceptions of the Midwest, the most important aspects of the Midwest through the eyes of millennials, and common attractions of the Midwest. This category is important to understanding the research question of how millennials perceive other Midwest cities, because most of the information gained from the participants were common perceptions of the Midwest and popular Midwest attractions they’ve enjoyed. Some examples of codes we used explained the positive and negative perceptions of the Midwest. The third category is “Kansas City Perceptions & Opinions,” focusing specifically on Kansas City and where it lies on a perceptual map in the minds of millennials and relating directly to Visit KC’s research question of how millennials perceive Kansas City. One popular code in this category involves how millennials consider Kansas City to be not aligned with the Midwest stereotype, which is important because it suggests that Kansas City’s geographic location is not a determining factor in its perception by millennials.

The fourth category is “Travel/Vacation Planning,” which highlights the participants’ opinions and attitudes towards traveling and taking vacations. This broad category relates to two of Visit KC’s research questions including: what millennials look for in a vacation and how millennials make travel and tourism decisions. For example, some of the main codes were traveling to a city based on celebrities and enjoying vacation destinations with warm weather. Our fifth category is “Social Media & Millennials,” which explores social media usage in the specific context of a millennial. This category is important to understanding the research question of how millennials respond to current Visit KC promotional materials, because the findings from the category reveal which social media outlets are most popular among this generation. For example, one code explains how millennials use social media to gain exposure about places, and events. Our sixth and final category is named “Marketing Recommendations” and encompasses the many suggestions and tips the participants provided throughout the focus group regarding millennial-oriented marketing and ideas about how to better reach this generation as well as improve the branding of Kansas City. This category also relates to the research question about how millennials respond to current Visit KC promotional materials. For example, the most popular code was regarding advertising mediums that gain millennials’ attention the most. Here is our category-code-quote table: Categories

Codes

Leisure/Free Time Activities

- Eating food (with friends/others) - Top restaurants/cuisine in Kansas City - Going to new restaurants - Activities in a group - Attending/supporting sporting events - Enjoying going shopping - Enjoying going to concerts - Social media use in free time

# of quotes 11 9 8 7 7 7 6 6

- Leisure/free time activities that would attract millennials - Amount of free time - Choosing to spend time in Power & Light district - Spending free time in The Plaza - Being concerned about cost of activities - Peers influencing/affecting decision-making for leisure/free time activities - Being active - The influence of a “local” affecting leisure/free time activities - Being outdoors - Choosing to stay in - Enjoying “going out” in general - Not preferring museums as a leisure activity Midwest Perceptions & Attitudes

Kansas City Perceptions & Opinions

- Enjoying attractions in the Midwest - Perceiving the Midwest positively - Perceiving the Midwest negatively - Midwest cities that come to mind - Considering Chicago in the mind of millennials - Attributing Midwest misconceptions to entertainment, media, & pop culture - Associating Midwest with sports teams - Associating Midwest with shopping - Perceiving other large Midwest cities as unsafe - Comparing Kansas City to other cities - Believing that positive celebrity-related press is good for Kansas City & vice versa - Considering Kansas City not aligned with the Midwest stereotype - Perceiving Kansas City as a good place to live but not visit - Not considering Kansas City as a potential vacation destination - Going to Kansas City for specific reasons only - Not considering Kansas City as an important/wellknown city - Associating Kansas City with eating - Being unaware of the Kansas City area - Perceiving people from Kansas City as friendly, genuine, down-to-earth, etc. - Perceiving Kansas City more positively than it is marketed - Perceiving Kansas City as unsafe - Believing that Kansas City’s location/set-up is a disadvantage

6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 1 14 12 11 11 8 7 3 1 1 18 15 13 11 10 9 7 6 5 5 4 4 4

Travel/Vacation Planning

Social Media & Millennials

Marketing Recommendations

- Perceiving Kansas City as an important Midwest city - The setup of Kansas City as a specific appeal for millennials - Traveling to a city based on celebrities - Enjoying vacation destinations with warm weather - How/when parents plan vacations - Likelihood of millennials returning to a place they had a good experience - Traveling to Kansas City for a specific reason - Prefers to travel somewhere new - Enjoys activities on vacation - Likes other cities more than Kansas City for vacation - KU students travel often to Kansas City - Needs/likes vacations to be planned out - Vacation experiences that would make millennials not want to return - Amount of time millennials plan trips/vacations in advance - Picks destination from friends and family - Considers Kansas City for a short destination - How millennials decide where to travel to - Places that have good reputations among millennials - Parents still plan vacations - Goes outside of U.S. for vacations - Stays in the U.S. for vacations - Unaware of travel websites - No desire to travel - Using social media to gain exposure about places, events, etc. - Judging websites/apps by their visual appeal and/or ability to navigate - Considering social media an important part of a millennialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life - Preferring Instagram as favorite social media outlet - Posting about vacations on social media - Millennialsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; thoughts on company posts on Instagram - Thoughts on Visit KC having a snapchat - Advertisement media that gain millennialsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attention the most - Suggestions of what to advertise in order to appeal to millennials more - Suggesting Visit KC should market towards groups

2 2 14 10 7 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 15 14 10 9 6 5 2 8 6 4

of people rather than individuals - Thoughts on a Kansas City newsletter/email - Suggesting that Kansas City could advertise more - Suggestions of what not to advertise in order to appeal to millennials more

4 3 1

IV. Findings: Category 1: Leisure/Free Time Activities (Olivia) Category Introduction: This category talks about how much free/leisure time millennials have in their daily lives and what preferred activities they choose to do in said free/leisure time. This category also specifically discusses what activities millennials choose to do in their free time in regards to when they are in/visiting Kansas City. Some of the main codes in this category were “Eating food (with friends/others),” Top restaurants/cuisine in Kansas City,” and “Going to new restaurants.” Code 1: Eating food (with friends/others) ●

This code discussed how food was the focus when participants considered their first/most favored things to do in their free time.

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Referencing her main leisure activities, Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS says “We like to go out to eat, we always do that too.” Talking about downtown activities with friends (specifically at the Call Center), Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS says “...people like to go down there and get cool pictures and have lunch, but food I think is really important for the millennials.” Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK says that in terms of free time activities “I think that food is key, and money is key.” Emma, a white finance and marketing major from Prairie Village, KS says that the main thing she does with friends is “Eating, for sure.”

10 ●

These quotes all show that the first activity that comes to mind when millennials consider priority activities to do in their free time is to eat food (with their friends) and that it is their favorite leisure activity. Code 2: Top restaurants/cuisine in Kansas City

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This code was the participant's response on the topic of what their favorite restaurants are to eat at in Kansas City/which ones they considered the best.

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Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, and Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK both agreed on “Brio” as their answer. Meredith, a white pre nursing from Overland Park, KS stated “Jack Stack” for a top restaurant and Emma, a white finance and marketing major from Prairie Village, KS said “Oklahoma Joe's, I mean Joe's Kansas City they changed the name.” A lot of participants named these certain restaurants because they believed they served the best barbecue.

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All of the answers related to this code showed us what restaurants millennials believe are the best/go to most frequently in Kansas City. Code 3: Participants mentioning their views on going to new restaurants

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This code is in regards to the topic of restaurants, and demonstrates the participants beliefs and behavior on trying new restaurants versus going to the same places.

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Emma, a white finance and marketing major from Prairie Village, KS says “I think I try a lot like of new places with my friend group like we try going other places.” Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS says in reference to if her and her friends try to go to different restaurants “Yeah we do. We try a bunch of different places.” Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL says “I think I've never gotten into a routine of going to the same place downtown just cause I've only been there like 4-5 times so like every time I've gone somewhere

different just because I haven't like gone back more than once. I've just never like known where to go back to I guess cause I honestly forget.” ●

This code concludes that as often as possible, millennials try to go to new restaurants because they like being able to try different things and have different, new experiences. It also shows us that non-KC locals that don’t visit KC frequently are less in the habit of forming routines for eating at different places and especially try to visit new restaurants. Code 4: Activities in a group

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This code addresses what sort of setting (in terms of people) millennials engage in their leisure/free time activities with.

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Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL said “Yeah I feel like most people go in big groups, like not 2-3 people. I mean you could but for the most part I feel like if you're going to do something for a night, you'd go with a big group of people” in response to what size of group millennials enjoy their leisure activities with. Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS says “

I feel like for the generations above us, a guy would see something and be like

‘Oh this would be a perfect place to take a girl on a date,’ but that doesn't really apply now. I don't think a single guy would be like ‘Oh I’d love to take a girl on a date here.’ It's more like if we get a group of girls and a group of guys we could all go here together and do something. Not really romantic of 2 on 2. I feel like that applies more to our parents generation or our grandparents generation that doesn’t apply to our generation.. At least not college age.” After being asked if KC advertised more places that they could go with a group of friends rather than a date or individually, Meghan, a white pre-nursing student said “yes.” Madison, white applied behavioral science major also said “yes,” and agreed that millennials are more inclined to travel in large groups.

12 ●

This code concludes that millennials prefer to spend their free time in larger group settings and enjoy free time activities more when they are done in a group - whether they are single or in a relationship. It also alludes to the fact that in terms of leisure activities related to relationships and dating, millennials prefer to do those activities (such as going to restaurants or concerts) in a larger, less romantic group setting as well. Code 5: Attending/supporting sporting events

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This code had to do with what events/activities in a city atmosphere, such as KC participants would find pleasurable or fun. It also gave us the participants opinions on sporting events in KC.

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When asked what events they would find fun in a city atmosphere, Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS said that “If it’s sports season like obviously I’m gonna go to games and stuff, or I try to.” Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS says in agreement “Or even like a like a sporting event, did you say sporting event? Like with the Royals winning the World Series that’s kind of like a cool thing to go to a Royals game or a Sporting KC is pretty good and those games are really fun. Sporting KC is more at the Legends, but like it’s kinda in the area. KC has good sporting events this year.” When asked what were some of her favorite things to do in KC, Emma, a white finance and marketing major from Prairie Village, KS says “Yeah, sports games.”

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This code concludes that participants find sports games pleasurable and think that they are a fun event/activity to do in a city atmosphere. It also tells us that many participants view sporting events as one of their favorite things about KC. Code 6: Enjoying going shopping

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This code discusses participants enjoyment of shopping as a leisure activity as well as their views on shopping in Kansas City.

13 ●

When asked what she would do in her free time in KC, Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO says “Probably go out to eat and go shopping places that we couldn’t go here. There’s definitely more options and more like not chain places. That’s kind of what’s always here most of the time.” Meredith, a white pre nursing from Overland Park, KS quotes “I think shopping, if we had a good shopping district, like outdoors.” Meredith also states “I mean, I say shopping and eating are some of the main thing that Kansas City has to offer, and there are places that offer it better like Chicago.”

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This code concludes that all of our participants highly enjoy shopping as a free time activity. It also tells us that participants view shopping as one of the main things to do in Kansas City. Participants also believe that although shopping is one of the main things KC has to offer, there are other places that offer better shopping. Code 7: Enjoying going to concerts

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This code discusses participants enjoyment of going to concerts as a leisure activity as well as concerts being a main reason why they would go to Kansas City.

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Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL says “In high school we used to go to Hot Country Nights every Thursday in the summer, it’s just like free concerts in Power and Light.” When asked what would get participants to drive 45 minutes to KC, Meredith, a white pre nursing from Overland Park, KS says “I’d say music. Like a good concert.”

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This code shows us that millennials enjoy going to concerts in their free time and that one of the main factors that would draw them into visiting KC would be a concert that they would want to attend. Code 8: Social media use in free time

14 ●

This code discusses how often participants use social media in their free time, how prevalent/influential it is in their daily lives, and the act of using social media to showcase their experiences to others.

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Emma, a white finance and marketing major from Prairie Village, KS states that “Social media” is among one of the general most popular activities for millennials. In response to the question “Do you think that the ability to share your experience with friends or family on social media effect how appealing certain activities are to millennials?” Kayla replied “Yes.”

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This code gives a lot of insight about how important millennials view social media and what a large presence it has in their daily lives. It tells us that many millennials are heavily influenced by social media and that it greatly determines what activities millennials do and how appealing certain activities are. Code 9: Leisure/free time activities that would attract millennials

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This code explains what millennials want when it comes to planning leisure/free time activities and what makes them easily want to engage in leisure/free time activities overall.

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Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS says “Yeah, stuff you don't have to plan. Like at night it's easier to just say ‘Let's go do this’ like more spontaneously.” Kayla also says in regards to what activities appeal to her/millennials “Stuff that's like, you don't have to get your tickets a month before. But like places where you can go and there's tickets at the door, free admission.”

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This code is very important in terms of why millennials will/won’t do certain activities. It shows us that millennials are very spontaneous and usually don’t have set plans. If they do, those plans are very likely to change very quickly. They tend to favor places that you can go on a whim and

activities that are free/discounted and that they don’t have to plan out in advance. If millennials have to stress about planning or going to an activity then they are most likely to not do it. Code 10: Amount of free time ●

This code is the participants responses when asked how much free time they have and things that take up their free time.

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Emma, a white finance and marketing major from Prairie Village, KS states that “On Wednesdays, I don’t have as much free time because of class.” In terms of activities that take up her free time, Emma refers to using social media in her free time “When I'm bored.”

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This code concludes that various factors such as school affect millennials amount of free time. It also demonstrated that social media takes up a lot of millennials free time, but that they turn to it when they need something to do to fill their free time, e.g. when they are bored. Code 11: Choosing to spend time in Power & Light district

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This code details participants views on Power & Light as a whole as well as viewing that district as a popular attraction in KC.

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Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS says that “Power and light. Like that area like all for young people.” Is KC’s most popular attraction. On the same topic of KC’s most popular attractions, Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL states “I think like Power and Light. Like I didn’t really ever hear about that until my second semester sophomore year. I think it’s something really cool that no one really knows about unless you like go to a specific concert, but it’s never been like advertised.”

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This quote concludes that many participants enjoy choosing to spend time in the Power & Light district, mainly for concerts. All participants view it as one of KC’s most popular

attractions/things it has to offer. Some participants also concur that although it is enjoyable, not many people know about Power and Light. Code 12: Spending free time in The Plaza ●

This code talks about participant’s views on the Plaza and how they choose to spend their free time there.

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Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK quotes “I would probably just say somewhere around the Plaza because it's like, there's a lot going on. Like you don't just have to go home you can walk around. There's like the carriage rides and all of that.”

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This code concludes that a majority of participants view the Plaza as a main attraction of Kansas City and that it is a place where they enjoy spending their free time. It also discusses how the Plaza has a lot going on and a lot of various activities to offer to millennials. Code 13: Being concerned about cost of activities

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This code talks about what millennials typically spend on leisure time activities, and how the cost of leisure time activities has an effect on weather or not they choose to participate.

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Meredith, a white pre nursing from Overland Park, KS quotes that in terms of how much money she would spend on activities in an average trip to KC “I think normally I would expect to spend $10-20 in a day, but shopping would be a different trip obviously.” In regards to the cost of activities in the Midwest and specifically Kansas City, Hailey, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said “I feel like you get a lot for your money here...” In agreement with this statement, Emily, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS, said: “No yeah, your dollar goes a long way here.”

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This code affirms the fact that millennials view money and the cost of free/leisure time activities to be a main decision-making factor in choosing an activity. It also tells us that as a generation,

millennials are a little cheaper and aren’t willing to spend a large amount of money on leisure activities. They also prefer discounts/deals when it comes to activities. Most millennials believe that the Midwest is an affordable area where their dollar is valued well. Code 14: Peers influencing/affecting decision-making for leisure/free time activities ●

This code evaluates how influential friends, family, and other peers are when it comes to free time/leisure activities. It also discusses the influence of peers on how millennials mainly hear about new things and why they want to try them.

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When asked how participants hear of restaurants and events and such, Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS said “Word of mouth, which probably like if someone saw it on social media and say “We should all go to this,” following up by concluding that the two main ways she hears about things are “Yeah, recommendations and word of mouth.” When asked “I mean a lot of you said you hear about places from other friends and like word of mouth, so do your opinions of your close friends matter to you enough to where it would effect if you went somewhere or not?” Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO and Kayla, a white prenursing student from Overland Park, KS were both in agreement by saying “Yeah.”

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Through discussion of this code one can conclude that the main way millennials hear about things is through their peers. Personal opinions and connections with others are the driving force behind why millennials would want or not want to do things. Word of mouth from peers or things they see on social media posted by peers are specific means of influence. Millennials are heavily influenced by their peers to the point of where their opinions effect if they went somewhere or not. Code 15: Being active

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This code discusses how participants view being active as a free time activity.

18 ●

Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS says that in her free time she says “I would go to the gym or walk outside or do something more active and stress relieving.”

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This code concludes that participants view being active as an important activity to engage in when they have free time and that they primarily enjoy it as well. Code 16: The influence of a “local” affecting leisure/free time activities

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This code is about how a being with a Kansas City native influences leisure/free time activities in KC.

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Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO says “Yeah, like most of the stuff I do in Kansas City is because someone’s from there and they’re like, ‘Oh this is cool, I’ll take you there.’”

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This code concludes that people who are not originally from the Kansas City are more likely to visit KC if they knew a local there. It also tells us that free time activities are easier and more enjoyable for people from outside KC if they are with a local that can guide them around and show them things. Code 17: Being outdoors

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This code discusses being outdoors as a factor of leisure/free time activities.

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Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS quotes “And, being outside especially when it’s nice, walking around.”

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This code concludes that millennials like activities that are offered outdoors and enjoy spending their time outside. Weather is also an important factor and millennials like spending their free time outdoors when it is nice out. Code 18: Choosing to stay in

19 ●

This code discusses staying in as an aspect of free time and why participants make the choice to stay in.

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Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO says that “Yeah, I think sometimes we’ll stay in and a group will watch movies sometimes, but sometimes if money is involved we’ll order food.”

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This quote explains what kind of activities millennials choose to do in their free time when they make the decision to stay in, such as watching movies, lounging around with friends, listening to music, etc. as well as explaining the factors that attribute to why they would choose to stay in. Code 19: Enjoying “going out” in general

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This code talks about how participants enjoy going out in their free time.

