San Francisco Tourism Board's Investment in Streaming TV Advertising Aims to Accelerate Recovery

San Francisco Travel Association invests in its first connected TV advertising campaign in attempt to combat negative perceptions.

San Francisco Travel Association invests in its first connected TV advertising campaign as part of the latest campaign it has launched to combat negative perceptions and speed up its slow recovery.

The $1 million connected TV investment is part of an overall $6 million campaign called "Always San Francisco" that was launched on Tuesday, according to Lynn Bruni Perkins, chief marketing director for the San Francisco Travel Association.

Digital marketing, linear TV, influencer partnerships, and out-of home advertising are other advertising avenues. The campaign will be aimed at both domestic and international markets. Due to licensing restrictions for the songs featured in the ads, connected TV advertising will be primarily focused on the domestic market.

Bruni-Perkins said that the goal of the campaign was to counter the negative news narratives and perceptions about San Francisco. The New York Times wrote a piece last month highlighting the departure of large downtown businesses such as Whole Foods and issues with public security.

These perceptions don't help the slow recovery of the tourism sector in the city. San Francisco Travel CEO Joe D'Alessandro said that a return to the 2019 visitor numbers will not be expected until 2025.

Always San Francisco highlights the Golden City’s locals and its vibrant food and music scene, and celebrates its iconic attractions.

The city of San Francisco and Visit California provided the majority of funding for the campaign. The money allowed SF to dip its toe in TV. "Typically we haven't had campaign budgets of this size," mentioned Bruni-Perkins. "Now we actually have the funds available to make an impact with TV."

SF has joined the list of tourism boards that are investing in streaming technology to reach tourists. Travel South Dakota and Discover Puerto Rico, as well as Explore St.Louis have all devoted larger amounts of money and a greater share of their marketing budgets towards connected TV.

SF, like other tourism boards values its precision in targeting. Bruni-Perkins said, "They really can hone in on people who are maybe avid travelers and would be interested in the destination just based on their other viewing habits and stuff."

Bruni-Perkins said that connected TV has the added benefit of reaching audiences wherever they may be, as people can view it via their smartphones, televisions, and other devices. She said that "People might be at the beach watching it on their phone versus versus having to be in the home and turning your television on."

Source: skift.com