A Full-Funnel Strategy
Our plan uses a full-funnel approach—picture a funnel: wider at the top and narrow at the bottom—whereby our paid advertising aims to move people down the funnel to make a specific action: booking their trip to Kelowna. Advertising tactics at the top of the funnel reach more people and usually cost more. Advertising tactics at the bottom are more targeted, have a smaller audience size, and are more focussed. We have invested in tactics at all stages within the funnel.
A Domestic Focus
Our paid advertising budget is focussed within Canada again this year. International marketing is too costly for us to do alone, so we work with Destination British Columbia and Destination Canada to draw travellers to Canada, and hope to position Kelowna as their destination or a stop on their journey. This year, we have allocated our spend to Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.
Pictured above: stills of the motion graphic being used for Meta ads.
Always On Approach
It’s important to note that Tourism Kelowna actively markets our destination in many ways. When we talk about our overarching marketing and communication plan, we are talking about tactics that span paid, earned, owned, and shared media channels. We augment that work with targeted and timely paid advertising campaigns, but the work is much more than advertising.
Paid media—or placements we specifically pay for—include our advertising and the programs and partnerships we participate in. Tourism Kelowna runs several programs and participates in several provincial co-op marketing programs for specific sectors. We also do local advertising to encourage residents to get out and #exploreKelowna.
Earned media encompasses our travel media and public relations efforts. Each year, we bring travel writers, influencers, and content creators to come and experience Kelowna and write, snap or film about their experiences to share with their audiences.
Owned media represents things like our website, our blog, and our e-mail marketing, including our newsletters, that are delivered through channels we own and operate.
Shared media includes social media and content marketing primarily done through channels we operate but on platforms that are owned by someone else (Instagram or YouTube, for example).
We have tactics running across all these streams to market Kelowna and the Central Okanagan every day.
A Refreshed Brand
We’re also thrilled to roll-out a new refreshed brand look with this spring campaign. While it will take a number of months to fully refresh all of our materials, we’ve started with our spring advertising, updating our website and social media channels, e-newsletters, and a number of other consumer touch points. Stay tuned to our Industry News Centre for more information on our refreshed brand, how it came together, and how you can help bring it to life in the coming weeks and months.
If you have any questions about our brand, marketing and communication strategies, or our spring advertising plan, please contact me at chris.shauf@tourismkelowna.com.