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Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK says that “Going out is a thing.”

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This code concludes that millennials view going out as their favorite thing to do in their free time because it emcompasses many of their most enjoyed activities (going shopping, going to concerts, eating food with friends, etc.) Code 20: Considering museums a leisure activity

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This code is about participants opinions on going to museums and if they view it as a fun leisure activity or not.

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Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS quotes “I think certain museums, I don’t think people are willing to walk through them. I don’t know, I don’t think it’s really fun for us.”

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This code concludes that some renowned museums may be considered interesting and enjoyable for participants, but as a whole millennials don’t consider going to museums as an enjoyable leisure activity and would not do it in their free time.

Category Conclusion: One can conclude from this category that as millennials, the focus group participants consider going out to eat food with their friends as their main, preferred leisure activity. This is important for Visit KC because when marketing towards millennials, they should considerably highlight all the restaurants that they can go eat at with their friends because it is the number one activity they enjoy doing in their free time. We can also conclude from these findings that who millennials enjoy their free time with is just as important as what they do in their free time. Whether they are in a relationship or not, all millennials enjoy partaking in leisure time activities in a large group. These specific findings are also important to Visit KC because they can now market that many aspects of KC as things that can be enjoyed in a large, casual, group setting.

Category 2: Midwest Perceptions & Attitudes (Mackenzie) Category Introduction: This category portrays millennials’ thoughts and perceptions of the Midwest, the most important aspects of the Midwest through the eyes of millennials, and common Midwest associations. Some of the main codes within this category include “Enjoying attractions in the Midwest,” “Perceiving the Midwest positively/negatively,” and “Midwest cities that come to mind.” Code 1: Enjoying attractions in the Midwest ●

This code includes multiple Midwest attractions that our participants have been to, and the attractions that make the Midwest relevant.

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Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO, said: “I went to this place in Kansas City, I was like younger, it's like a petting zoo. I thought it was awesome.” Joining the conversation, Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, said: “That's like St., what's that place in

St. Louis? The City Museum?”. After sparking an idea, Kayla continued: “Oh, I loved the City Museum.” Later on, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS, said: “Oh, when I nannied, I loved that stuff. Like, I had more fun than they did,” when referring to a popular Midwest attraction, the Kaleidoscope. Finishing off the topic, Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS, said: “Crown Center”, when naming an attraction she enjoyed as a child. ●

These findings illustrate the Midwest attractions that first came to the participants’ minds. Most of the attractions were located in Kansas City, and things that they participated in as a child or as a nanny for other children. The participants were excited to list the attractions that they’ve heard of or traveled to. In conclusion, the participants named several attractions that they have attended in Kansas City or the Midwest. Code 2: Perceiving the Midwest positively

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This code includes the positive thoughts and perceptions of how the Midwest is commonly perceived by the participants.

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Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said: “I feel like you get a lot for your money here, like you go to California and eat.” In agreement with this statement, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS, said: “No yeah, your dollar goes a long way here.” When asked what do you consider the biggest draw to the Midwest to be, Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “Friendliness.” Shortly after, Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO, said: “The people.”

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These findings show that the participants have many positive thoughts about the Midwest and think that the Midwest is appealing as far as living because of the lower costs. When asked about

what draws there are to the Midwest, most of the participants mentioned the people, more specifically how friendly they are, and how comfortable they are living in the Midwest. Code 3: Perceiving the Midwest negatively ●

This code includes the negative thoughts and perceptions of how the Midwest is commonly perceived. All locations have pros and cons, and this section elaborates on the negative perceptions of the Midwest from our participants.

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Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO, said: “I feel like people think we are country, like hicks, and we are not really advertised at all. I mean there, like a majority of the midwest, is rural, but um, I would say when people hear about Kansas, that's not what the think.” Following her last statement, Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO, said: “Just that everyone thinks you live on a farm, and there's nothing interesting about it,” when further asked about the Midwest stereotype. Agreeing with this negative perception Kayla, a white pre-nursing major from Overland Park, KS, said: “Like, lowkey, basic, average kind of trip. A safe bet.”

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These findings reveal that some people, specifically who are not from the Midwest, have misconceptions and different ideas of what the Midwest has to offer. Some misconceptions could be that Kansas is all farms and flat land, but there is also city-life that some people don’t know about. Also, some participants admitted that even though they are from the Midwest, they sometimes hold their own misconceptions of the area just because of how others typically view the Midwest. Code 4: Midwest cities that come to mind

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This code includes numerous cities located in the Midwest that first came to mind or were named by our participants.

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Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL, said: “Chicago”, when the moderator asked what top five Midwest cities come to mind. Continuing the conversation, Meredith, a white prenursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “Chicago. St. Louis.” After this, Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL, finished her answer to the question and said: “ I feel like I would say Minnesota, Northern Illinois, they don't feel midwest. I think of like North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska.

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Although the quotes within this code are relatively short, the answers are important because Visit KC wants Kansas City to be recognized as a large Midwest city. Participants were asked when you hear the word “Midwest” what are the first five cities that come to mind. Following this, none of the participants mentioned Kansas City when asked about major Midwest cities that come to mind. Most of the cities named were considered larger, more marketed cities, i.e. Chicago. Code 5: Considering Chicago in the mind of millennials

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This code explains that Chicago is considered the main city when thinking of the Midwest and holds multiple comparisons/ideas to KC and the midwest overall.

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Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO, said: “ It’s just bigger. I feel like it’s the Midwest version of New York, maybe just a little cleaner and a little safer.” Continuing the conversation about Chicago, Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL said: “It’s just always been big too, like it’s like New York and then Chicago and then a bunch of other cities popped up, so it’s just had that reputation of being pretty well-known.” Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS, said: “I think they advertise it more, like I feel like people know more things about it.”

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Most of the participants felt the same way that Chicago is the most popular city in the Midwest. Chicago is more well-known and advertised more than any other city in the Midwest, and it is a commonly talked about city within their peers. Chicago is often a popular tourism destination for millennials, and was referred to as a smaller NYC. Code 6: Attributing Midwest misconceptions to entertainment, media, & pop culture

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This code includes ideas of entertainment such as movies or TV shows, that provide misconceptions of what the Midwest has to offer.

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Kayla, a white pre-nursing major from Overland Park, KS, said: “Dorothy, Wizard of Oz”, while Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS, said: “Movies” when the moderator asked where they thought misconceptions from the Midwest came from.

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Based on this code, the participants named common movies or specific entertainment that can give people a misconception of the Midwest. Most of the examples the participants agreed with, like the Wizard of Oz. Code 7: Associating Midwest with sports teams

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This code includes quotes from our participants that relate the Midwest with sports teams.

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Kaitlin, a white psychology student from Chicago, briefly stated: “Sports teams”, when asked what makes Midwest cities popular and relevant, followed by two other participants agreeing.

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This code is inferring that when participants think of the Midwest, sports teams come to mind, and that sporting events are popular activities within the Midwest. Code 8: Associating Midwest with shopping

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This code includes a quote from one of our participants that relates the Midwest with shopping.

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Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said: “When I think of Chicago, I think of like shopping.”

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When this participant thinks of Chicago, she also thinks of shopping. The participant is implying that Chicago has a significant shopping district. Code 9: Perceiving other large Midwest cities as unsafe

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This code includes a quote from one of our participants that suggests large Midwest cities are unsafe.

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Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, said: “I wouldn’t take my kids to Chicago.”

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Based on this code, the participant feels as if Chicago is not a safe city, and she wouldn’t take her kids there for traveling. Category Conclusion: Findings illustrate that the participants hold several positive and negative conceptions of the Midwest. The participants believe that the Midwest is like a hidden gem- it has a lot to offer as far as attractions and getting your money’s worth, it’s just covered by misconceptions. Along with this information, a popular city that was mentioned numerous times was Chicago. This is important for Visit KC because it responds to their research question regarding how millennials perceive other midwest cities by giving specific feelings from participants regarding how they view the Midwest. The participants talked about other large cities, which Visit KC could focus on to making Kansas City a more viable option when traveling to the Midwest.

Category 3: Kansas City Perceptions & Opinions (Tanya) Category Introduction: This category explores Kansas City in the minds of millennials and identifies positive and negative aspects of the city and its location, attractions, people, and marketing techniques. Findings from this category represent not only the ideas and opinions of the participants, but also the participants’ projected

thoughts regarding millennials from other geographic areas in the U.S. Three main codes from this category include “Comparing Kansas City to other cities,” “Believing positive celebrity-related press is good for Kansas City,” and “Considering Kansas City not aligned with the Midwest stereotype. Code 1: Comparing Kansas City to other cities ●

This code includes participants’ opinions and perceptions of Kansas City, specifically when juxtaposed with and compared to other U.S. cities. Participants weigh the pros and cons of the differences between these cities.

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While discussing Kansas City in a comparative lens, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS, said: “I guess just, Kansas City is smaller compared to like, Chicago or St. Louis, it’s a lot smaller.” In agreement, Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “Yeah, like the size thing. St. Louis has a lot of different cool neighborhoods and districts, whereas Kansas City is just like the Plaza, and there other neighborhoods but they’re not as populated or known about.” When asked what other cities such as Dallas has or does to make it more appealing, Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said: “I just feel like it’s more of little restaurants and like we said, deals on drinks and stuff...and the fact that it’s in Texas helps. Texas is just bigger.” Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO, agreed: “I feel like places like Texas, New York, or LA already have a head start. They don’t have to work as hard to market themselves.” Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL, said: “I don’t see it [Kansas City] of a more or lesser city, I just think it’s somewhere different. It’s not necessarily worse than anywhere else, I just think it’s a different atmosphere, or like a smaller city. And I feel like it’s a lot like other Midwest cities...like Iowa City and KC are kinda like level in my head. They’re kinda similar. So I don’t know if they need to improve anything. I think it’s good how it

is, it’s a strong city. If they want to be like Chicago they’d have to improve and do different marketing but people come here anyways, I think it’s just a good place and it doesn’t necessarily need to improve.” ●

Based on these quotes, it is evident that millennials’ perceptions of Kansas City definitely differs from perceptions of other cities, regarding size, attractions, etc. However, the participants clarify that this is not necessarily always a bad thing. While Kansas City may not be able to offer the entire range of activities and attractions as other larger, more geographically desirable cities, what the city does offer is appealing to millennials nonetheless, even if for different purposes. Code 2: Believing that positive related press is good for Kansas City & vice versa

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This code demonstrates the collective opinion that a positive perception of Kansas City, especially when promoted by local celebrities, is a benefit to the well-being the city.

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Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO, said: “I just think that people and places are different, like any press is probably good press for people because it means you’re talking about them, but with a city it matters what people think because they’re not gonna go otherwise.” Providing an example of a situation where good press has benefited the city, Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said: “I think the World Series helped a ton because it showed the city can come together to be supportive, and I think a lot of people saw Kansas City after that.” Also commenting on the World Series, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS, said: “We just won the World Series, I feel like that’s something...we jumped a few points.” On the topic of sports and the Royals, all participants agreed that Kansas City’s professional athletes do a good job of representing what it means to live there. Furthermore, Emma added: “People from Kansas City are very vocal about being from Kansas City, which is a great reputation. Like they're proud to be from here.”

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These findings reveal not only that positive press generates benefits for a city in the eyes of millennials, but specifically for Kansas City this phenomenon has been more than advantageous. Code 3: Considering Kansas City not aligned with the Midwest stereotype

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This code reveals that while Kansas City is indeed located in what is considered the “Midwest,” a lot of the city’s attributes are not in line with those of the Midwest, according to millennials.

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Referring to the Midwest stereotype juxtaposed with Kansas City, Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “I just feel like, even though I am from the Midwest, I like still hold the misconception of being on the farm. When I think of Midwest, I think of dirt...I just feel like I don’t live in the midwest.” In agreement, Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO said: “I feel like people think we are country, like hicks, and we are not really advertised at all. I mean there a majority of the Midwest is rural, but that's not what we think.” Also about Kansas City’s differing stereotype, Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS, said: “When they think of Kansas they think of boring and not exciting, but I mean I think we are better than that.” Agreeing that Kansas City’s stereotype is not all encompassing of the actual city, Kaitlin, a psychology major from Chicago, IL, said: “People forget that there are like big suburbs. Like, I am from Chicago, and I didn’t think really think Kansas had like Overland Park or that Kansas City was like as it is.”

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These quotes represent Kansas City’s unique brand as its own city, despite location and common misconceptions. So, regardless of its simultaneous status as part of the state of Kansas and the Midwest region, Kansas City’s attributes are not identical to those of these broader classifications and should not be marketed as such. Based on this data, Visit KC should work on marketing Kansas City in this differentiated way. Code 4: Perceiving Kansas City as a good place to live but not visit

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This code involves the perception of Kansas City as an ideal city for residing, growing up, and/or settling down as opposed to a preferred place for visiting or traveling to as a vacation destination.

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Referring to Kansas City, Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “I feel like it’s a good place to raise kids....maybe it’s not a good place to visit, which I know is not the study, but it is.” Similarly, when asked about the appeal of a smaller city in regards to Kansas City specifically, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS, said: “I mean not if I was visiting. But living there, yeah. It’s a great place to live.” Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO, agreed: “I think a lot of millennials would live in like Kansas City, it’s just so awesome and cool down there but not a lot of people would be like ‘let’s move to Prairie Village after college’ you know.”

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These findings show that Kansas City definitely has an appeal to millennials as a place to reside, but not so much as a vacation destination. Based on this data, Visit KC should focus more on branding the city as an ideal city for travel and vacationing. Code 5: Not considering Kansas City as a potential vacation destination

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This code involves the participants’ personal and projected opinions that Kansas City is not an ideal place to travel or visit in a leisurely context, specifically when compared to other popular cities and/or travel destinations.

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Exemplifying Kansas City’s inferior ranking as a destination, Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “I would say shopping and eating are some of the main thing that Kansas City has to offer, and there are places that offer it better, like Chicago.” In addition, when asked if she would consider Kansas City a destination if she were from outside the Kansas City and/or Kansas area, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS, said: “I don’t think so.” Furthermore, when Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, was

asked if she could see Kansas City growing to become more like Chicago or New York City, she said: “I think it could improve but I don’t think it would like be that…maybe like a cheaper version if you couldn’t afford to go [to Chicago or NYC].” ●

One can conclude from this code that it’s not that Kansas City doesn’t have the desired aspects and attractions, but that it is a common opinion among millennials that other cities can provide better alternatives or offer more than what one can find in Kansas City. Code 6: Going to Kansas City for specific reasons only

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This code implies that Kansas City’s appeal and likelihood for visiting is exclusive to a specific reason pursued by the visitor. This idea suggests that one would not make the trip for a strictly recreational purpose, in free time, or without necessity.

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Illustrating the idea that a visit to Kansas City does not have appeal as a purely recreational trip, Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL, said: “I would come only if there was something to come for.” Referring to going to Kansas City with a specific purpose, Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO, said: “I think for a night I would consider Kansas City if it were like a birthday or special occasion that we wanted to stay downtown.” Furthermore, Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “I don’t think that someone who didn’t have any family or friends and wasn't from Kansas City would come to Kansas City over somewhere else.”

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This code conveys that Kansas City can sometimes be an ideal destination, if only for a specific reason. Based on these quotes, Visit KC should emphasize Kansas City as not only a place to do certain common activities like shop or eat, but a place to spend quality time without an agenda. Code 7: Not considering Kansas City as an important/well-known city

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This code conveys millennials’ perception of Kansas City as somewhat irrelevant in a national

and especially global context. ●

Deemphasizing the importance of Kansas City, Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL, said: “I feel like internationally, Kansas doesn’t have a super pronounced reputation. I feel like no one knows about Kansas City. It just isn’t one of those well-known cities outside of the U.S. Especially internationally, no one knows about it.” In agreement, Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO, said: “It’s harder to compare KC to a place like that [popular U.S. cities] because they’re in totally different places in how the world views them.” Speaking more to its national reputation, Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said: “I feel like it’s one of those things where cities like Dallas will always be known more than Kansas City. When you go to the middle and deicide between Kansas City or Dallas, you would go to Dallas.”

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This code exemplifies that while Kansas City may be important or relevant to the participants (four of which are from there, all of which attend college 45 minutes away), they don’t think it holds the same significance across the country and overseas. Code 8: Associating Kansas City with eating

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This code attributes one of Kansas City’s main appeals/attractions among millennials as its cuisine, food choices, and restaurant variety.

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When asked about what she likes to do in Kansas City, Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO, said: “Probably go out to eat and go shopping places that we couldn’t go here [Lawrence]. There’s definitely more options and more non-chain places. That’s kind of what’s always here most of the time.” Agreeing with Kansas City’s significant food/restaurant appeal, Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said: “Yeah, or sometimes I just go to eat down there, like if there’s something good, like if I want something really good to eat I’ll go there.”

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These quotes prove the impressive quality of Kansas City’s food scene because they show that millennials are willing to make a 45-minute drive for a simple meal. The code emphasizes food and eating as important factors in the daily lives of this generation, suggesting that this is an aspect of Kansas City that should be highly marketed. Code 9: Being unaware of the Kansas City area

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This code portrays Kansas City in a light where nonresidents are not aware of its potential as a place to live or visit, specifically in regards to attractions.

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When a non-Kansas City resident Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL, was asked about Kansas City attractions, she said: “I don’t really know Kansas City. But, I guess the Plaza, or sporting events.” When asked the same question, Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO, said: “I don't really know. I haven’t been there enough.”

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An interpretation of this code is that Kansas City is not appropriately or effectively marketed to millennials outside of the Kansas/Kansas City area. Better advertising to other areas, even if still in the Midwest, could improve millennials’ overall perception of Kansas City. Code 10: Perceiving people from Kansas City as friendly, genuine, down-to-earth, etc.

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This code expands the examination of Kansas City perceptions as a location/destination to explore millennials’ perceptions of Kansas City’s residents.

