CHALLENGE: A new stage requires a new message.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) found itself in an unprecedented position. New Orleans took a hit, but the traditional tourist destinations were largely spared. For the next two years, NOTMC spread the message that tourism was still alive with the “Come Fall in Love with New Orleans All Over Again!” campaign. The campaign was a success, improving perceptions and visitation. By 2008 the city was in a new stage of recovery and needed to deliver a new message.

STRATEGY: Come out and play.

Research and focus groups in key regional markets revealed that many tourists still had misperceptions and hesitations about visiting post-Katrina New Orleans. Research showed that the best way to counteract these misperceptions was to show that the city was fun again and that visitors were welcome. A new campaign was created – “Come Out and Play in New Orleans” – highlighting the city’s cultural assets. The campaign emphasized the city’s unique festivals and drove traffic to NOTMC’s website, NewOrleansOnline.com. This tactical approach was intended to show consumers that there was always something going on in New Orleans and encourage them to book their trip. In support of rebuilding New Orleans, local musicians and performers were hired to perform in and produce the campaign.

RESULTS: Changing perceptions.

With the help of NOTMC’s event-driven marketing, most 2008 festivals and events achieved record-breaking attendance. According to one report, “Tourists are flocking to New Orleans. Attendance for spring and summer festivals has broken all records or matched pre-storm numbers, and that has translated into cash in the registers of French Quarter businesses.” 65.6% of people in our key markets had seen a New Orleans ad. Of those, 33% expressed a high likelihood of visiting New Orleans, compared to 21% of ad-unaware respondents. Also, visits to NewOrleansOnline.com more than doubled from 2007 to 2008. Guidebook requests increased 13% over the same time period.