Apr 13 2008
Consultant Says People Think Maine is Boring
Editor’s note: This is a paraphrase of an article from the Wall Street Journal 1996 by Sara Kehaulani Goo
From the Economic Focus Section of the Wall Street Journal:
Maine tourism officials conducted their first actual market research in over a decade only to learn a disappointing fact: most people who have never visited the state think Maine must be boring. The $300,000 study revealed that most people think the state is just so many rocks and pine trees
What’s worse, it turns out that Maine’s own advertisements may be reinforcing that very idea, at least according to the consultant the state hired to conduct the research. In his report he wrote…
Compared to the ideal, Maine lacks excitement.
Tourism officials in Maine are hopping to change that boring image with a new advertising campaign while they attempt to improve people’s perception of the state and reclaim lost tourism market share. WHen it come to people who both live and vacation in the Northeastern states, Maine’s share of those tourism dollars fell from 4.5% in 1994 to 3.5% in 1997.
The Director of the Maine Office of Tourism, Dann Lewis, stated that he was hopeful about turning around the states sagging numbers before the end of the year, ideally even overtaking some of the neighboring states. Dann Lewis said
We are not intending to stay where we are. The market research gave us the direction that we need to sharpen our advertising image.
It’s been more than a decade since Maine’s done any real market research. For what seems like just about forever the ad agencies the state has contracted with use those grandiose scenic panoramas with lighthouses, lakes and rocky coastlines. As an example, the Spring ad from last year had a cottage near a lake with a couple soaking in the picturesque view of the lake and surrounding forest.
Beautiful. But Boring.
These types of ads just served to reinforce that boring perception for the state said the firm that conducted the research, Longwoods International. During his presentation, Bill Siegel explained that
Large, scenic pictures say, “remote and barren.” A sense of life and human activity is critical.
A new ad campaign is scheduled launch shortly on TV in New York along with print ads in publications such as Coastal Living and New York Times Magazine. These will have variations of five or six “people” scenes. Examples include a couple dining in a restaurant, people hiking, and snowmobilers.
Dann Lewis said the research contained in the report confirmed that Maine also attracts a market state officials were uncertain of: outdoor adventurers. Dann Lewis noted that the state’s many white-water-rafting and snowmobile touring operations give it a competitive edge when compared to other states in the region.
As a result of these findings the ad campaign will also feature active people on sailboats and mountain bikes in ad buys in places like National Geographic Adventure magazine.