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When asked to describe the type of people who live in Kansas City, Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL, said: “Just really friendly, like people are willing to help you find places or I feel like everyone I’ve met just wants to talk, like they’re interested in actually having a conversation, which is nice.” Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, agreed: “I’d probably say like the kind of people you’d wanna be friends with.” To sum it up, Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “Yeah, I’d agree with the genuine and

down-to-earth kind of thing.” ●

The quotes from this code convey that the people from and/or living in Kansas City and their personalities are definitely a positive aspect of the city. Again, this is something Visit KC can work on marketing since it is clearly an appeal to millennials. Code 11: Perceiving Kansas City more positively than it is marketed

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This code has to do with misconceptions about Kansas City in the context of its location, advertisement, etc. It reveals that despite its potentially negative brand or stereotype, millennials don’t always agree.

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After explaining her initial reaction when she found out she was moving to Kansas City from the East Coast, Emma, a white finance major now from Prairie Village, KS, said: “Kansas City is not boring, and I live--or lived, my parents moved again--like five minutes from the Plaza or not even like really close. But I mean, it’s really fun. There is stuff to do, and I think the people is the best part. Like, everyone is very friendly, like that would be my selling point.” In agreement about Kansas City being better than it is branded, Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “I think it might be hard to get people to come but once they did, for like a concert or bigger event going on in Kansas City, then it would be like, ‘Oh, hidden gem kinda maybe.’”

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From this code, one can conclude that millennials don’t necessarily agree with the most popular opinion--a characteristic that is somewhat unique to this generation. Whereas their older counterparts tend to adopt popular perceptions and stereotypes somewhat mindlessly, millennials enjoy challenging the status quo and questioning conventionality. This being said, Kansas City is not marketed in the way millennials perceive it, meaning they drew their own conclusions based on personal experience rather than poor advertising. Furthermore, it shows that Kansas City has

potential to be better perceived if marketing and advertising techniques were improved. Code 12: Perceiving Kansas City as unsafe ●

This code associates a lack of safety with Kansas City, specifically downtown, as a common millennial perception.

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When asked if she felt unsafe in Kansas City, Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “I haven’t lived in Kansas City, I live in Overland Park so it’s completely different. But I think that if I did live in certain parts of Kansas City I might feel unsafe.” While further discussing the importance of safety, Kayla, also a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS, said: “There would be times that I would be like going down to Children’s Mercy or something downtown and I’d be like, if my car broke down, I’d be scared. Like my mom’s like, don’t get gas down there. I don’t know, just little things like that, where you’re not scared but it’s just probably not the best idea to stop here and drive through this McDonald’s or something.”

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These quotes reveal that, perhaps differing from their generational stereotype, millennials are in fact concerned with safety. In addition, the quotes exemplify that downtown Kansas City and the suburbs of Kansas City promote contrasting ideals of safety. Code 13: Believing that Kansas City’s location/setup is a disadvantage

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This code attributes the setup of Kansas City and respective locations of popular attractions within the city as a disadvantage. In the minds of millennials, this concept negatively affects Kansas City’s (lack of) appeal as a destination.

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When talking about Kansas City potentially making a comeback in popularity in comparison to other cities, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS, said: “The sports teams [arenas] are in the middle of nowhere, which in like other big cities it’s not like that. It’s in the

city, which is a huge thing I think.” On the same topic, Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL, said: “And like the Chicago skyline, I know it’s not that important of a thing but just like aesthetically it draws more people because you have something distinct. Whereas Kansas City is more spread out.” ●

These opinions reflect that regardless of marketing or advertising strategies, some aspects of Kansas City cannot be branded in a way that certain people will perceive as positive. This being said, Visit KC should focus more on qualities that they are able to market as desired attractions of the city. Code 14: Perceiving Kansas City as an important Midwest city

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This code classifies Kansas City as an important and relevant city in the Midwest in the minds of millennials.

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Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL, said: “I think there’s a lot of business that comes out of Kansas City and it is well-known, like I hear of Kansas City more than I hear of like Nebraska or anywhere else in the Midwest, or compared to other Midwest states I guess.”

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This quote conveys Kansas City as relatively important in regards to other less popular Midwest areas. It additionally showcases the business aspect of Kansas City, something that can definitely add appeal. Code 15: The setup of Kansas City as a specific appeal for millennials

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This code portrays the opinion that the setup and attraction locations of Kansas City are a positive aspect of the city, and something that adds appeal for millennials. Earlier a contradicting view was presented, in which participants disliked the random placement of sports arenas and sporadic setup of the city in comparison to skyline cities. However, this code explains how millennials appreciate other aspects of Kansas City’s setup including its proximity to safe,

familial suburbs despite a fun, eventful urban scene downtown. ●

Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO, said: “I kinda think that’s what’s nice about KC...I mean I personally don’t think it’s that bad of a drive or that hard to go from like the Plaza to Overland Park. I think that’s a selling point like you can be young, go out, go out to P&L and feel like you’re in a big city and have a really good time, and also like drive 30 minutes somewhere and feel like you’re in a really safe suburb. It has both aspects. Like, you’re not missing one.”

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An interpretation of this code reveals that despite the alleged negative perception of the unorthodox location of the city’s sporting arenas, the overall setup of the city is a specific appeal for millennials. Visit KC should emphasize the existence of a vibrant nightlife downtown Kansas City with a homey suburb atmosphere very close by. Category Conclusion: One can conclude from this category that as millennials, the focus group participants have an overall positive perception of Kansas City, but one cannot necessarily project this conclusion onto all millennials due to Kansas City’s Midwest location and therefore differing relevance. Findings of this category are important to Visit KC because they can learn not only about millennials and the millennial lifestyle, but they can place that information into the context of Kansas City specifically in order to determine how the two interact. Millennials do find Kansas City appealing despite inaccurate marketing attempts and a national/global unpopular perception, which says a lot. If their generation can appreciate the city when its brand for the rest of the country/world is not exemplified correctly, imagine their opinion if this brand was the same everywhere. Visit KC should continue to shape Kansas City’s brand until it directly reflects the millennial generation’s needs and desires.

Category 4: Travel/Vacation Planning (Emily) Category Introduction: This category represents how millennials choose travel destinations and all the details included into planning a vacation. This category examines how often KU students travel to Kansas City and reasons why they travel to Kansas City. Some of the main codes include, “Traveling to a city based on celebrities,” “Enjoying destinations with warm weather,” and “How/when parents plan vacations.” Code 1: Traveling to a city based on celebrities ●

This code looks at if millennials pick a city or destination based on celebrities. It talks about celebrities from Kansas City as well.

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Kaitlin, a white psychology student from Chicago, said: “ I don't know. I feel like celebrities really like I feel there's a lot of celebrities from here but like that doesn't really attract me to it. I guess if they came back to live here like after that would be more of a draw.” Kayla, a white pre-nursing major from Overland Park, KS said: “I would say a majority of them are like grounded celebrities. Kaitlin, responding to Kayla’s comment: “I feel like they're all kinda normal I would honestly feel like i could approach them more than the Kardashians because their not from Kansas City.” Kayla, a white pre nursing student from Overland Park, KS, concluded with: “ I feel like lots of comedians too I feel like.” Kayla’s code agreed with Kayla saying KC has grounded celebrities and also some comedians.

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Based on these quotes, it is clear that they like the celebrities from Kansas City. They like how the celebrities are very vocal and proud to be from Kansas City. They also like how they could approach the celebrities from Kansas City because

they are less intimidating. Celebrities aren’t a big attraction for KC for visitors to come. Code 2: Enjoying vacation destinations with warm weather ●

This code explains how millennials like to go to warm places for vacation. It talks about why like going to beaches and what they enjoy doing outside.

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Responding to the moderator’s question about picking a vacation location, Kayla, a white pre nursing major from Overland Park, KS, said: “Somewhere tropical, like the beach, where it's warm and like kinda on your own time like you don't have to worry about time and you don't have a lot of planned activities, you can kinda just show up, do whatever you want.” Going off of Kayla’s answer, Emma, a white finance major from Overland Park, KS, said: “If I would do a vacation, I would want to go somewhere warm.” Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS, then added, “Somewhere like the beach.” Kayla, a white pre nursing from Kansas City, concluded: “Or go to the beach.”

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This concludes millennials like going to warm vacation places and likes going to the beach. Since most of them live in Kansas City or another city in the midwest they like going to warm places for a change in scenery. Code 3: How/when parents plan vacations

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This code looks at how/when parents plan vacations. Since the participants are still in college, they still going on vacations with their parents and rely on them to make plans.

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Responding to a question about how long it takes for a parent to plan a vacation Kayla, a white pre nursing major from Overland, KS, said: “not like really closely, I know it takes a long time. My mom will be looking at flights and will call a travel agent to look at resorts or hotels.” Going off of Kayla’s comment, Emma, a white finance major from Overland Park, KS, said: “I feel like

my parents plan closer to the trip, like really close.” Harley, a white journalism from Tulsa, OK, concluded: “My parents are more like this is where we are going, then we figure everything out.” ●

These quotes conclude millennials don’t pay that much attention when a parent plans a vacation. Parents have more experience in planning trips so they can do it less in advance. Parents normally have full control over the vacation planning. Code 4: Likelihood of millennials returning to a place they had a good experience

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This code looks at the likelihood of a millennial returning to a previous destination. It explains why they would return.

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Responding to the moderator’s question about picking a new experience or going back to a previous experience, Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from the Kansas City, said: “But like, if I had knew I had a good experience, I would probably settle and go back.” Kayla, a white pre nursing major from Overland Park, KS, responded to Madeline by saying, “I would say like a new place, but like not really a new experience. Like, going somewhere different in the Caribbean, but like still in the Caribbean just cause it's warm.”

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This code had different responses. Some said they would return to a place they had a good experience at and some said they would try something new even if they had a good past experience. Code 5: Traveling to Kansas City for a specific reason

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This code explains what reasons the participants travel to Kansas City.

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Responding to a question about if the participants only go to KC normally for a specific reason, Kayla, a white pre nursing from Overland Park, KS, said: “Yes. Like if you have a task or a holiday.” Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, added: “Yeah, or sometimes I just go to eat down there, like if there’s something good, like if I want something really good to eat I’ll

go there.” ●

These findings include that unless the participants are from KC, they only go to Kansas City if they want to eat, there’s an event, or they want to do something outside of Lawrence. Code 6: Prefers to travel somewhere new

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This code shows how participants like traveling to new places and trying new things.

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Responding to a question about picking a new vacation or past destination, Harley, a white journalism from Tulsa, OK said: “I would want to go somewhere new.” Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS also said: “I think I would like to try something new.”

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Most of the participants would want to go somewhere new. If it was their choice they would pick new but if they were with their parents, their parents would decide. Code 7: Enjoys activities on vacation

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This codes explains that millennials like to be active on vacations. If looks at what activities they like to do and what draws their attention.

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Responding to a question about what to look for in picking a destination, Kayla, a white pre nursing major from Overland Park, KS, said: “Yeah, or somewhere with more activities. Like skiing, or go to beach.” Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS, agreed and said: “More activities.”

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The participants like going to a destination with activities. They want to have an activity or something to do. The majority of the participants agreed and also like being active on vacation. Some examples included hiking, skiing, swimming, going to the beach, etc. Code 8: Likes other cities more than Kansas City for vacation

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This code looks at the other cities the participants like going to more than KC.

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Responding to a question about picking Kansas City as a destination, Meredith, a white pre nursing from Overland Park, KS said: “I mean, I say shopping and eating are some of the main thing that Kansas City has to offer, but there are places that offer it better like Chicago.” Emma, a white ABSC from Overland Park, KS, agreed and said: “Yeah, like Chicago.”

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This code concludes that the participants like Chicago for a travel destination in the US more than KC. They consider Chicago a better travel destination. Code 9: KU students travel often to Kansas City

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This code looks at how many times on average the participants travel to Kansas City.

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Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, Missouri, said: “Twice a month normally.” Harley, a white journalism from Tulsa, OK, said: “Like 3 or 4 times a month.”

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This concludes code the participants travel pretty frequently to Kansas City. Since the participants live in Lawrence for school, it is not a far drive making it easy to get there. Code 10: Needs/likes vacations to be planned out

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This code looks at how and why millennials plan out their vacations. It brings up the question if they like their vacations planned out and how far in advance they want them planned.

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Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS said: “I would definitely make sure it’s planned out.” Going off of Madeline’s response, Kayla, a white pre nursing student from Overland Park, KS said: “I would too. Especially if it was an expensive trip. I’m more of planner in general I feel like. I just remember last year for Spring Break I was trying to get a feel for what was going to happen, and everyone was like “No let’s just go with the flow” and I thought this could be really bad. Haha.”

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This code concludes the participants like having a vacation planned out. They don’t like just going with the flow and they like having a plan.

Code 11: Vacation experiences that would make millennials not want to return ●

This code looks at different reasons why a millennial would not return to a vacation destination/hotel.

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Kaitlin, a white philosophy major from Chicago, Illinois, said: “Bad hotel.” Going off of Kaitlin’s comment, Emma, a finance major from Overland Park, KS, said. : “Bad service.”

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This code concludes some different reasons the participants would not return to a travel destination. Other reasons included, bad atmosphere and not nice people. Code 12: Amount of time millennials plan trips/vacations in advance

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This code examines how much time a millennial needs to plan a vacation. The participants were asked to give a range of time they would need to plan the vacation.

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Responding to the question about how much time a millennial needs to plan a vacation, Kayla, a white pre nursing from Overland Park, KS said: “Like 6 months kind of, especially if you’re going to be flying. A road trip to St. Louis, or Chicago would maybe be different. But if you are going to be going somewhere far or with a big group of people probably 6 months.” Kaitlin, a white philosophy major from Chicago, said: “I’d say a lot. Like trying to find plane tickets because I know they change leading up to the event. My mom will book a flight and then monitor it and put a lot of effort into getting the cheapest flight possible. So I think I would do that for the most part. For Spring Break, not a whole lot because it’s like one whole thing and then you are done with it.”

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This code concludes millennials need a good amount of time to plan a vacation. Depending on where they are going, they spend months planning a trip. This could be because planning a vacation can be stressful and the participants haven’t planned that many vacations. Code 13: Picks destination from friends and family

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This code discusses if family and friends’ opinions are important when picking a travel destination and planning a trip. It wanted to see if family and friends experiences were a priority for vacations.

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Responding to a question about if they pick a vacation based on friends and family, Emma, a white finance major from Overland Park, KS, said: “Yeah, like where a friend has gone.” Kayla, a white pre nursing major from Overland Park, KS, said: “Yeah, recommendations and word of mouth from people I know.”

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This code concludes the participants and millennials like the opinions of their friends and family before picking a vacation. This could be because they trust them with their opinion. Code 14: Considers Kansas City for a short destination

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This code looks at how long the participants like spending in Kansas City. It asked if they consider Kansas City a long or short destination.

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Responding to a question about Kansas City being a long or short destination, Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, Missouri, said: “I think for only a night I would consider Kansas City if it were like a birthday or special occasion that we wanted to stay downtown.” Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS said: “I would say if you are kinda close and someone was like coming let's say like someone was going to have a concert in Kansas City and leaving they would be like that was really cool."

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This code concludes that participants think Kansas City is a short destination for travel. They like going for a short amount of time. Some examples included a day trip or a concert. Code 15: How millennials decide where to travel to

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This code looks at different criteria and different aspects millennials look for when deciding where to travel to.

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Responding to the question asking what they look for in a travel location, Mara, a white finance student from Saint Louis, Missouri, said: “ Yeah like restaurant and hotel and like sporting arena where you could stay in one area. That would be like a really big thing if I were planning a trip.”

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This code concludes that restaurants, hotels, and cool areas attract millennials to visit. This could be because they like having everything close to them. Code 16: Places that have good reputations among millennials

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The code includes places that have good reputations among millennials. They were asked to list places in the US.

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Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said: “ I feel like Austin, Texas is kinda like one of those places everyone thinks is so cool, but like is it really that cool?” Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS, said: “I feel like a lot of people go to Destin, and I've never been there.”

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This code lists cities that interest the participants. They like big cities and cities that are known for fun vacations. Code 17: Parents still plan vacations

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This code asked if parents still plan vacation for the participants/ millennials. It asks if parents still make the main decisions while planning a vacation.

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Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said: “ I just kind of go with what my parents tell me we are doing.”

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This code concludes parents still make vacation plans for millennials. Since most college kids still have a room at their parents house, parents still have some control. Code 18: Goes outside of U.S. for vacations

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This code shows participants like going outside of the US for vacations.

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Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK, said: “I think out of the country.”

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This quote represents the opinion some millennials like going out of the country for vacations. Some participants may like going out of the country to get a more diverse vacation. Code 19: Stays in the U.S. for vacations

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This code implies that the participants like staying in the US for vacations.

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Kaitlin, a white psychology student from Chicago, IL, said she likes staying: “In the country.”

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This code concluded some of the participants like staying in the country. This could be because they aren’t as used to traveling. Code 20: Unaware of travel websites

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The code asked if participants used travel websites while booking vacations.

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Meredith, a white pre nursing major from Overland Park, KS, said she: “[Didn’t] know any travel websites.”

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This code concluded she didn’t use travel websites. This could be because she doesn’t plan vacations or goes through other sources. Code 21: No desire to travel

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This code came from asking if the participants like or don’t like traveling.

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Mara, a white finance major from St. Louis, MO, said: “I don't know. I've kinda lived everywhere, so I just don't have desires to travel.”

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This code concluded that some participants don’t like traveling based on personal/ life experiences. Category Conclusion: This category concluded the participants like to stay active and they enjoy different fun activities while on vacation. The participants enjoyed going to a warm place as an ideal vacation destination. Most of the participants said they like trying

new places even if they had a good experience at a past location. If they did have a good experience the participants said they would like to/ consider going back as well. The participants also like picking locations from friends and family. When picking a vacation, participants didn’t consider Kansas City for a long vacation. They considered Kansas City for a short destination if going somewhere in the Mid West. They described Kansas City for being a good weekend/day trip. the participants compared Kansas City to other Midwest cities and would pick bigger cities for a vacation instead of Kansas City. The participants still relied on their parents for major vacation decisions. Most of the participants still went on vacations with their parents and their parents still plan the whole trip. Since most young millennials don’t have a lot of experience planning vacations they spend a significant amount of time to plan one. They like having the trip completely planned out far in advance. The participants liked traveling both in and out of the US. Only one participant had no desire to travel. This information if very important to Visit KC because it gives a greater understanding of how millennials choose a vacation. It shows insight of different preferences millennials have while choosing a vacation. Since these millennials still travel with their parents it gives information for how parents pick and plan a vacation. A recommendation would be to market ideal short vacations or day trips to bring people to Kansas City. Another recommendation would be finding fun active activities and posting them on Visit KC’s social media for millennials to see.

