TMB_Tourism Benefits Campaign Concept Presentation_April 3

What We’ve Heard

Few know how to label “tourism”

While many locals are comfortable taking advantage of the benefits of a tourism-rich province—they don’t necessarily know to call that experience “tourism.” There’s a missing link to the experiences people enjoy and this mighty industry that works hard and takes on the responsibility of shaping people’s experience of the province.

While it’s an industry that couldn’t have more benefits to the public—to our economy, wellbeing, and putting reconciliation into action—the public doesn’t necessarily attribute these benefits to tourism. They also, without realizing it, actively dismiss the value and strength of our industry through their offhand remarks, like, “why would you come here?” “We were born here, what’s your excuse?” It’s time to shift the reputation of tourism, and make the link between a healthy, livable city and the flourishing tourism industry that contributes to it. And it’s time to extend proper credit to the people who decide to spend their time shaping our own and visitors’ experience of this province.

The word ‘tourism’ sucks—few people know what it really means. -Survey respondent “

Tourism is a whole universe

There are plenty of perks to a role in tourism—including the excitement of a fastchanging environment and opportunities for adventurous experiences or unique locations to work from. It’s a values-driven industry, helping to shape and share culture and to promote conservation and even reconciliation. It often has immediate rewards you can feel from those you provide an experience for. The problem persists that only frontline opportunities come to mind, and folks don’t see back-of-house, behind-thescenes, curatorial or managerial positions when they think of tourism.

Despite the many benefits, the idea prevails that the tourism industry isn’t a place to get too comfortable—to find stability or a long-term career. Only 1 in 10 would strongly encourage a career in tourism to friends and family. Just 5% strongly agree that jobs in tourism are stable, and only 10% see the many ways to get ahead in this industry. It’s time to bust these myths—and break open the siloes between the different industries within our industry. Trained workers are arriving who value a career in tourism, have innovative ideas, and want to stick around. We just need to point them to a sustainable and exciting career in our industry as their next step.

Lifestyle is so important to this next generation. People travel from around the world to hunt and fish here. You can live that. Your job can be doing what people travel from around the world to do.

-Survey respondent

When you think about tourism, you think about a cashier at a gift shop, a waitress, a tour guide at the museum. You can’t make a career out of that, right?

People don’t see the tour managers, the restaurant owners, the higher-level jobs.

That’s what needs to change.

-Survey respondent

Target Audiences

A Note on Target Audiences

We’ll focus our ads on tourism industry stakeholders & potential employees so we can build an audience for Phase II of this campaign where we promote working in tourism

• Tourism industry stakeholders: Employers, educators and stakeholders need to see this marketing campaign as having an impact, helping to thoughtfully change the perception of the tourism industry in Manitoba.

• Future tourism employees: New Canadians, students of tourism programs and even mid-level management workers looking for a job change will be targeted.

• Current tourism employees: Retention presents a huge problem in the tourism industry, with high turnover industry-wide—especially in frontline positions. This campaign could expand people’s views of the industry and their own sense of self-worth.

• Manitoba’s tourism market: The entire province benefits from the tourism industry whether they make this link or not. We will focus our ads on Manitoba’s key local tourism audiences (leveraging Environics data), as we know the folks who will relate to many of the experiences in our ads will be those we’re most likely to influence—changing their definition of tourism and how they see it.

Positioning

In any industry, campaigns need to be clearly differentiated from what else is out there.

The most memorable campaigns stand for one thing and one thing only.

Onliness Statement:

What

How Who

Where

Why When

Travel Manitoba’s tourism benefits campaign is redefining what tourism is for locals in Manitoba because people need to know the impact of tourism touches everyone in our province in an era when its impact goes unnoticed, and its value, overlooked

Campaign Story

Event Quest Goal

We tend to take for granted what’s right in front of us.

Our eyes memorize what we see all the time and begin to dismiss details, which is why going somewhere new enlivens our senses, reawakens our bodies, and leaves us feeling better.

Event Quest Goal

Whenever we go somewhere in Manitoba, it’s almost always a tourism experience. There’s a vast industry that touches every corner of our province, and it’s filled with people who are devoted to creating amazing experiences— whether it’s upkeeping our parks, maintaining our attractions, running hotels, games, concerts, museums, restaurants—or anything in between.

But when we live so close to it, it’s hard to see it for what it is.

But it really is tourism. And we all benefit.

Event Quest Goal

From the way a walk around the park can resolve our mood on a hard day. A trip with your family can bring you closer together. A cultural experience can begin repairing relationships and old wounds.

All of these things—including a $1.8 billion contribution to the economy—we owe to tourism.

So, we’re inviting Manitobans to put a name to these things they enjoy and to recognize the benefits—those things that make them feel better, and change how they feel about their home, community and lives. These are all tourism.

When you change how you look at tourism, you see it everywhere. Manitoba—This is tourism.

Phase I Campaign Assets (April 15-19)

• A mix of videos for digital promotion—1-Minute, 3 x 30-Second, 3 x 15-Second (re: the major benefits of tourism, including economic, wellness and reconciliation)

• Print Ads

• Radio Ads

• Image-Based Digital + Social Media Ads

• Landing Page with list of tourism benefits + how you can participate in tourism

• Future Phase: Grassroots Activation Kit (could include things like coasters, stickers, pins)

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