HomeMy WebLinkAboutFS 2011-09-20 Item 2A - Agreement - Tourism Advertising with Bonneville International (Seattle Southside Visitor Services)City of Tukwila
Jim Haggerton, Mayor
INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Haggerton
FINANCE AND SAFETY COMMITTEE
FROM: Katherine Kertzman
TOURISM PROGRAM MANAGER
DATE: September 14, 2011
SUBJECT: Multiple year multiple media advertising agreement with Bonneville
International
ISSUE
The Council is being asked to authorize the Mayor to sign a multiple year multiple media
advertising agreement with Bonneville International on behalf of Seattle Southside Visitor
Services (SSVS).
BACKGROUND
SSVS is nearing completion of an exclusive 5 months multiple media advertising beta test with
Bonneville International that includes on -air commercials during prime daytime drive times on
KIRO -FM and KTTH -AM radio, on -line banner ads for MyNorthwest.com and RSS feed from
SeattleSouthside.com /special deals to NorthwestTraveI Deals. com and utilization of an opt -in
database collected through NorthwestTravel Deals. com to reconnect with prospects with e-
communications and promos from Seattle Southside. The attached materials are from the
SeaTac Hotel Motel Advisory Committee review providing the background information of the
beta test outcomes.
Seattle Southside.com continues to be one of SSVS' most successful marketing tools used to
reach potential travelers, providing them with visitor information that generate sales leads.
Consistently marketing the website in a variety of ways is the key to gaining exposure and
getting a consistent flow of traffic into the website.
Bonneville is an award winning, dynamic media company with radio, television, online, satellite,
and advertising properties in Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. The company
has a long- standing reputation and is known industry-wide for its innovative business model, its
values- oriented programming, and for its nationally recognized commitment to serving the
communities where it broadcasts. Through a multi -media strategy of radio commercials directs
listeners to SeattleSouthside.com for details of Seattle Southside events and to
MyNWtraveldeals.com for details regarding special offers available in Seattle Southside.
MyNWtraveldeals.com in turn provides links to every page on the SSVS website that promotes
a special offer. The SSVS web pages in turn allow visitors to book packages through our hotels.
This strategy has garnered much success evidenced by the growth of:
monthly unique website visits,
page view rankings for packages and promotions,
requests received through the SeattleSouthside.com website,
conversions (hotel reservations made through the website).
INFORMATIONAL MEMO
Page 2
SeattleSouthside.com is currently the 4 most visited destination on the MyNorthwest.com
website year to date. Additionally, the campaign offers excellent visibility throughout Western
Washington with radio promotions for SSVS deals and local events such as the Backyard
Wildlife Festival, Blues and Brews Festivals, and more. Bonneville estimated the radio and
digital campaign for each promo or event reaches 350,000 people 2 -3 times each.
Over 80% of the visits to the Seattle Southside website from the MyNorthwest.com website
during the Beta period were from first -time visitors meaning this strategy is drawing people that
were not finding the website through other means. Plus visitors stayed on the Seattle Southside
website an average of 2.75 minutes and visited more than three pages long enough to make a
positive decision to click to a lodging venue's website or to click to the reservation booking
page.
In addition, the strategy produced direct traffic to the Seattle Southside website through voice
referrals in radio promotions. However, this traffic is more difficult to quantify but general
awareness is achieved as is evidenced by the increase in attendees for the Backyard Wildlife
Event, and more.
The campaign began in April 2011 and ran for 5 months as a beta test at a cost of $6,000
monthly totaling $30,000. The campaign was funded jointly by lodging tax from the 4 SSVS
participating cities: Tukwila, SeaTac, Kent and Des Moines. Seattle Southside has noted the
following:
Both the radio spots and the website layout are very well executed.
Listener and website visitor volumes are significantly higher than similar radio stations
and websites.
Both the radio spots and website promote Seattle Southside area events and special
offers.
The website links to every page on Seattle Southside's website that promotes a special
offer.
Links are updated nightly via an automated RSS feed. Seattle Southside staff does not
need to expend time reentering items that are already entered on the Seattle Southside
website.
Links pass Google Page Rank to Seattle Southside web pages.
Links from the website to Seattle Southside began in mid -April 2011. Since that time the
links have produced 487 visits. 83.16% of these visits were new visits to the Seattle
Southside website.
The visits have resulted in an average of 3.16 pages /visit and 2 minutes 46 seconds on
site (long enough to make a positive decision or to link out to partner sites).
Lodging properties have reported reservations that specifically were generated from
visitors that originated from this website.
As of August 3 rd Bonneville has procured an email list of 730 members. Once this
number reaches 1,000 an e- newsletter will be launched and Seattle Southside events
and special offers will be promoted in this additional medium. It is expected that this will
occur before year end.
ANALYSIS
The second phase of the campaign will begin Nov. 2011 at $6,000 a month for 14 months not to
exceed $84,000. Staff was able to negotiate lock in pricing, bonus radio time and an exclusivity
M2011 Info MemosWemo to Fin Safety Boneville 2011 (Version4).docx
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INFORMATIONAL MEMO
Page 3
agreement on Northwest Travel Deals for each paid month locking out Seattle, Renton,
Federal Way, Auburn SSVS's nearby competition.
The Bonneville International multiple media advertising strategies were reviewed by the SeaTac
Hotel Motel Tax Advisory Committee on June 8, 2011 and recommended for continuance.
The agreement is scheduled to be reviewed at the Monday, September 19, 2011 Tukwila
Lodging Tax Advisory Committee meeting.
Budget impacts: There is no additional budget request for this item. The cost for this work is
included within the Council approved 2011 -2012 Budget; some months will be paid by "SeaTac
Only" account that is funded 100% by the City of SeaTac; the balance will be paid out of the
"Joint Media Buy" account that is funded by the 4 SSVS participating cities: Tukwila, SeaTac,
Kent and Des Moines. However, because the proposal amount is over $40,000, it requires
Council approval.
Since this is a tourism program item, the costs will be paid out of lodging taxes, not the City's
general fund.
RECOMMENDATION
The Council is also asked to consider this item at the September 26, 2011 Committee of the
Whole meeting and subsequent October 3, 2011 Regular meeting.
ATTACHMENTS
Bonneville International Agreement
Website Activity Report
WA2011 Info Memos\Memo to Fin Safety Boneville 2011 (Version4).docx
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Website Activity Report
Seattle Southside Monthly Unique Visitors
35,D00
30,000
25,000
20,DOO
Ar
15,000
10.000
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
4A 2007
5706
5494
5 152
2008
5,840
5,576
6,812
7,958
8,133
9.467
9509
8.148
6,317
5.304
6.856
6,811
A 2009
7,018
6.724
8 136
7.823
8 173
15 095
15,801
15832
12.792
12,210
12,087
11 058
—6-2010
11,867
11,243
12.576
11.763
12,072
10
13 326
21,935
18.218
20A84
20073
19.094
2011
29.495
24 ,796
26,213
30,460
30,332
31 098
31,839
30008