Category 5: Social Media & Millennials (Sophie) Category Introduction: This category displays millennial’s usage, behaviors, feelings, and involvement on social media outlets. It explores their personal relationship with social networking as well as their relationships online.

Code 1: Using social media to gain exposure about places, events, etc. ●

This code includes how millennials discover and perceive places, events, restaurants, etc. through information shared on social media sites. Social media is utilized as one of the main channels for obtaining wanted details.

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When asked what are popular activities for millennials, Emma, a white finance major for Prairie Village, KS said: “Social media.” Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS said: “Did you say social media? Yeah, like cool places to take pictures, and not like sightsee, but I guess somewhere kind of like the Call center and downtown where there’s graffiti, and people like to go down there and get cool pictures and have lunch, but food I think is really important for the millennials.” Later going on to discuss how millennials find restaurants, events, and other such things, Kayla said: “Even something like a national news things, like Skim, like that’s how I get my news, so I don’t know if- I haven’t looked into it obviously- they can do the same kind of events and then it was sent to your phone or email and it was really like put out and gave you the bullet points, that would be something that would be cool.” Going on to discuss how Kansas City could improve their presence on social networks to attract vacationers, Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS said: “I was gonna say like I follow alot of food accounts and like that would be like really big. Like there's like Chicago food accounts, and like New York food accounts and like that makes people want to try those unique restaurants and stuff.”

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Millennials use social media as a tool to discover and decide on their next place, event, restaurant, etc. with the help of people and accounts. This code explains the more photogenic a place or visually appealing heavily weighs on the traffic it receives, especially with restaurants

and their plate-appeal, because of the millennial’s quest for the perfect post. Most of the participants agreed on Instagram being a popular network for gaining exposure. Code 2: Judging websites/apps by their visual appeal and/or ability to navigate ●

This code emphasizes the impact of visual appeal and/or exploring on web-surfing millennials. Through positive ascetics and easy navigation, a millennial determines a site or application’s appeal.

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When asked if participants frequently visited their favorite companies’ websites, everyone said yes. Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS stated the importance of a restaurant’s online menu and said: “Well like before I get food I always look at the menu.” Transitioning into discussing the most important parts of the ascetic appeal when looking at a site, Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS said: “I feel like the colors of websites.” Expanding upon the visual appeal even further, Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO said: “I think if the website is kinda behind and like not graphically appealing, that would already like clue me in that like it’s maybe not a place that I would be very excited to go to or it's not like up to date.” Then transitioning into the functional appeal, Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK said: “I think like how recognize and how easy I can find what I'm looking for. I think that's probably the most important thing… The colors don’t really matter to me.” Later, Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS agreed. Diving into specifics, Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS simply said organization is key to a website.

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An online presence is essential for a company. When trying to reach millennials especially, this code explained the great importance in creating a site that is not only nice to look at, but

informative and manageable. Illustrated by our participants, a professional, accessible, and beautiful online personality helps business. Code 3: Considering social media an important part of a millennial’s life ●

This code explains the importance of social media in the life of a millennial. It considers the daily influences and overall weight of online networking interaction and how that influences their feelings, choices, and relationships.

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While discussing their ability to share experiences with friends and/or family through social media, all participants unanimously agreed it affects the appeal of places, activities, and choices. For instance, the focus group was asked what the most popular activity of the millennial generation is, and Emma, a finance major from Prairie Village, KS said: “Social media.” All group members agreed. Later, Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO agreed with Kayla that social media dictates the generation’s actions. Proving the hold it has on millennials, when asked how much time participants spent on their favorite social media outlet, Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS said: “Too much. I’d say like at least twice an hour.” Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS agreed. When asked how they figure out their next restaurant, Harley, a white social media major from Tulsa, OK said: “Social media.”

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Illustrated here, millennials’ relationship with social media is not only prominent, but mutually beneficial, essential, influential, and habitual as well. The online voices of friends, family, icons, and popular accounts affect their choices. Lives of millennials are easily shaped because of the largely expanding weight of social medias. The focus group proved social media even has the power to decide their next meal. Code 4: Preferring Instagram as favorite social media outlet

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This code suggests Instagram is the preferred social media outlet amongst millennials over other popular social networks such as Facebook or Twitter.

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When asked what is the main way participants learn about things via the internet, Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO said: “I think Instagram. More people will post a picture and then tag other people, then they get a notification. Normally it’s a picture of food and then you know where it is.” Later, when directly asked what social network is preferred amounts group members, Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK said: “Probably Instagram because you can also see what other people like, and you can follow new people.” Unanimously, the remaining participants agreed. When asked as to why Instagram is superior, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS said: “You don't have to do that much. It’s quick and easy.” Adding on to Emma, Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS said: “It’s easy to go through. Captions aren't very long. You can see how many people have liked it or how many people have commented really easily and that's always like, ‘oh this place got a lot of likes, it must be good.’”

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Firmly established by these findings, an endless stream of visually appealing photos accompanied by short captions successfully serves as the children’s book equivalent of social media outlets. Each participant looks to Instagram for their instant and visually appealing fix on friends, family, news, politics, and travel. The, “picture worth a thousand words,” post supplies the fast-moving millennial with the necessary information while their attention span still holds. Code 5: Posting about vacations on social media

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This code explains perceptions of destinations and vacations on social networks. It also includes the millennial’s feelings towards posting themselves, sharing opinions, and what drives them to post.

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Referring to how participants evaluate their experience, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS said: “I would talk about it, but I don't think I would post like a caption saying I had the time of my life… But I would definitely post an Instagram.” Continuing on, Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO said: “I would probably post pictures on Facebook, but like I think it's the generation before us that would like write a review or would like write something online about it, sort of. Like I don't think people our age would do something like that.” Harley, a white journalism major from Tulsa, OK agreed. When asked what places people have posted about that sparked an interest in personally visiting, Madeline, a white behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS said: “I feel like a lot of people go to Destin, and I’ve never been there.” Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Prairie Village, KS agreed.

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These findings illustrate the habit of justifying social media activity through vacation and travel. Photographs and live updates while away comfortably keep millennials tethered to friends, family, home, and reality while directly and/or indirectly reviewing their experience. Code 6: Millennials’ thoughts on company posts on Instagram

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This code explains the reactions of millennials when a company posts on Instagram. Specifically millennials judge how frequently they upload, the quality of content, and how could they personally benefit.

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Participants discussed how certain cities, with positive associations and brands, market themselves, Kayla, a white pre-nursing student from Prairie Village, KS said: “I definitely think Instagram.” Madeline, a white applied behavioral science major from Overland Park, KS, agreed. When asked how often a company should post on Instagram before becoming annoying, Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS said: “Once a day.” Adding on to Emma, Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL said: “Some companies post like 5 times a

day, and I'm like no way. I'm unfollowing you. You know, because I don’t feel like you go back to their page to stalk a company as much as if it were to pop up once.” ●

This code demonstrates how Instagram serves as an excellent outlet for companies to market, especially to millennials. After finding that perfect balance, that the participants emphasized, between posting too much and not enough, a business can easily interact and inform with their market on the app. It would be a wasted opportunity if not used or not used well. Code 7: Thoughts on Visit KC having a snapchat

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This code explains how millennials would react to Visit KC having a public Snapchat account.

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The mention of Visit KC creating a public Snapchat account came up, and Mara, a white finance major from Saint Louis, MO said: “If Visit KC’s Snapchats were, if the person was filming themselves walking or like cool restaurants or cool things to do.” Emma, a white finance major from Prairie Village, KS mentioned wanting to see possible deals or sales through a Snapchat account. The remaining participants agreed a Snapchat would be great if done well.

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Proven through the code’s findings, Snapchat, though popular amongst millennials themselves, is rarely used by companies as a way to reach their audience. Because of the positive feedback in response to creating a public account, the idea of posting adventurous, enticing, and beneficial stories seems to be a new outlet option. Category Conclusion: The findings of this category are essential to Visit KC in order to understand and properly reach their market. Through this information, Visit KC can see the possible connections to be made on social media outlets, specifically Snapchat and Instagram. The millennial generation uses social media to find their next restaurant, plan their trip, and share their opinions. Visit KC should create a personal and prominent online presence for those dependent millennials to seek.

Category 6: Marketing Recommendations (Victoria) Category Introduction: This category talks about the thought that millennials have for better marketing strategies that could improve exposure and positive perceptions of Kansas City. This category also gives examples of what millennials would like to see more of and less of in city advertisements. Code 1: Advertisement mediums that gain millennials’ attention the most. ●

This code looks at the types of advertisements that millennials are exposed to and which medium's influence them the most.

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When asked where she thinks KC could advertise itself more to gain millennial attention, Emma, a white finance student from Prairie Village, KS said: “Well you see the commercials for like the states and there's like I don't even know. Like Pure Michigan.” Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS said: “I was gonna say like I follow alot of food accounts and like that would be like really big. Like there's like Chicago food accounts, and like New York food accounts and like that makes people want to try those unique restaurants and stuff.” When talking about KC possibly having a snapchat story feed, Kayla, a white pre-nursing major from Overland Park, KS said: “I feel like if it’s ones that I know about, like if it's the Royals. If it’s like sports ones and I know the team or really like the team, I watch those a lot. But the ones about like Ecuador, like some place I’ve never been or have no interest in, I probably wouldn't take the time to watch it.”

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This code reiterates the fact that millennials spend a lot of time on social media and watching TV and movies. In order to gain the most millennial attention, marketers need to advertise on social media outlets and on TV/movie commercials. Code 2: Suggestions of what to advertise in order to appeal to millennials more

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This code looks at what millennials are interested in seeing and what kinds of things will influence them to visit Kansas City and recommend it to their friends and family.

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When asked what she thought should be advertised more in order to gain millennial attention, Kaitlin, a white psychology major from Chicago, IL said: “I think like power and light. Like I didn’t really ever hear about that until my second semester sophomore year. I think it’s something really cool that no one really knows about unless you like go to a specific concert, but it’s never been like advertised.” Mara, a white finance student said: “More nightlife. Just maybe making it known that there is so much cool nightlife because I really had no idea until you guys were sitting here and you all listed off all these places that people go.”

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This code shows that millennials are at the stage in their lives where they want to go out and have a good time. The nightlife/party scene should be advertised more to show that KC is a fun and hip city. Code 3: Suggesting Visit KC should market towards groups of people rather than individuals

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This code focuses on how millennials spend more time in groups rather than alone or in pairs. Millennials want to see places that can accommodate big groups of people so they can go with all of their friends and family.

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After being asked if KC advertised more places that they could go with a group of friends rather than a date or individually, Meredith, a white pre-nursing student said “yes.” Madeline, white applied behavioral science major also said “yes,” and agreed that millennials are more inclined to travel in large groups.

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This code shows that millennials, specifically college aged millennials, are more focused of spending time with friends and living up their 20’s rather than looking for romantic setting and looking to settle down with one person. Code 4: Thoughts on a Kansas City newsletter/email

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This code looks at the idea of an electronic newsletter that would be sent out daily or weekly informing people of daily specials, live music, new openings, concerts, etc.

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When asked if this hypothetical newsletter would be an interest to them or if they would read it, Mara, a white finance major said: “Yeah…Deals definitely. I think young people especially love deals like oh there's a special here or like a restaurant is having live music or something. It’d be cool to know about that.”

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This code shows that if KC were to send out an informational letter updating people on specials and deals around the area, people would be more inclined to visit KC. Millennials love deals and happy hours and would be willing to take a day trip to KC to get a happy hour drink and listen to live music. Code 5: Suggesting that Kansas City could advertise more

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This code talks about how millennials think that Kansas City should advertise itself more because they don't really know what it has to offer other than barbecue and baseball. It also talks about why it should advertise to attract more out of state attention.

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Mara, a white finance student said: “We are not really advertised at all. I mean there, like a majority of the midwest, is rural, but um, I would say when people hear about Kansas, that's not what the think.” All participants think KC could do a better job showing itself off. They think that KC has a lot to offer but no one really knows.

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This code shows that millennials who live in KC or grew up there know what it has to offer but people who are not from around here have no clue. The number one thing they suggested to advertise more that night life. KC has good nightlife and that is what millennials are looking for when going on vacation. Code 6: Suggestions of what not to advertise in order to appeal to millennials more

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This code looks at the types of things that millennials are not interested in and that turn off millennials interest in a city. It talks about aspects of a city that should not be advertised when focusing on millennial attraction.

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Each participant was asked if they thought that when Kansas uses The Wizard of Oz to advertise, people get a misconception of KC and are off put by a tornado-filled, dusty, boring area. Meredith, a white pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS; Emma, a white finance student from Overland Park, KS; and Kayla, a pre-nursing student from Overland Park, KS all said “yes” in unison in response.

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This quote shows that the participants from Kansas do not like Kansas being viewed as a place known only for the dust bowl, little house on the prairie and tornado alley. They want it to be seen as a modern and fun place for millennials to visit and hang out. Category Conclusion: This category was about what millennials want to see advertised more, and where they want to see it. According to our participants, TV and social media are the two best outlets to advertise on in order to gain millennials attention. They specifically mentioned snapchat feeds and food accounts. Millennials love food and would be more inclined to travel to KC to try the unique food places. They also talked about wanting to see more advertisements about KC’s nightlife. Kansas City has a great party scene (especially down in Power & Light) but is not really advertised and many

people are unaware. College-aged millennials enjoy doing activities in large groups rather than individually or in pairs, so advertisements about exciting nightlife that groups of people can attend are much more likely to have a positive effect on millennialsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desire to travel to KC.

V. Conclusion: (Sophie & Victoria) After analyzing our findings, we discovered layers to consider when looking to improve upon Visit KC and attract millennials to the area. Peeling back to only notice the individuality and diverse opinions amongst the desired generation, we visualize our data as threefold. First, our findings support the idea that the millennial lifestyle demands attention grabbing, properly executed, and cutting edge qualities from the next thing worthy of another thought. For example, we noticed the importance of things to do and entertaining places to be for this generation to take interest. Second, following the establishment of a solid groundwork for a relationship, we noticed the opinionated ripple effect millennials create through their extensive connections. First impressions, experiences, and memories made are shared by some and taken into consideration by many to be quickly accompanied by already existing perceptions. Third, and finally, the interested individual brings it upon themselves to pull the trigger by collecting data all their own through social media and their relationships made online. The hospitality and tourism industry flourishes under millennial wanderlust. In the process of narrowing down the generationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s checklist for what they look for in a vacation, we made connections to how they make those travel decisions as well. To paint a picture, the target marketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traveler constantly seeks Kodak moments and adventure while heavily weighing finances, accessibility, and valued opinions of others. Specifically, Visit KC can utilize the

millennials checklist to properly advertise to that generationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traveler. Through capturing the photogenic character of Kansas City, Visit KC can communicate all their wants efficiently. Bags packed and iPhone charged, we found large and action-packed cities attract millennials. Being that Visit KC faces international and domestic competition, we took note of the vast skylines of major urban destinations, such as New York City or Chicago, coming up frequently in our research as places of interest. They associate the big cities with culture, excitement, and the new age. In comparison, Kansas City is frequently associated with good values, an under-marketed nightlife, and underrated unique character in our findings. Where Visit KC has the chance to break away from similar perceptions surrounding other midwestern cities, we recognized the value of social media to the millennial generation. In connecting with the company and being able to see the brilliance that is Kansas City while scrolling through their feeds, they establish a valued and creative relationship worth exploring. Some additional finding that we found were what mediums millennials want to see advertisements on and the amount of activity that want to see by Visit KC or other travel companies on social media. Millennials spend most of their time on different social media outlets, watching netflix and hanging out with friends at bars and restaurants. Our participants said that the advertisements that get their attention the most are on TV and movie commercials, and on social media. Millennials love going to bars and restaurants with big groups of people, especially when there are deals and specials going on. They said that is Visit KC had a snapchat, electronic newsletter or changed their instagram to advertise daily specials, happy hour deals and live music, millennials would be much more inclined to follow them and visit Kansas City.

They said that even though that would be cool and they would like it, they wouldn't want to Visit KC post too much too little. The participants agreed that in order to continue following, they would want to see a post at least once a week and no more than 3 times a day. They want the accounts they follow to be active and worthwhile, but not annoying and over the top. The main limitation that we had was that all of our participants were white females. They pretty much all had the same viewpoints because they were from similar areas and within1-2 years of age. A majority of our participants knew each other so not many of them were willing to voice their own opinion because they did not want to sound dumb or contradicting in front of their friends. We also did not tell our participants to put their phones away at the beginning of the study so many of them were more focused on their own personal conversations rather that the one we were having. Also since they were not paying as close attention, the answers were sometimes short and not as in depth. We only had 6 participants and all of them had traveled to KC before so they all had set perceptions of it. It would have been better if we had gotten more participants, different genders, ages and races. I would have also liked to have gotten participants from all over the United States and preferably some who had never been to KC so get their untainted perceptions.

