With the global tourism industry generating more than $9 trillion every year, a great advertising campaign can be an incredibly lucrative and important investment for both well-loved and up-and-coming destinations. Whether foreign or domestic, travel advertising sells the average person an escape from their mundane everyday life, right at the opportune moment. As a Boston commuter, seeing images of sunny Orlando and San Diego as I shivered at the bus stop or in a stalled MBTA subway car really made me consider searching for last-minute airline tickets day after day.
In his book On Advertising, David Ogilvy breaks down travel advertising based on his experience creating ad campaigns for governments across the world. The following list of guidelines, taken from his chapter “How to Advertise Foreign Travel,” can help you build a strategy to sell travel to the right audiences.
1. Show the places your audience actually wants to see
Ogilvy points out that the image a government agency might want to show to the world is likely not what will bring in tourists, and subsequently, revenue. While the British press wanted to show American tourists that they were a “progressive, industrial society,” Americans were far more interested in historical sites like Buckingham Palace. By catering to the intended audience, Ogilvy’s ads helped move Britain from the fifth most popular European destination for American tourists to the first.
The same principle applies to the San Diego Tourism Authority ad shown above. If San Diego were to advertise, for example, a vibrant art scene, that may not be particularly noteworthy for many commuters in cold Boston or New York City. On the other hand, showing a sunset over a beach and advertising San Diego as an escape from our seemingly endless winter is much more effective. After all, it’s what I would want to visit if I were actually there, and I was reminded of that every day in the subway.
2. Respond to travelers’ concerns
While most travel advertising should work towards creating a long-term image for a
destination, it can also be worthwhile to tackle short-term problems that hinder tourism. Ogilvy mentions working for Great Britain during a time in which the country was experiencing large-scale power outages that were reported widely in the United States. When power returned, the U.S. media lost interest and didn’t report on it, leaving American audiences to assume that Britain was still struggling with outages and wouldn’t be the best place to visit.
In response, Ogilvy used advertisements to announce that power had returned, and that “even more exciting news awaits people going to Britain.” These short-term pieces functioned as news articles and made travelers less anxious about visiting Great Britain.
A similar tactic has been used for places like Nebraska, which doesn’t typically appear on anyone’s bucket list. Each ad in their “Honestly, It’s Not for Everyone” campaign counters common beliefs about the state—for example, ”There’s nothing to do here”—with images of landscapes and activities that travelers can enjoy in Nebraska. The headlines themselves came from recent polls amongst people from neighboring states, who shared their reasons for not visiting Nebraska. By facing these misconceptions head-on, the state can directly appeal to potential tourists and mitigate their concerns.
3. Highlight something unique to your destination
One of the best ways to attract tourists is to promise them something they can’t find anywhere else, and certainly not in their own area. Whether you’re advertising to someone in the neighboring state or halfway across the world, it’s important to focus on your destination’s most unique features. As Ogilvy states, “People don’t go half the way around the world to see things they can equally well see at home.”
There’s a reason why most advertisements for Cairo feature the pyramids and most advertisements for Paris show off the Eiffel Tower. Tourists want to see the things they’ve seen on television or online, not what they can find in their own city. In Ogilvy’s words, “If you want to persuade the Swiss to visit the United States, don’t advertise ski resorts.”
4. Target the tourists you want to attract
Travel advertising should not only sell a destination, but it should also sell it to the correct audience. In his book, Ogilvy points to ad campaigns for Bermuda that feature a young American couple to appeal to that same demographic. Choosing to feature a couple over, for example, crowds of beachgoers or families, helped shape Bermuda’s image into that of a romantic getaway rather than a spring break trip.
Similarly, in the ad campaigns leading up to two major worldwide events, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, Brazil targeted young people by heavily featuring them enjoying attractions across the country. This helped sell Brazil to young, adventurous people worldwide, without necessarily focusing on the sports events themselves.
5. Educate your audience about your destination, with specifics
Whether the destination itself is unknown or if it’s simply known for the wrong thing,
educational ads can help raise awareness and spark interest in a place. Taking the tactics he used to advertise Singapore decades ago, Ogilvy advises to “give the reader a lot of specific information” to build familiarity. Your advertisement should convince someone that a place they’ve never heard of has been waiting for them this whole time. Ogilvy’s “Singapore is Fantastic” campaign even taught the reader about religions and clothing styles from the region.
In the age of the internet, there may not be the same need for a Wikipedia-article level of detail in an advertisement, but using a similar tactic can help keep your destination on your audience’s mind. For example, Mexico’s ad campaign, “The Place You Thought You Knew,” introduces the reader to lesser-known areas of Mexico that may not receive as much tourism, and contains a call to action for the reader to learn more about these sites.
For the average person, traveling is a huge expense of both time and money. Travel advertisements should convince your audience that a trip to your location will be an exciting adventure that they could never experience in their own city or country. Using Ogilvy’s advice and examples, you can build an advertisement that keeps your destination on the map and on your reader’s mind.
About the author
Caroline Previte is a contributing writer at Copper Sun Creative. She creates blog content related to advertising and branding, and enjoys studying marketing in her free time.