VI. Reflection: (everyone) Emily: After debriefing the focus group, it is clear that Kansas City is in the right direction. All the participants were very engaged and eager to tell the group about their past Kansas City experiences. The participants had many good things to say about KC. They loved the night-life, sporting events, and the shopping areas. The participants all agreed Kansas City is a great city for families. When looking at major cities in the US, most participants believed that

Kansas City has a lot of catching up to do and would never be at the same level as major cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, etc. There are many improvements Kansas City can make with social media. Based on the participants and millennials in general, Visit KC should only post once a day on their social media platforms. Posting too much with make millennials want to “unfollow” the accounts. Creating a snapchat for Kansas City showing fun events and activities would be very beneficial for the Kansas City area. Victoria: After partaking in the focus group, I can see where Kansas City is flourishing in the eyes of millennials, and where it could improve. The main message I got out of the focus group was that millennials are simply uninformed about all the great things KC has to offer. The main thing being nightlife. KC has a great Power & Light District and a lot of people don't even know what that is. KC does a great job advertising it's culture, delicious barbeque and unique cuisine but there is so much more. Visit KC should advertise less about the “wild west” culture and more about the modern day stuff it has to offer. Millennials are not interested in old history, they are interested in new beginnings. The other main point I saw was the advertising strategies that Visit KC should do. Millennials are obviously all about social media and that is where they get most of their news and info. Visit KC should amp up it's instagram to highlight daily specials, happy hour deals and events in KC. Millennials are looking for fun and CHEAP places to go with their friends. Visit KC needs to highlight how cool and affordable Kansas City truly is. Mackenzie: After observing and analyzing the entire focus group, I think that Kansas City is an up and coming city in the eyes of millennials. I strongly believe that the parents or families of millennials have a significant impact on their decisions. For example, if a millennial

grew up going to Florida twice a year, he/she is most likely going to be more inclined to travel to Florida than the Midwest. During the focus group, it stood out that the parents of the participants plan most of the vacations, not the millennials themselves. Also, most of the participants agreed that Kansas City has a lot to offer, but the perception of the Midwest is overshadowing it. As I said in one of the categories above, I feel as if the participants think Kansas City is a hidden gem, but there are many negative connotations attached to the Midwest area. For example, thinking that the Midwest is just one giant farm has a negative impact on the way Kansas City will be viewed by millennials. Furthermore, I was surprised to hear how many of the participants who live close to Kansas City donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t travel downtown very often. Some of the popular events and places, like the Crossroads, Arrowhead stadium, etc. werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ever mentioned. I think Visit KC should continue to utilize all social media outlets, and should market to more people around the Kansas City area in addition to people all over the US. Kansas City has a lot to offer to millennials, and people love things that fall right into their lap, so I think increasing Visit KC's marketing will help tremendously. Olivia: After hands-on observation of the focus group and thorough analysis of the findings, I found two main take-aways. The first important thing I got from the focus group is that overall, everyone had a clear perception of how Kansas City is currently. The participants thoroughly discussed many aspects of KC and what they thought about them as well as in comparison to other cities. The discussion showed us that the participants have very set opinions about what they like and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like about Kansas City and that seems to reflect the majority of millennials views on the city. The second thing I noticed is that although the participants had a set perception of KC, they also had many ideas and insights about how to make KC better and about how to break aspects of that perception that were negative. The focus group showed us that

yes, people have things that they love about KC as well as things that they dislike about KC, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear that through helpful ideas, opinions, and insights the participants want to make Kansas City a more marketable place and want to see it truly become a powerful and successful city. Tanya: Prior to this project, I had only a brief and limited understanding of a focus group and how it can be utilized as a valuable research tool. During current analysis and rigorous observation, I am learning how a focus group can provide unique insight on important research questions. Overall, I think our focus group went well; we gathered a plethora of interesting opinions and relevant information regarding millennials and Kansas City in the context of travel. In regards to the flow of the actual focus group, I think if I were to ever conduct another one I would ensure more variety in the participants. Five out of the seven participants knew each other prior to the focus group, and all seven were females. More diverse participants would imply more diverse, inclusive, and representative opinions, and therefore more accurate data. Something I noticed was the all-encompassing positivity and love the participants-especially the Kansas City natives--felt for the city, regardless of an acknowledged national negative perception. I thought this was important because it exemplifies the overarching conclusion I took from the focus group findings: Kansas City is better than how it is marketed. The participants, all having visited and/or lived in Kansas City, spoke of its underrated vibrant nightlife and impressive cuisine scene, aspects they do not feel are properly marketed. The general opinion was that millennials not from the area or even the Midwest do not find Kansas City appealing, simply because they are unaware of its appeal. Thus, better advertising techniques and a focus on millennial-catered branding could significantly increase Kansas Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s status as a vacation destination.

Sophie: Visit KC provided us with an outline in the form of research questions, and our participants vibrantly created conversation in our quest for the answer. In my personal analysis, I took note of some interesting thoughts and habits. For example, the perception of Kansas and the midwest brought up a sea of negative connotations, but Kansas City itself was associated with excitement and movement. Due to my own interest in social media, I selfishly pursued ways Visit KC could reach millennials more effectively to recognize a reciprocated excitement from the group members. I especially appreciated the ideas, such as creating a Snapchat account. The focus group served as an interactive and personal collection of information needed for our research at first, but I later found to be an essential strategy that brought us to collect quality data. In my experience as moderator, I thankfully got to join in and guide the conversation. The participants, for the most part, were familiar with one another which was essential in creating the casual and friendly flow. The dynamic of the room, I noticed almost immediately, frequently shifted because of the common phone usage amongst participants. In the end, it supported our findings suggesting that millennials communicate and live at their fingertips. Given another chance to do so however, I would have asked for phones to be put away for the slightest chance at better data.

VII. Focus Group Transcription: 3:00 - 16:00 -- Mackenzie 00:03:13 Moderator: What are some things you enjoy doing in your free time? Are you in a group setting or alone? And does it normally involve spending money? Kaitlin: Usually a group setting.

Moderator: What do you like to do with your friends? Kaitlin: Not much, honestly. I just like to go to concerts and shopping. Moderator: Cool. Thank you. Kayla: Same, going to eat food with friends, and going to different restaurants that we’ve never been to. And, being outside especially when it’s nice, walking around. Moderator: Cool, awesome. Meredith: We’re kinda the same way, we like to get coffee. Madeline: Go to the gym together. Meredith: Yeah Madeline: We like to go out to eat, we always do that too. Emma: Eating, for sure. Harley: I think that food is key, and money is key. Mara: Yeah, I think sometimes we’ll stay in and a group will watch movies sometimes, but sometimes if money is involved we’ll order food. Moderator: Do you guys think that your free time kinda changes depending on what day it is, like does your free time differ on a Wednesday or Saturday? Kayla: Yeah. Madeline: Yeah. Moderator: How so? Emma: On Wednesdays, I don’t have as much free time because of class. Moderator: But if you did what would you do? Emma: Okay, well then if I didn’t have anything holding me back I guess it would be the same.

Moderator: Okay. Kayla: I guess during the week, if I had a break between homework or classes, I would go to the gym or walk outside or do something more active and stress relieving. Whereas, on the weekends, you’re doing more high energy things, as opposed to like stress-relieving things during the week. Moderator: Great. What event/activities in a city atmosphere, such as Kansas City, would you find pleasurable or fun? Meredith we’ll start with you. Meredith: I think shopping, if we had a good shopping district, like outdoors. Moderator: Great. Madeline: Concerts, too. Downtown. Emma: Power and Light. The Plaza. Kaitlin: I don’t really know Kansas City. But, I guess the Plaza, or sporting events. Kayla: Oh yeah, sporting events, those are fun. Mara: Yeah, I’ve been to some parks there, I don’t really know what they’re called but they are fun- outdoor things I guess. 00:05:53 Moderator: Okay, if you could generalize the three most popular activities among the millennial generation, what do you think they would be? This question is more in depth so if you have to take a second to think that’s fine. But just three things you recognize that you’re doing a lot, three things you would generalize that our generation does. Emma: Social media. Harley: I feel like going out is a thing.

Moderator: What do you guys think? Kayla: Did you say social media? Yeah, like cool places to take pictures, and not like sightsee, but I guess somewhere kind of like the Call center and downtown where there’s graffiti, and people like to go down there and get cool pictures and have lunch, but food I think is really important for the millennials. Moderator: Would you even say that what people eat determines if they document or not and share it on social media? Kayla- Yeah. Yeah. Moderator- Okay. What is a city bound activity or attraction that you don’t think millennials would find appealing at all? Kaitlin: I think sometimes like plays sometimes don’t really appeal. Kayla: Yeah. Moderator: Do you guys agree with that? Everyone: Yes. Moderator: Is there anything else you guys can think of? Madeline: I think certain museums, I don’t think people are willing to walk through them. I don’t know, I don’t think it’s really fun for us. Moderator: Do you think that because it’s harder to document those things it’s less appealing or why do you think it’s less appealing to go to like a museum or a play? Kayla: I think the museums in Kansas City has aren’t as hands on, like when you go to DC they have places like the Spy Museum, or the Holocaust Museum that are really really well done, and the museums Kansas City, I feel like they don’t have us much of a draw or if they do they aren’t

advertising it as well. I know like the Nelson, like the Black History, like the Jackie Robinson, the Negro Baseball League, you don’t hear anything about that, but we went on a school field trip one time, I guess we were in elementary school, but it was cool like I think cooler museums with interesting topics are better. Moderator: Describe your perfect day in the city. What type of activities would you do? Emma: Probably, going out to eat. Mara: Probably go out to eat and go shopping places that we couldn’t go here. There’s definitely more options and more like not chain places. That’s kind of what’s always here most of the time. Moderator: What about it you guys, what would you do? Kaitlin: I think shop honestly, like at bigger name brand things downtown. More options there, than just around Lawrence. Kayla: Or even like a like a sporting event, did you say sporting event? Like with the Royals winning the World Series that’s kind of like a cool thing to go to a Royals game or a Sporting KC is pretty good and those games are really fun. Sporting KC is more at the Legends, but like it’s kinda in the area. KC has good sporting events this year. 00:09:03 Moderator: How often do you guys travel to Kansas City? Or have you been? Mara: Twice a month normally. Harley: Like 3 or 4 times a month. Madeline: Downtown probably not that often. Unless there was a concert or a big event. Moderator: Would you guys say that your trips to Kansas City are more centralized around an event, like there has to be something going on for you guys to go down there?

Kayla: Yes. Like if you have a task or a holiday. Madeline: Yeah. Harley: Yeah, or sometimes I just go to eat down there, like if there’s something good, like if I want something really good to eat I’ll go there. Moderator: When you think about going to Kansas City do you estimate spending money? *Everyone says mhmm* Moderator: How often would you go to Kansas City for a day trip? Like when I ask what’s your perfect day how much would you be willing to spend on a perfect day in Kansas City? Meredith: Is it unlimited? Or like how much can I spend? Moderator: Just kind of like how much you would spend on a normal day. Meredith: I think normally I would expect to spend $10-20 in a day, but shopping would be a different trip obviously. Kayla: Yeah, I agree. Moderator: How do you hear about these restaurants and events and stuff like that? Harley: Like social media. Meredith: Through other people going to them. Kayla: Word of mouth, which probably like if someone saw it on social media and say “We should all go to this”. Not like the newspaper. Moderator: Okay, what would you guys say your main way of learning about things on the internet would be? Mara: I think Instagram. More people will post a picture and then tag other people, then they get a notification. Normally it’s a picture of food and then you know where it is.

Kayla: Even something like a national news things, like Skim, like that’s how I get my news, so I don’t know if- I haven’t looked into it obviously- they can do the same kind of events and then it was sent to your phone or email and it was really like put out and gave you the bullet points, that would be something that would be cool. Moderator: Okay, the next thing we are going to talk about his attitudes and behavior about vacations, so this applies to vacations in general. How far in advance do you guys generally begin planning your trip or vacation? Emma you can start. Emma: I guess it depends like if it was Spring Break we would start like in the fall. Kayla: Like 6 months kind of, especially if you’re going to be flying. A road trip to St. Louis, or Chicago would maybe be different. But if you are going to be going somewhere far or with a big group of people probably 6 months. 00:12:00 Moderator: How much time do you guys need to plan for vacations? Kaitlin: I’d say a lot. Like trying to find plane tickets because I know they change leading up to the event. My mom will book a flight and then monitor it and put a lot of effort into getting the cheapest flight possible. So I think I would do that for the most part. For Spring Break, not a whole lot because it’s like one whole thing and then you are done with it. Moderator: Okay, awesome. What about you? Mara: I think some effort. I don’t really know, I haven’t planned any vacations. Emma: I feel like my parents take charge in that. Harley: I just kind of go with what my parents tell me we are doing.

Moderator: So you just pay attention to when other people are planning trips? Is it normally one of your parents or normally one of your friends? Kayla: I would say it’s my parents usually. Moderator: How closely do you pay attention to your parents when they plan trips? Kayla: Not like really closely, I know it takes a long time. My mom will be looking at flights and will call a travel agent to look at resorts or hotels. Emma: I feel like my parents plan closer to the trip, like really close. Harley: My parents are more like this is where we are going, then we figure everything out. I only care about where we are going. Moderator: What tools are information do you guys use or find necessary or even something you recognize your parents using? Meredith: Maybe just the internet. Moderator: Okay, do you guys recognize and websites or anything like that? Meredith: I don’t know any travel websites. Mara: I think my parents have used Expedia to book a hotel once. Moderator: If you were the person to plan the trip, where do you think you spend more or less time planning, like would you invest more of your time into planning the trip or would you do more of a “whatever works” type of situation? Madeline: I would definitely make sure it’s planned out. Kayla: I would too. Especially if it was an expensive trip. I’m more of planner in general I feel like. I just remember last year for Spring Break I was trying to get a feel for what was going to

happen, and everyone was like “No let’s just go with the flow” and I thought this could be really bad. Haha. Moderator: Okay. How do you decide on vacation destinations, like you heard about it from a friend or family member, or a celebrity/pop culture hot spot, or a relevant media- how do you guys decide on where you are going? Emma: With my family, I never really get a say, so we just go where we’re going. Moderator: Do you think your parents hear about from someone or how do they hear? My parents always say “We went where so and so went last year”. Emma: Yeah, like where a friend has gone. Kayla: Yeah, recommendations and word of mouth. I don’t even know if this goes with the questions but if we’re going somewhere warm we don’t go anywhere north of Kansas City ever. Moderator: Okay. Madeline: It depends on what weather you like and stuff. 00:15:12 Moderator: Do your parents like to go out of the country or stay in the country while traveling? Kaitlin: In the country. Emma: I think in. Harley: I think out of the country. Moderator: Whether you are from Kansas City or not, would you ever consider Kansas City as a vacation, why or why not? Madeline: It wouldn’t be my first choice. Kaitlin: No.

Kayla: It wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be my first choice either. Moderator: Can you explain why? Emma: If I would do a vacation, I would want to go somewhere warm or. Madeline: Somewhere like the beach or the mountains. Emma: Yeah, like activities. Mara: Somewhere like really different scenery than where you are. Kayla: Yeah, or somewhere with more activities. Like skiing, or go to beach. Whereas in Kansas City, you can shop. Madeline: More activities. Emma: Maybe if you had a family or something. 16:00 - 29:00 -- Sophie 16:00 Moderator: If you had a short amount of time, maybe a week or something like that would you consider Kansas City a destination? Meredith: I mean, I say shopping and eating are some of the main thing that Kansas City has to offer, and there are places that offer it better like Chicago. Emma: Yeah, like Chicago would be like close. Mara: I think for a night I would consider Kansas City if it were like a birthday or special occasion that we wanted to stay downtown. Kayla: I would say if you are kinda close and someone was like coming let's say like someone was going to have a concert in Kansas City and leaving they would be like, "that was really cool." Like, I think they would be like hard to get people in but once they would come in for like

a concert or bigger event going on in Kansas City then it would have been like, "oh, hidden gem kinda maybe." 16:48 Moderator: Okay. If you were from a destination place or somewhere outside of Kansas City for example or outside of Kansas in general, would you ever consider it as a destination? Meredith: Not really. Emma: I don't think so. Kaitlin: I mean kinda like what she said, I would come if there was something to come for. 17:09 Moderator: Okay. Great. What is the most important thing for a city to offer when you are determining where to go? Kayla: Something to do Madeline: Activities Moderator: What do you mean by activities? Cause I know you said eating out and events like that Kansas City has those things. So what are things outside of Kansas City you are looking for? Harley: When you go to the beach though, everything is so close and you don't necessarily have to drive everywhere, and it is kinda all right there. I feel like Kansas City it's kinda like sporadic. Moderator: Right, okay. Madeline: Like things the whole family can do and stuff like that. Moderator: Okay. Kayla: This might be a really dumb question. I feel like maybe Kansas City, I don't know if it has this reputation anymore, but KC and Missouri are kinda like not really that safe, sorta.

Moderator: Okay. Madeline: Like downtown. Kayla: So, I don't know if like what's like, oh, would you wanna take like your family to like the beach or like your like. Moderator: But you're okay taking them to like Chicago? Like, because it offers more. Kayla: I wouldn't take my kids to Chicago. Moderator: Okay. Kayla: I don't know. Emma: Kayla is going to be like going to the beach. Harley: Okay, bye. 18:16 Moderator: What is a vacation experience that would make you not want to return to a vacation or city? Kaitlin: Bad hotel. Emma: Bad service. Mara: I would say unfriendly people. Harley: Yeah, for sure. Or like a bad crowd. Mara: Like if I felt safe and comfortable everywhere. Moderator: Okay. Kayla: Safety. 18:31 Moderator: Um, if you have a positive experience as a visitor or tourist in a certain city, how likely is it that you will return there in the future?

Emma: Very. Madeline: Very. Meredith: Very. Moderator: What would make you want to go back? Kaitlin: Because you know it is going to be a good time, like you don't have uncertainty if it's going to be bad. Moderator: Right. Kayla: Yeah. Moderator: Meredith, what about you? Meredith: Um, I say I already talked about friendly people, but like if you really liked like the environment like atmosphere of a town and how people were. 18:59 Moderator: Okay. Um, describe your ideal vacation. Where would you go, what would you do. It doesn't even have to be in your price range if you think about it. Harley: I would go to the Bahamas and swim with the pigs. Moderator: Pigs? Kayla: From Bachelor. Harley: No, I would spend all my money they have like all the sandbars and like that whole area. Moderator: Okay. Harley: Yeah, the Bahamas definitely. And be on like a yacht, not like in the yeah. Moderator: Okay. Meredith: Yeah, cruises are nice to because you can like go to multiple places. Moderator: Okay.

Kayla: Somewhere tropical, like the beach, where it's warm and like kinda on your own time like you don't have to worry about time and you don't have a lot of planned activities, you can kinda just show up, do whatever you want. I don't know. Moderator: If you had to go to a city, what city in the United States would you want to go to? Kaitlin: Anywhere in California. Moderator: Okay. Kaitlin: Just because I think there are a lot of places to go. Moderator: Okay, great. Madeline: I mean you're not going to have been. Kayla: I would say New York. I went one time for like a quick two day trip, and it was like a lot, but I would go again. Moderator: Okay, what about you guys? Mara: I don't know. I've kinda lived everywhere, so I just don't have desires to travel. Harley: Maybe, like San Diego. I would just stay in one place for a while. Moderator: Would you rather return to a place because you had a positive experience or go somewhere new? Harley: I would want to go somewhere new just cause you already. Emma: I say that, but I have gone back with my family goes to Caymen a lot like we love it. Moderator: Okay. Emma: That would be one like I go back there a lot. Moderator: What about you guys? Madeline: I think I would like to try something new. Meredith: Yeah.

Madeline: But like, if I had knew I had a good experience, I would probably settle and go back. Kayla: I would say like a new place, but like not really a new experience. Like, going somewhere different in the Caribbean, but like still in the Caribbean just cause it's warm. 20:55 Moderator: How much do you evaluate your experience when you return from a vacation? Do you communicate with friends? Do you write positive or negative reviews on websites? Do you talk about it on social media? It can be anything like an Instagram caption, if you think about it. Emma: I would talk about it, but I don't think I would post like a caption saying I had the time of my life. Moderator: Okay. Emma: But I would definitely post an Instagram. Madeline: Post pictures on Facebook and stuff like that. Meredith: Yes. Kayla: I don't really post things on social media. Moderator: No, you do not. Kayla: Not at all. Moderator: What about you? Kaitlin: Probably just when people ask about the trip, I'll usually say something about it. Moderator: Okay, what about you guys? Mara: I would probably post pictures on Facebook, but like I think it's the generation before us that would like write a review or would like write something online about it, sort of. Like I don't think people our age would do something like that. Harley: Yeah, I agree.

Kayla: Like I feel like my mom writes reviews. I don't know if she does, but like I feel like she does. I don't know if she does. 21:55 Moderator: Do you think that the ability to share your experience with friends or family on social media effect how appealing certain activities are to millennials? That' like a heavily loaded question, but like do you think that when you because you can share every thought and everything that you have so many different ways, do you think that's something that really affects how other people perceive it, especially our generation? Kayla: Yes. Meredith: I'd think so. Moderator: I mean a lot of you said you hear about places from other friends and like word of mouth, so do your opinions of your close friends matter to you enough to where it would effect if you went somewhere or not? Kayla: For sure. Mara: Yeah. Moderator: Okay, do you guys have any like examples of places that people have talked about or something or posted about that had made you form an opinion even though you've never been? Harley: I feel like Austin, Texas is kinda like one of those places everyone thinks is so cool, but like is it really that cool? Moderator: Okay. Madeline: I feel like a lot of people go to Destin, and I've never been there. Kayla: Yeah. 23:01

Moderator: Okay. So, actually the next thing we are going to talk about are the perceptions of the midwest and midwestern cities. Um, we won't spend too much time on this, but it just kind of keep that in mind as we go along. How would you describe the midwest in one word? Kaitlin: Friendly. Meredith: Yes. Emma: Like good mannerisms. Also, boring. Moderator: That's fine. You can say that you don't have to. Mara: Comfortable. Kayla: Safe. Not like safe, but like a safe choice. Like, I don't know, not safe. I don't know what I am trying to say. Moderator: Like not too adventurous? Kayla: Yeah, just kind of like. Harley: It's a basic, average, loyalty, like that kind of. Kayla: Like, yeah. Like, lowkey basic, average, kind of trip. Like a safe bet. Moderator: Do you feel like the midwest is you kind of get exactly what you expect? Kayla: Yeah. Maybe a little more though. Emma: I would, no, I moved here. I was like, "Oh, God," and I came here and loved it. But I mean, hearing the words that I was coming to Kansas wasn't the highlight of my day. Harley: Kinda sucks. Moderator: Minick, where did you move from? Emma: Where are we talking? DC. Moderator: DC? Okay, what do you think is a common misconception of the midwest? You can talk a little bit more about that since you moved here.

Emma: I feel bad saying that it's boring. It's really not. Kansas City is not boring, and I live like or lived, my parents moved again, like five minutes from the Plaza or not even like really close. I mean, it's really fun. I mean like there is stuff to do, and I think the people is the best part. Like, everyone is very friendly, like that would be my selling point. 24:29 Moderator: Do you guys have any misconceptions about the midwest, like. Mara: I feel like people think we are country, like hicks, and we are not really advertised at all. I mean there, like a majority of the midwest, is rural, but um, I would say when people hear about Kansas, that's not what the think. Madeline: Like they don't think Overland Park, they don't think like. Kaitlin: People forget that there are like big suburbs. Like, I am from Chicago, and I didn't think really think Kansas had like Overland Park or Kansas City was like as it is. Moderator: Yeah, I was shocked. Emma: Coming, like when we moved to like Prairie Village or where I lived, and it was like, "everyone is so pretty and nice." Moderator: Okay. Do you guys think there are any misconceptions about the midwest? Mara: Just that everyone thinks you live on a farm, and there's nothing interesting about it. Moderator: Where do you think those images come from? Kayla: Dorothy, Wizard of Oz. Madeline: Movies. Harley: Probably like those Indian movies they put us in. Meredith: Yeah. Emma: The Flint Hills.

Kayla: Little House on the Prairie. Emma: That is what I was going to say. Kayla: Little House on the Prairie and the Wizard of Oz. Moderator: Do you think sometimes when Kansas City uses the Wizard of Oz to advertise, it's probably not the best idea because of that misconception? Kayla: Yeah. Meredith: Yeah. Emma: Yeah. Moderator: Okay. Um. Kayla: Except like the, "there's no place like home." I love that saying. Moderator: Okay. Kayla: Wait. that's from the Wizard of Oz, right? 25:50 Moderator: Yeah. Um, when you hear the word, "midwest," what are the first five cities that pop into your mind? You don't even have to say five, just when you think of midwest cities. Kayla: Iowa. Kaitlin: Chicago. Moderator: Iowa is a state. Kayla: Okay, Iowa City. Meredith: Chicago. Moderator: Okay. Harley: I would say Kansas City, Chicago. Meredith: St. Louis.

Mara: Nebraska, I mean that's in the midwest. Kayla: I feel like I don't live in the midwest though. Like being in Kansas City, I feel like it's not the midwest. I think of like Lincoln. Moderator: Where do you think you live if you don't think you live in the midwest? Kayla: I don't know. Moderator: Does it feel more southern? Kayla: No. It feels more. Moderator: It's fine. You can think that you're not. Kayla: I don't know. It's like, I feel like I don't know. Moderator: Like I am from Minnesota, and sometimes I think we are just people say we are very midwestern, but I think we are very northern. Kaitlin: I feel like I would say Minnesota, Northern Illinois, they don't feel midwest. I think of like North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska. Kayla: I just feel like, even though I am from the midwest, I like still hold the misconception of like being on the farm. Like even when I think of midwest, I think of like dirt and like. Harley: Dirt. Kayla: So, I just feel like I don't live in the midwest. But, I don't know. Moderator: What attractions make those cities relevant? Like when you think of those cities that are popular in the midwest, what do you think of? Harley: When I think of Chicago, I think of like shopping. Kaitlin: Sports teams. Meredith: St. Louis teams. Kayla: Yeah, sports teams, the arch.

Madeline: Just a skyline. Meredith: Just like a city. Moderator: Okay. Meredith: Like popping out of nowhere. Moderator: Are there any attractions that you've visited in the midwest that you would go to again? Emma: I really liked Cedar Point in Ohio. Is Ohio in the midwest? Kayla: Yeah. Moderator: Yeah. Kayla: Is that the amusement park? Emma: Yeah, it's so fun. Mackenzie: Cedar Point? Emma: Yeah. Moderator: What about you guys? Harley: I don't think I've been anywhere. I mean I've been to like Iowa. Moderator: Okay. Harley: But I mean I just went to pick up a phone. Mara: I went to this place in Kansas City, I was like younger, it's like petting zoo. I thought it was awesome. Kayla: Diana Rose Farm? Mara: I was like five, and I thought it was the coolest place I've ever been. Kayla: That's like St., what's that place in St. Louis? The City Museum? Meredith: Yeah, the City Museum.

Emma: Yeah. Kayla: Oh, I loved the City Museum. Emma: Oh, the Kaleidoscope. Did anyone do Kaleidoscope? Madeline: Yeah, the city. Emma: Oh, when I nannied, I loved that stuff. Like, I had more fun than they did. Moderator: Okay. Emma: What was the other one? Legoland is fun. Um. Kayla: Where's Lego Land? Madeline: Crown Center. Kayla: Oh, it is? Madeline: Yeah. 28:23 Moderator: Are there attractions that you don't think you've heard about that would make you travel somewhere else in the Midwest? Kayla: Lego Land Moderator: Because you all just listed all these things in Kansas City that someone out of state might not know about, so if they were advertised better, do you think you'd go to other cities like that? Kayla: Yes. Emma: I mean. Meredith: I think other cities probably have other stuff though like similar to kaleidoscope, so. Emma: It's also a distinct like group that would go there. I wouldn’t just be like, “Let’s go to Legoland,” I went because I nannied.

29:00 - 42:00 -- Tanya 00:29:00 Moderator: So you like to experience those new scenes with a local. Mara: Yeah, like most of the stuff I do in Kansas City is because someone’s from there and they’re like, “Oh this is cool, I’ll take you there.” Moderator: Overall, what do you consider the Midwest’s biggest quality or draw? Kayla: Friendliness. Mara: The people. Emma: I feel like each Midwest city has a signature food, like barbecue. Harley: I feel like you get a lot for your money here, like you go to California and eat… Emma: No yeah, your dollar goes a long way here. Harley: Yeah, like there the houses and everything, it’s so different. Like if you have a big family, you’re obviously not gonna want to move to California with your eight kids, like you’d probably go to Kansas with your eight kids. Kayla: Yeah, I feel like it’s a good place to raise kids, like maybe it;s not a good place to visit, which is know like not the study, but it is. Moderator: No, you can answer however you want. Of the other cities that you’ve visited in the Midwest, how do they compare to Kansas City? Or what you know of other cities in general? Emma: I guess just like, Kansas City is smaller compared to like, Chicago or St. Louis, it’s a lot smaller. Moderator: Okay. Is that an appeal for you? Emma: I mean not if I was visiting. But living there, yeah. It’s a great place to live.

Moderator: What do you guys think? Meredith: Yeah, like the size thing. St. Louis has a lot of different cool neighborhoods and districts, whereas Kansas City is just like the Plaza, and there other neighborhoods but they’re not as populated or known about Moderator: You mentioned one the appeals of going to a beach or something like that, like a cruise ship, is that it’s all there, do you think that’s an appeal that Kansas City should be more focused on about broadcasting? Harley: I feel like the Plaza used to be like the place to go, but since Hall's moved and then Nordstrom is on the other side, so when you’re shopping it’s like a whole day thing, like if you want to go to department stores. You don’t always want to go to North Face when you’re shopping. Moderator: Why do you guys think that larger cities have a bigger appeal for visiting but smaller cities for living? Kaitlin: I feel like Kansas City, since it’s smaller, I guess not since it’s smaller, but it does seem safer than like St. Louis or Chicago. Moderator: So safety is a big thing. Kaitlin: Yeah, like it’s not the safest still, but it’s safer comparably. 00:31:47 Moderator: Would you prefer to live in a place that’s less visited by tourists? Madeline: Yeah, maybe when you’re older, but when you’re young like in your 20’s and stuff I feel like it could be fun. Moderator: Do you feel unsafe in Kansas City?

Meredith: I haven’t lived in Kansas City, I live in Overland Park so it’s completely different. But I think that if I did live in certain parts of Kansas City I might feel unsafe. Kayla: There would be times that I would be like going down to Children’s Mercy or something and I’d be like, if my car broke down, I’d be scared. Like my mom’s like, don’t get gas down there. I don’t know, just like little things like that, where you’re not like scared but it’s just probably not the best idea stop here and like drive through this McDonald’s. Moderator: In your opinion, what’s the most important city in the Midwest, or the most popular? Everyone: Chicago Moderator: What about that city makes it more important? Mara: It’s just bigger. I feel like it’s the Midwest version of New York, maybe just a little cleaner and a little safer. Madeline: I think they advertise it more, like I feel like people know more things about it. Kayla: I feel like there’s more big companies based out of there too. Kaitlin: It’s just always been big too, like it’s like New York and then Chicago and then a bunch of other cities popped up, so it’s just had that reputation of being pretty well-known. Moderator: Where do you guys recognize Chicago being advertised? Madeline: Just like movies. Kayla: Yeah, or even like on social media, or maybe it’s just KU, but I feel like a lot of people that maybe have just graduated moved to Chicago for their job because they have so many companies that are like hiring young people that want to live in the Chicago area, and so like on Instagram there will be people who are like “Oh I’m at a Cubs game” or “Oh I’m eating at Chicago Dog,” I don’t know.

Moderator: What do you guys think makes Chicago both livable and visitable, if that’s a word? Harley: I think it’s like, not too crowded, like New York is overwhelming sometimes. And cleaner. Moderator: Okay. And just as a reminder, just like try to answer every question. You guys have been doing great, so just kinda keep that up, I know that we’re kind of getting closer to the end, so just as we go through. How would you describe--and the next thing we’re gonna talk about is we’re going to dive into more Kansas City specifically so, if you don’t have a ton of knowledge you can make more generalizations. How would you describe Kansas City and its atmosphere in one word, versus the Midwest? ...You can use two or three. Emma: Nightlife. Like a social nightlife, vibrant. Mara: Lively. I don’t think it gets enough credit for the cool restaurants and shops and stuff. Kaitlin: I’m trying to think of one good word. I think it’s just like comfortable, like I never feel like I’m super out of place there. Like some cities I feel like if I visited I’d be like overwhelmed because I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s pretty easy to fit in. Moderator: What cities are you thinking of when you feel out of place? Kaitlin: I guess like out of the country more than in the country, but even some southern cities. 00:35:13 Moderator: How would you guys describe the type of people that live in Kansas City? Madeline: Genuine. Kayla: Are talking like downtown? Moderator: You can think of like Overland Park and stuff, but like when you think of Kansas City and the type of people that say “I’m from Kansas City,” what do you typically picture?

Kayla: Normal. Emma: Okay, that was so inaccurate. Kayla: Like wholesome. Moderator: Okay. Harley, what about you? Harley: I’d probably say like, the kind of people you’d wanna be friends with. Moderator: Right. What about you, Meredith? Meredith: Yeah, I’d agree with the genuine and down-to-earth kind of thing. Moderator: And you mentioned that you’re not from Kansas City specifically so when you meet people that are from there, what do you picture? Kaitlin: Yeah, just like really friendly, like people are willing to help you find places or I feel like everyone I’ve met just like wants to talk, like they’re interested in actually having a conversation, which is nice. Moderator: Can you think of any examples specifically of people from Kansas City, especially famous people that a lot more people would recognize that kind of represent that? Emma: Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis. Moderator: Okay, for sure. Mara: Who’s that guy on Modern Family? Kayla: Cam! Emma: He’s from Kansas City? Kayla: He’s from Manhattan, he like loves Kansas City, he went to K-State. Mara: Yeah, that’s the only one I can think of. Moderator: Do you guys recognize anyone that comes from a little bit bigger of a headline?

Kayla: I mean Paul Rudd kinda. Madeline: I don’t know any females. Emma: Yeah, I’m trying to think of females. Kayla: Yeah, I always just think of Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis. Moderator: Do you guys think that our professional athletes from Kansas City do a good job representing what it means to live here? Everyone: Yes. Moderator: Are there any athletes in particular that you recognize as being wholesome people? Kayla: I remember hearing a story last year when the Royals were in the World Series, and they were playing at an away game, and they were playing catch in the outfield like warming up and then there were Little League boys in the outfield, and then all the Kansas City players threw them all their practice balls like before they ran in. Like the kids weren't even there for them or to support them but they threw them the balls and they said the kids were so happy like they caught it on tape and it was on the news I think, it was really cute. Emma: I feel like more attention they’d get would be negative press, like if they got any, but like I can’t think of any recently. Moderator: Okay, do you guys think that any press is good press, of Kansas City’s name is being mentioned? Everyone: No. Moderator: Okay. What would turn you off from a city, like if someone said that they were from there and there was negative press associated with them? Emma: Detroit.

Moderator: Are there any people you can think of? Like does the bad press about celebrities turn you off from Los Angeles? 00:38:20 Mara: No. I just think that people and places are different, like any press is probably good press for people because it means you’re talking about them but with a city it matters what people think because they’re not gonna go. Moderator: Okay. Do you consider Kansas City to be a major or important city in the US, and why do you think so? Emma: Yeah, we just won the World Series, I feel like that’s something...we jumped a few points. Moderator: Madeline, what do you think? Do you agree with Minick (Emma)? Madeline: Yeah, I mean...can you repeat the question? Sorry. Moderator: No that’s fine, do you consider Kansas City to be a major or important city in the Midwest and why? Madeline: Yeah, I mean I still don’t think people like give it a chance though to like know if we are or not. Moderator: Why do you think that is? Madeline: Just because when they think of Kansas they think of boring and not exciting, but I mean I think we are better than that. Harley: I think the World Series helped a ton because it showed the city can like come together to be supportive, like I think a lot of people saw Kansas City after that. Moderator: Okay, would you consider Kansas City a major city? (to Kaitlin)

Kaitlin: Yeah, I think there’s a lot of business that comes out of Kansas City and it is wellknown, like I hear of Kansas City more than I hear of like Nebraska or anywhere else in the Midwest compared to like other Midwest states I guess. Moderator: Okay great, what about you? Mara: Yeah, I think mainly just because a lot of major companies are headquartered there. Moderator: Do you guys think that Kansas and Kansas City have different reputations? Madeline: Yes. But I think people forget that Kansas City is mostly in Missouri. Moderator: Okay, do you think Missouri and Kansas City have different reputations? Emma: Like Missouri and Kansas, yeah. Like when I heard I was moving to Kansas I pictured a farm but if you said Missouri I would not have. Moderator: What do you picture when you hear Missouri? Emma: A suburb. I don’t know. Moderator: Okay. Do you guys agree with that? Meredith: Missouri kinda acts like southern I think, especially now that it’s in the SEC, I think they have more of a southern lifestyle. Not like lifestyle but like their food and stuff, like they serve toast. 00:41:09 Moderator: What are some of your favorite things to do in Kansas City, and how often do you actually do them? Madeline: If it’s sports season like obviously I’m gonna go to games and stuff, or I try to. Emma: Yeah, sports games. Moderator: You mentioned going to eat, where do you like to go?

Mara: I mainly go out to eat with my grandma, so we kind of go to places more like Olive Garden, nowhere like special. Moderator: But you mentioned before that you really enjoyed Kansas City’s like different restaurants? Mara: Yeah, well like that was when I go see my family, but when I go with my friends we’ll go to like… Moderator: Does the service at those places vary depending on where you go? Mara: No, I mean they’re all pretty great like I have a great experience no matter what, but it’s like different. Moderator: And do you guys enjoy the restaurants in Kansas City as well? 42:00 - 55:00 -- Emily 00:42:00 Moderator: And are you more likely to go back to a restaurant that you've enjoyed or do you try to do something new? Mara: I feel like I go to the same places. Meredith: Yeah I feel like I do too for restaurants. Moderator: Why do you think that is? Madeline: Cause I know it's good like if i have a craving I know I can get that there. Emma: I think I try a lot like of new places with my friend group like we try going other places Kayla: Yeah we do. We try a bunch of different places Emma: But I also feel like it's your personality too. Like there's some people that are just like when you find something you like , you always keep going.

Moderator: Okay, what about you? Kaitlin: I think I've never gotten into a routine of going to the same place downtown just cause I've only been there like 4-5 times so like every time I've gone somewhere different just because I haven't like gone back more than once. I've just never like known where to go back to I guess cause I honestly forget. Moderator: Okay, when you think of Kansas City dining whats a restaurant you think of off the top of your head? Emma: Oklahoma joe's, I mean Joe's Kansa City they changed the name. Kayla: I think of like Houstons of the plaza Harley: Brio Kayla: Brio, yeah. Meredith: Jack Stack. Kayla: Fogo de Chao. Moderator: What do you think? Mara: Barbeque. Emma; Those are all chains> Literally we've picked Houston's, Brio. Kaitlin: I think of Minskyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pizza, which is a chain. Emma: Yeah i would say the Barbeque places. Moderator: If you had someone from out of state asking for a recommendation of where to go where would you send them?If you wanted them to get the full Kansas City experience? Emma: Joes. Kayla: Yeah Oklahoma Joe's.

Harley: I would probably just say somewhere around the plaza because it's like , there's a lot going on. Like you don't just have to go home you can walk around. There's like the carriage rides and all of that. Moderator: Um so we're going to keep going about the Kansas CIty stuff. So you guys have been doing awesome answering these questions, and if you have anything to tag onto someone else's answers go ahead and do that too. Um what would you consider to be Kansas City's most popular attraction or past time? Something that draws out of staters or visitors in? Or even entertainers. Emma: Well I know my mom's friends who live, well they moved, but they still live in Omaha they would literally drive to the Plaza to shop. Moderator: Ok. Emma: Cause there was nothing there. Like there was just not enough. For like night time. Madeline: Power and light. Like that area like all for young people. Kayla: I think like crown center on Christmas. That's like a lot of people really enjoy that atmosphere. Moderator: Ok, what do you guys think? Mara: I don't really know. I haven't been there enough. Meredith: I feel like sports teams. Madeline: Yeah like the Royals. Harley: I feel like when the Chiefs play that's definitely big. Moderator: Um could you all elaborate on how celebrities may influence perceptions of Kansas City. Would it affect people's decision to visit Kansas City or do you think it matters? Like if you

heard of a lot more celebrities visiting, or heard of even more movies being filmed in Kansas City would you consider, would you think it would influence anything? Kayla: I think it would. I would want to know why they are going there. Meredith: Yeah if something was going on. Kayla: Well if there was like a reality TV show like trashy but like people really enjoyed it and if it was still in Kansas City it would like put it on people's radar. Emma: Like we could totally have a real housewives. 0:45:11 Madeline: Yeah we could. Moderator: What do you think? Kaitlin: I don't know. I feel like celebrities really like I feel there's a lot of celebrities from here but like that doesn't really attract me to it. I guess if they came back to live here like after that would be more of a draw. Emma: People from Kansas City are very vocal about being from Kansas City which is a great reputation. Like they're proud to be from here. Kayla: I would say a majority of them are like grounded celebrities. Maybe not grounded i don't know if that's the word but they're not like having their head off like Britney Spears. Moderator: Ok. Kaitlin: I feel like they're all kinda normal. I would honestly feel like i could approach them more than the Kardashians because their not from Kansas City. Kayla: I feel like lots of comedians too I feel like. Moderator: What celebrity if they vocalized their from Kansas CIty, interest in Kansas City, or even visited here often, what would be your ideal celebrity to/that you would be interested in?

Meredith: Beyonce? Moderator: You can say Beyonce. Harley: I would say Kourtney Kardashian or someone like that. Moderator: Ok. What do you think? Mara: Like someone like beyonce with music. Madeline: Maybe like Jennifer Aniston or like actress that everyone knows. Meredith: Someone like a lot of people like. Kayla: Like funny. Kaitlin: Yeah like Jennifer Lawrence because she's like funny and everyone likes her and very normal. Kayla: Oh yeah and funny and stuff. Moderator: Who did you say again? Kaitlin: Jennifer Lawrence. Meredith: Oh yeah that's a good one. Kayla: Yeah that is a good one. Emma: Yeah I love her. Moderator: She's the best. Um, Do you think if they had events and stuff like that you would make the trip to KC to go see those celebrities? Emma: Yeah. Kayla: Yeah. Moderator: Or would you even go at the chance to run into them? Kayla: Uhh yeah like I think like music festivals. Meredith: yeah or like carnivals or stuff going on .

Moderator: Ok, if you're from Kansas City and had a chance to grow up in a different city would you? Meredith: No. Kayla: I don't think so. Emma: Like from living other places like Kansas City is my top. Moderator: And it's you four that are from Kansas City if I'm right. Ok, and if you're not from Kansas City would you rather grow up there if you had the option? Mara: No. Kaitlin: Probably no.t Moderator: Why would you say no? Kaitlin: I guess I don't know, I liked growing up in Chicago. I just wouldn't change it I guess. Moderator: Ok, what about you guys? Mara: I liked where I grew up, it was a good time. Harley: Where are from again? Mara: Saint Louis. Harley: I, I don't know, I don't really care. I don't really, I don't see a lot of difference I guess. Moderator: What kind of attraction you guys have to if you grew up in Kansas City or not that make you so set on wanting to live where you grew up? Kayla: I think it was like the people you were around. Meredith: Like your friends and stuff. Moderator: So it was more of like an emotional attachment. Emma: Yeah like it's not really the place, well until after.

Moderator: Ok would you guys consider to moving to Kansas City after you graduate and living there then? 0:48:08 Harley: No Moderator: Why? Harley: I think it's a good place to raise a family but I don't think like right out of college it would be somewhere I would want to live. Madeline: Maybe like downtown but not in Overland Park. Like i wouldn't want to move to Overland Park. Harley: And it's like so close to Lawrence and it's like you know. I feel like after I graduate you know I'm out. Moderator: Alright. Harley: Like I'm going places. Kayla: I would say I would probably live in Kansas City I don't know. Just like with the direction my careers headed like there's a lot of hospitals down there and like it would probably be easier to find a job and a place that like uses practiced. Like having, I don't know, it gets complicated far away. Kaitlin: And like all my family is in Illinois so like I probably wouldn't move here unless there was like a really good job here and nothing there. But for the most part there will be something. Moderator: Would you consider Kansas City a place where mostly families live or do you associate with our age group the millennial generation that were focusing on today like a big population there as well?

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Mara: It's confusing because I think like a lot of millennials would live in like Kansas City, Missouri like it's just so awesome and cool down there but like not a lot of people would be like "yeah like let's move to Prairie Village after college" you know. Kayla: I also feel like, like even my moms said this but Kansas City is kinda making a come back cause like I don't know like for a while you would go downtown and like there would be like not alot at all. Like down, down town, like not the plaza but like downtown and like I think slowly they're trying to like bring more things back in because I don't know. I don't really know what I'm trying to say. I think I could see our generation like a lot of singles living downtown like in Kansas City. Madeline: Like Wesport. Meredith: I think that but I don't think that someone that didn't have any family, friends, and wasn't from Kansas City, would come to Kansas City over somewhere else. Moderator: Okay. What do you think? Kaitlin: Yeah I kinda agree with that like I obviously don't have a good tie to Kansas City. I wouldn't as a millennial probably move here just cause from like what I think of it juts like based on general assumptions that like it's kinda hard to meet people I feel like if it was just out of nowhere. Like if you came from california, and didn't go to KU, like you didn't know anyone from Kansas, like i feel like moving to Kansas City would just kinda be like not as good. Moderator: Would you all consider family a large factor in moving? Emma: My family is everywhere so i dont think its a huge thing for me. Moderator: Ok what about you guys? Kaitlin: They are all in one spot so yeah. Moderator: Ok, What would Kansas City need to have for you guys to want to move there?

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Harley: I don't think it would be what I need but it's like not... Moderator: Its reputation even. Harley: Yeah. Madeline: They just need to show it off more like advertising and stuff. 0:51:02 Moderator: Where do you think that they could advertise themselves better that you guys would recognize that? Emma: Well you see the commercials for like the states and there's like I don't even know. Like pure michigan. Harley: Yeah pure Michigan. Meredith: I was gonna say like I follow alot of food accounts and like that would be like really big. Like there's like Chicago food accounts, and like New York food accounts and like that makes people want to try those unique restaurants and stuff. Moderator: And you mentioned Kansas City as kind of like a making a comeback and growing in a sense, could you guys see if everything were to play out Kansas City coming a CHicago or New York or California. Harley: I think it would like improve but I don't think it would like be that. Mara: Maybe like a water downed version I just don't like its location wise doing that. Harley: Maybe like a cheaper version like if you couldn't afford to go, I definitely think. Kayla: I could maybe see it. I don't know I feel like they will have to play catchup for like a really long time. Emma: But like I don't know. The sports teams are in the middle of nowhere which like other big cities it's not like that. It's in the city which is a huge thing I think.

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Moderator: You would prefer a stadium or something like that where you could walk to a restaurant or something like that? Like walk into town. Mara: Yeah like restaurant and hotel and like sporting arena where you could stay in one area. That would be like a really big thing if I were planning a trip. Kaitlin: And like the Chicago skyline, I know it's not that important of a thing but just like aesthetically it draws more people because like you have a distinct thing. Whereas Kansas City is more spread out. Meredith: That's what I was going to say. Like when you're driving and you're like approaching downtown and it literally looks like our skyline is like a square mile of like just the city. And like other cities are definitely not like that at all. Moderator: Okay, great. Well we're going to kinda even transition into social media and marketing recommendations for Kansas City just cause we kinda started talking about that already. Um so what are the travel or hospitality promotions and advertisements that gain your attention the most? Emma: Commercials. Moderator: Like when you. that like what. Emma: Is that not social media? Moderator: No it is. No that totally makes sense we're looking for advertising in all that sense but like when you think of a certain brand or certain city or a certain company that markets themselves really well in the hospitality and tourism industry what do you think of? Harley: I know like Snapchat is like the thing to check. Kayla: I definitely think Instagram. Madeline: Instagram, yeah.

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Moderator: Are there any certain cities that have Instagrams that you have recognized or that you've seen before that do a good job? Kaitlin: I feel like California always has good ones cause I don't know I feel like they highlight a lot of different parts. Moderator: What about like California and stuff like that do you think stands out the most? Kaitlin: I just think it has a lot of variety. Like you have the beach, you have the mountains, and like if you go north it's not super hot but you could go to Los Angeles and it's warm so. Moderator: Do you guys look at the websites of the companies and stuff like that that you are interested in? 0:54:08 Meredith: Yeah. Moderator: Would you say that you all do? Madeline: Yeah. Kayla: Yeah. Moderator: How often do you look at those websites? Emma: Like what companies? Like companies I want to work at? Moderator: Anything. Anything in particular. Emma: Well like before I get food I always look at the menu. Kayla: Yeah my sister does that too. Moderator: Is the layout important in what the website like lets you view, is that important to you? Meredith: I feel like the colors of websites.

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Kaitlin: Yeah I feel like there's just certain color combinations that don't really work and like some that don't make it look super professional. And some that makes it look like kindergarden. 55:00 - 68:00 -- Victoria 00:54:50 Moderator: what's a color combination that appeals to you? Kaitlin: I just feel like the, I don't know like the beige and dark blue with clean lines professional looking layout. Kayla: Modern looking. Kaitlin: bright colors usually. Moderator: Do you guys agree? Mara: I think if the website is kinda behind and like not graphically appealing, that would already like clue me in that like itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maybe not a place that I would be very excited to go to or it's not like up to date. Harley: I think like how recognize and how easy I can find what I'm looking for. I think that's probably the most important thing. Emma: Yeah easy. Harley: The colors don't really matter to me. Moderator: Do you guys have like a color or design layout that you can think of from a company that would appeal to you? If not, that's fine. Harley: It's not necessarily just the website, I think like apps now like, I think basic. Madeline: Just like easy to navigate. Moderator: Yeah that's awesome.

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Kayla: Organized. Moderator: Can like the website or online presence of a company turn you on or turn you off from your interest in them? Harley: If they have pictures of food or of people eating the food, I think that's kinda weird, I don't know. Moderator: OK. Emma: I love the pictures of the food. Because then you can like see what it looks like. Harley: But it doesn't always look like that, it’s unrealistic. Emma: Still gets you excited to go there though. Moderator: What do you guys think about like using pictures and stuff like that? Kaitlin: I think with hotels it's like a huge thing becauseKayla: Oh yeah! Madeline: yeah if a hotel didn't have a picture I'd be weirded out. Kayla: You’d be like “hmm red flag.” Or just like the pictures of the lobby or just like everything clean and tidy. Moderator: what do you think? Mara: Yeah, the clean part probably. Moderator: OK. What social media outlet is your favorite one to go on? Not to look at advertisements or anything like that, but the one you most frequently visit. Emma: Instagram or Snapchat. Harley: Probably Instagram because you can also see what other people like. And you can follow new people.

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Moderator: What about you guys? Meredith: I’d say instagram too. Madeline: Instagram. Kayla: Instagram. Kaitlin: Instagram or Twitter. Moderator: What about Instagram do you guys find most appealing? Emma: You don't have to do that much. It’s quick and easy. Madeline: I like looking at the pictures. Kayla: It’s easy to go through. Captions aren't very long. You can see how many people have liked it or how many people have commented really easily and that's always like “oh this place got a lot of likes, it must be good.” Moderator: It's the children's book of social media, you don't have to read that often. Kayla: yeah, actually though. Moderator: How much time would you guys say you spend on your favorite social media posts? Or like how many times a day do you check it? Emma: When I post something? Mara: A lot. Moderator: Just like on an average day. Meredith: Too much. I’d say like at least twice an hour. Emma: I’d say just like something easy like that. Kayla: Yeah that's probably accurate, probably at least twice an hour. Even if you just open the app and scroll to see 2 new advertisements.

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Moderator: OK. Kayla: It's like well ok, caught up! Moderator: Do the sponsored instagrams that have been popping up lately bother you? Harley: YES. Madeline: yeah, I don't even look at then. Emma: Sometimes I like them. Like the movie previews, I love that. Moderator: OK. So it kinda depends on what it is? Emma: Yeah I have been seeing a lot of that “How to be single” movie. And I want to see it… because of that! 00:58:08 Kaitlin: clothing companies pop up on mine a lot. Moderator: Does that bother you? Kaitlin: Not really. They aren’t super obnoxious. I feel like online there are ads that move or pop up. Emma: I think they are different for some peoples. Kaitlin: I think it does go by like what you click on. Kayla: No yeah it’s based on who you follow, it’s like targeted towards you. Emma: Yeah it’ll be something that I’ve looked at and I’m like wait a minute. Moderator: Do you think if Kansas City utilized those more, like Instagram and Snapchat it would help you be more aware of it? Kayla: yes.

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Mara: yes and no. Like the stories of “a day in cuba,” I don’t even watch them. I don’t think if Kansas City had them people would be like “yo man check this out.” Emma: I like them. I watch them. Harley: I watch them. Kayla: The ones about the rockettes, I watch that one a lot. Madeline: Like the spring break ones or the Mardi Gras ones. Moderator: When do you find yourselves watching those? Like in your free time? Emma: When I’m bored. Kayla: Right before I’m about to go to bed. Once I’ve looked at all the other stories. Kaitlin: I feel like if it’s ones that I know about, like if it's the Royals. If it’s like sports ones and I know the team or really like the team, I watch those a lot. But the ones about like Ecuador, like some place I’ve never been or have no interest in, I probably wouldn't take the time to watch it. Moderator: OK. That makes sense. Do you think that social media affects your vacation and travels? And how so. So like when you go on vacation, would you post about it? would you look it up before hand? Harley: Oh yeah. Moderator: Sometimes you can click on the hashtags for example, or the location and see other pictures posted from there. Harley: Yeah I’ve done that. Like if I see on a beach if there is like a cool secret spot, I’ll click on the location to find it. Moderator: What about you guys?

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Meredith: Um yeah I’d say for sure. Like if someone posts a picture in a cool place, I’ll click on the location and just like look. Moderator: What do you think? Kaitlin: I think like if a celebrity posts it I look at it more than if… well I guess it just depends on the picture. Like if it’s a really well presented picture and it looks like something I would like, I’d click on the location. I don't know if it would actually drive me to go somewhere, but it depends on where it is I guess. Moderator: What on social media would cause you to want to visit? What would you have to see them doing? Emma: Food places, when I stalk those. Kayla: Like a place that’s pretty. If it’s a pretty place. 01:00:55 Moderator: Kayla you mentioned the Skimm earlier, do you think if Kansas City had a millennial oriented newsletter or email with Kansas City events, activities, places, do you think that would be beneficial for people? Meredith: I think it would be. Moderator: Would you guys actually read it? Mara: yeah. Emma: I’d skim it. Kayla: Like not even Kansas City news but like things to do? Moderator: No, just like places to go and events. Kayla: OK yeah so like new places that are opening or deals. Yeah.

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Marae: Deals definitely. I think young people especially love deals like oh there's a special here or like a restaurant is having live music or something. It’d be cool to know about that. Madeline: Happy hours and all that stuff too Moderator: Now we are 45 minutes away from Kansas City, if you got that email, what is something that would have to be advertised for you to go all the way there? Harley: Probably like a special. Mara: Like a really good one. Madeline: Yeah it has to be a really good one. Meredith: I’d say music. Like a good concert. Harley: Something that's long enough that I could say okay I can spend my whole night there. Moderator: OK. What about you guys? Emma: Like if I have to get something done in Kansas City. Kayla: yeah since I’m from there, I don’t think it would take a lot of me to be like oh because I’d be like oh I can stay at my house and get some laundry done. Moderator: OK. What is something about Kansas City that you don’t thing is advertised or emphasized enough to outsiders? Emma: I feel like night life. It’s actually really good. No one really thinks about it. Moderator: What about you? Kaitlin: I think like power and light. Like I didn’t really ever hear about that until my second semester sophomore year. I think it’s something really cool that no one really knows about unless you like go to a specific concert, but it’s never been like advertised.

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Emma: In high school we used to go to Hot Country Nights every thursday in the summer, it’s just like free concerts in power and light. Moderator: What about you guys? Madeline: Westport. Harley: I had heard of power and light but I didn't really know, it never really crossed my mind and then like the parade. I had never really seen that part of Kansas City. Mara: Yeah I’ve never been there before. Moderator: Do you think companies need to take specifically distinct measures when targeting our generation rather than techniques deemed effective for older generations? Like do you think companies need to go through completely different ways to connect with us? Meredith: I wouldn’t say like 180 from their marketing right now, but they could do some things differently. Moderator: Can you guys think of marketing tactics that are obviously aimed for millennials that does or doesn't appeal to you? Kayla: Probably stuff that's easy to do in a group. Emma: Stuff with puppies. The budweiser commercial with the puppy is my favorite commercial of all time. Kayla: I feel like for the generations above us, a guy would see something and be like “oh this would be a perfect place to take a girl on a date,” but that doesn't really apply now. I don't think a single guy would be like “oh I’d love to take a girl one a date here.” It's more like if we get a group of girls and a group of guys we could all go here together and do something. Not really

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romantic of 2 on 2. I feel like that applies more to our parents generation or our grandparents generation that doesn’t apply to our generation.. At least not college age. Moderator: Do you think if Kansas City marketed towards this is a place you can go with all of your friends you'd be more interested? Kayla: Lots of singles yeah. Meredith: Yeah. Madeline: Yeah. Moderator: What do you think? Kaitlin: Yeah I feel like most people go in big groups, like not 2-3 people. I mean you could but for the most part I feel like if you're going to do something for a night, you'd go with a big group of people. 01:04:56 Moderator: What do you think would be the most effective and successful way to attract millennials to Kansas City? Marae: Deals and good places to go out. Harley: Places that you can go to on a whim. You have to have a big place Kayla: Stuff that's like, you don't have to get your tickets a month before. But like places where you can go and there's tickets at the door, free admission. Mara: Like you don’t have to stress about it. Kayla: Yeah, stuff you don't have to plan. Like at night it's easier to just say “let's go do this” like more spontaneously.

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Moderator: Would you guys say that even making a reservation is something that doesn't appeal to a millennial? Harley: I feel rushed because it's like Kayla: what time are we going to get there? What time will people be ready? Moderator: OK. What do you guys think? Madeline: I kind of agree with that. I mean I personally don't mind making reservations but I feel like with big groups it's always more difficult trying to get there on time and like just the process. Moderator: OK. How do you think Kansas City could market to become more of a global interest, like the previously mentioned cities, like Chicago or New York? Emma: I know this is totally contradicting to what we said but like globally, the snapchat things. Moderator: Yeah I watch the ones from not America. Emma: Yeah like I don't but people do, people would. Moderator: How do you guys think Kansas City could market itself globally? Kaitlin: I don't know, I feel like internationally, Kansas doesn't have a super pronounced reputation. I feel like no one knows about Kansas City. It just isn't one of those well known cities outside of the US. Especially international, no one knows about it. Moderator: What do you guys think? Mara: Yeah I don't know, that's tough kinda. Harley: I feel like it's one of those things like dallas will always be like known more than Kansas City. When you go to the middle and deicide between Kansas City or Dallas, you would go to Dallas.

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Kayla: I feel like globally it's 5 cities: Dallas, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, LA. And then that's kind of it. Moderator: What do you think that dallas does that makes it more appealing internationally? Harley: I just feel like it's more of little restaurants and like we said deals on drinks and stuff. Kayla: The fact that it's in Texas helps. Texas is just bigger. Emma: I don't really like Texas. Moderator: Why not? Emma: I just feel like it's a little obnoxious and over the top 68:00 - 81:00 -- Olivia (1:08:00-1:21:09) Mara: I feel like places like Texas, or New York or LA like they already have a head start. They don’t have to work as hard to market themselves Kayla: Because they’re staples Mara: People will go to New York no matter if they see a commercial for like “come visit New York” or not Harley: New York has like shows and stuff Mara: I think Kansas City is just a little behind, like they have to work harder Emma: Yeah, it’s like a catch up Mara: It’s harder to compare KC to a place like that because they’re in totally different places and like how the world views them Kayla: Even just like the population is way bigger Sophie: Would you say that the playing field is different?

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Whole group: Yeah Mara: It’s not even fair Sophie: Ok Kayla: When it comes down to population, there’s just way more people in all of those cities and there aren’t as many people in KC. Like yeah, it’s a better place to raise families because it’s a lot less crowded…it’s just kinda like… Emma: I don’t think you can live in a huge city and also have the hometown aspect Kaitlin: Yeah Emma: You can’t really get the best. Cause do you live in the city Chicago or a suburb? Kaitlin: I live like 15, 20 minutes out Sophie: Ok Emma: So I live in a suburb, yeah Meredith: That’s how I feel like everybody is that’s from Chicago Kaitlin: Yeah, most people that live, downtown, well I guess it’s kinda broken up but downtown is mostly like college, business people, and then you just commute downtown from home. Not a lot of people honestly live there, and then a lot of big parts are like, racially closed off I guess. Sophie: Ok Kaitlin: So like, there is like Chinatown, Italy Town, whatever then there’s like predominantly black neighborhoods, and then like I don’t know anyone from my area or like even anyone that goes to KU that’s actually like from downtown. Like, it’s mostly…it's not a place to live I guess. People that raise families downtown try to move out. I mean you move there after college but not for long, and then you live in a suburb and you commute.

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Emma: So if you actually want to live and shop in Chicago you have to have a lot of money. Mara: It’s expensive. But I kinda think that’s what’s nice about KC, is that like, I mean I personally don’t think it’s that bad of a drive or that hard to go from like the Plaza to Overland Park. I think that’s a selling point like you can be young, go out, go out to P&L and feel like you're in a big city and have a really good time and also like drive 30 minutes somewhere and feel like you're in a really safe suburb. It has both aspects. Like, you're not missing one. Emma: Yeah Sophie: Ok, and you guys mentioned that you more go to the like, Midwestern cities if you have a local that can show you around, do you think that because Dallas and Chicago and cities like that have more people that it’s easier to visit cities like that because of who you know? Whole group: Yeah Sophie: Do you think that if KC had a bigger residential population that it would be more popular than other places? Mara: Probably Madeline: I think so Sophie: How many times have you been asked by someone who doesn’t live in KC, this may not apply to you or even if how many times have you asked to be shown around? (to Mara) Mara: I mean, a lot I think. Sophie: Ok Mara: I like being shown around KC, it’s really fun I think Sophie: What about you guys? Do you ever get asked by people who aren’t from here? 1:11:00

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Meredith: I don’t know Kayla: I don’t really know, people from like Sophie: Don’t say out of state Kayla: No, I didn’t, I’m trying to think of people like… Emma: You never ask us Sophie: It’s true, I don’t Emma: She’s like, I’ll figure it out on my own Madeline: Haha Meredith: I mean I don’t really know KC that well either Madeline: Like I wouldn’t know what to do if someone wanted to be shown around, like I don’t really know it that well Emma: Yeah if there’s like a cool restaurant or something I could be like, yeah, I heard…I suppose we could like check it out Mara: But even like, since I’m not from here I'm not even going to know what this place is called, it’s like, ugh, this really big tall thing and then you stand in it and you can look over everything? Emma: It’s the monument Sophie: Oh yeah, yeah Mara: Like I even thought that was cool, you know it’s probably not that awesome to people like you, but like in Saint Louis I don’t really think the arch is… Emma: Yeah I think that people don’t know that that’s a museum either Kayla: I did not know about that until now

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*people talking over each other* Madeline: Like the World War I museum?

Mara: Ugh, so cool. I don’t know, it’s like cool I guess. Sophie: Now, the last topic that we were actually going to cover is comparing KC to other U.S. cities and we actually already talked about a lot of the things we were going to discuss but do you think that KC competes with other Midwest cities or do you think it’s on it’s own? Whole group: I feel like it’s on it’s own Sophie: Why do you feel like that? Emma: I don’t think it tries to compete Harley: I mean... Kayla: I like the city the way it is Sophie: (to Kaitlin) Where do you think, coming from out of state especially where KC can improve? Kaitlin: Uhh…I don’t know I don’t see it of a more or lesser city, I just think it's somewhere different. It’s not necessarily worse than anywhere else, I just think it’s like a different atmosphere, or like a smaller city. And I feel like, it’s a lot like other Midwest cities. Like, I don’t really know a lot about Nebraska or other Midwest cities but Iowa City and KC are kinda like level in my head. They’re kinda similar. I don’t know what they can do, I don’t know if they need to improve anything. I think, like it’s good how it is, it’s a strong city. If they want to be like Chicago then they have to improve and do different marketing but people come here anyways, I

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think it’s just a good place and it doesn’t necessarily need to improve, unless it like…I don’t know I’m kind of getting lost in my own… Sophie: No, no. That’s fine, that’s awesome Kaitlin: I mean, it’s never probably going to get to like New York or Chicago but I think how it is right now is good and if they want to improve different areas maybe more options, and more options for different age groups I feel like. Sophie: Ok Kaitlin: In my opinion I think it’s more centered towards family and it’s a tamer city, it’s just like very relaxed. So if they wanted to improve on something I’d say like big night life I guess? Sophie: How do you guys think KC could improve? Mara: More nightlife. Just maybe making it known that there is so much cool nightlife because I really had no idea until you guys were sitting here and you all listed off all these places that people go Harley: I don’t know I feel like, there’s probably way better… Kayla: Actually, yeah I’ll just never compare it to Chicago or… 1:14:15 Harley: I don’t think it's anything to be ashamed of, I just don’t think that, unless they tore the city down and rebuilt it I mean… Sophie: Ok Kayla: I think they could make it but it's not like a marketing aspect it would have to be more companies want to base themselves out of KC and then are hiring people to come into KC and

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then that is the reason people are living there, and if people are living there that’s when they start putting more clubs in, or restaurants in, or things to do *group members agree* Kayla: There aren’t as many companies, I mean there are companies in the KC area like Cerner but it’s like out with the suburbs. Like the companies that want to be in KC are out in the suburbs more Sophie: What are companies that you would like to see based out of KC? Or even examples. Like for example I love that Target is based out of Minneapolis. Emma: Oh Sophie: Like somewhere where you would even consider working Kayla: Like if we had a big – Meredith: More Nordstrom. We just have that one big Nordstrom, or I guess we probably have more than one, there’s one in Oak Park, there’s not even one on the Plaza is there? Group: no Emma: Yeah they talk about putting one in Uptown Meredith: Chicago has that huge Nordstrom Sophie: You’d just like to see that huge, kind of “we’re known for this” sort of thing? *group members agree* Mara: Stores or maybe even a social media app like if one of those had started in KC that could be cool I guess Emma: Like if Instagram had started there or something Kaitlin: You think of Starbucks in Seattle

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Sophie: Ummm Kayla: Like big beer industries and stuff Meredith: Like brewing Kayla: Saint Louis has something like that. Or Busch, yeah Busch that was huge. For um, Saint Louis? Is that where it is? Mara: Yeah Sophie: And before we kindof like, this was the last area of conversation we wanted to talk about but I just wanted to ask if my team members had any questions they wanted to ask anybody? Emily: I do, so if you're following something on Instagram or social media how often would you want to see it on your timeline before it gets annoying? Does that make sense? Emma: Once a day Harley: Or once every 3 days. As long as it wasn’t like repetitive Kaitlin: Some companies post like 5 times a day and I'm like no way, I'm unfollowing you. You know because I don’t feel like you go back to their page to stalk a company as much as if it were to pop up once Harley: I think it should be once but make it the right time of day. Do it when you'll see it so post it towards the evening probably Mara: And like on Facebook – Emma: And less on Facebook too Sophie: On social media sites do you, for companies especially do you prefer it when it's more a personalized type Instagram feed or even Facebook posts where it’s clearly taken on an iPhone,

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maybe people are involved, or do you like to see that level of professionalism with like a professional camera of professionally worded posts kind of thing? What do you prefer to see? 1:17:14 Meredith: I guess it depends Kaitlin: It could be off an iPhone with people in it as long as it’s not like, if they don’t edit it and it’s just a picture of like this conference room. Like if they just took it and posted it of us sitting in here that’s not going to be liked well. Meredith: I’m just going to say Nordstrom again just because their Instagram is well done but it’s probably done with an iPhone and you can tell it’s a blogger that knows how to make things aesthetically – Mara: The blogger style knows how to make things really relatable but still slightly out of reach. My photos couldn’t be as cool or artsy as the bloggers but it’s still fairly relatable Sophie: What makes you follow or unfollow an account? Emma: Too many posts Kaitlin: Too many posts Emma: That are not good Kaitlin: I think funny posts. Like on twitter, a lot of businesses do, like try to make jokes and sometimes they work really well but sometimes they’re a little off Sophie: What do you guys think? Emma: I’d say the biggest would be posting too much *group members agree* Kayla: Like I’m just not interested in it

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Sophie: Do you find it a draw when they follow you back? Emma: I love that Sophie: Or interact with you in some way? Like your post in exchange or something like that? Or even comment at you? Harley: I’d say that’s a little weird Emma: What company are we talking about here? Sophie: Just in general Emma: If McDonalds commented at me… Meredith: Asos. Asos replies to comments and people , they’ll be like “Oh I’m sorry to hear that, contact us at this number and we’ll send you a new one.” That’s kind of cool but I wouldn’t expect them to follow me Emma: But follow backs are fine Harley: She’s all about the follows Kayla: I think it’s nice though, yeah like if you were to post something and tag a company in it and completely diss them because you're unhappy with something and then they see that and try to get in touch with you that is appreciated as opposed to them just glossing over it Sophie: Tanya has one last question for us Tanya: So you guys mentioned how posting too much would make you maybe want to unfollow them, like a company or something but what about posting not enough? Because sometimes I know when I follow some Instagram and if they never post then I’m looking at it like wow I don’t want to follow them, so if you follow something – like Visit KC has their own Instagram or

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something like that – what is the minimum amount of times you would want them to post to make them relevant to you? Kaitlin: Probably once a week. Emma: At least, yeah Kaitlin: Instagram is so current I guess that if you miss it, it’s gone, you're not going to find it within 2 days because no one is going to want to scroll all the way back down to find it Emma: Kayla hasn’t posted in like 7 months and I still follow her so… Kayla: I know I’m not into social media really. I just like looking Sophie: How often would you like a company, if you added them on Snapchat to update that? 1:20:00 Emma: Snapchat’s a little different, like when you follow them Madeline: You can kind of just go back you don’t really have to watch Mara: It’s become a thing to add celebrities, and they’ll have 2 or 3 things in their story a day Emma: I followed a girl from E! News that I need to unfollow, I just haven’t figured it out yet. She’s so annoying. But other than that…But like a company? I don’t think I would have any desire to add them Emma: Like what kind of company? Harley: Like McDonalds or something? Sophie: So something about KC, so you would follow Visit KC on Instagram, or on Snapchat and they could maybe show you cool places, or something Mara: That would be a really good idea Emma: That would be really cool

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Mara: If Visit KC’s Snapchats were, if the person was filming themselves walking or like cool restaurants or cool things to do Emma: And you could see deals Mara: And stuff like that even, that could be really cool if it was nicely done Sophie: And actually that’s all we have left for time so you’re all done! Thank you so much for coming it was really helpful. 1:21:09

SEATING CHART:

Kaitlin Kayla Meredith Madeline Emma Harley Mara Olivia Victoria Emily Sophia Tanya Kenzie

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I have read my teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survey report and have shared my edits, when necessary, for the parts I was not directly responsible for. I approve the version of this report for submission.

Tanya Grover 5/5/16 Olivia Wilkes 5/5/16 Mackenzie Anderson 5/5/16 Victoria Vignes 5/5/16 Emily Zimmer 5/5/16 Sophie Toland 5/5/16