china winter 2015 16 advertising awareness wave

China Winter 2015‐16 Advertising Awareness Wave

March 2016

Insights• The 5‐week winter media buy had considerably less investment than the spring 2015 campaign, but it

generated significant recall. As a result, the cost to reach an aware household was far less than in spring.• Recall likely remains high because of Visit California’s sustained investment in market for the past 18 months.

The Dreamers spot has been able to wear in, with consumers exposed numerous times. • The image of the state has improved considerably since VCA entered the market. California is far outpacing

competitors as the dream US destination and as the state respondents are most likely to visit. • Though the Dreamers spot is unchanged, it is receiving higher communication ratings. Just as awareness can

wear in, creative can improve as consumers continue to be exposed to high‐quality destination marketing. When they view the destination more favorably, they in turn have better perceptions of the marketing.

• There are a handful of attributes that are more closely correlated to interest in visiting that VCA could consider highlighting more in the messaging. These include:» Has friendly people» Offers the best of everything in one place» Is the ultimate family playground» Provides a good value for the money» Is a place where people have a unique approach to life

www.SMARInsights.com2

Methodology & Campaign Overview• Visit California supplemented a significant spring 2015 media buy in China with a 5‐week winter buy in

December 2015 and January 2016. This effort consisted only of online TV and digital focused on the Bring Your Dream to California promotion.

• As with previous awareness waves, this research evaluates the media reach, strength of the creative, and the impact on brand perceptions, information gathering and intent to travel. A future ROI wave will focus on measuring the level of travel that would not have occurred without the marketing campaign.

www.SMARInsights.com

• A total of 1,423 interviews were conducted online in February 2016, with surveying in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Participants were screened to be the travel decision‐maker and to have taken a leisure trip abroad in the past two years or be likely to take a leisure trip abroad in the next two years. The sample is weighted to be representative of the population.

Market Completed Interviews

Beijing 480Shanghai 512Guangzhou 431Total 1,423

• The winter supplement again utilized the China‐developed Dreamers TV, but it was only deployed online. Rather than the Come True digital placed in the spring, the digital execution was focused on the Bring Your Dream to California promotion driving consumers to the micro‐site within Weibo.

Media 2014 Spring 2015

Winter 2015‐16

TV $1,492,573 $1,678,900 OTV $1,016,145 $1,602,139 $1,060,000 Digital $279,038 $966,279 $52,474 Brand USA Co‐op $400,000 Total $2,787,756 $4,647,318 $1,112,474

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Image & PositionChina Winter 2015‐16 Research


California is well positioned within the Chinese market. It is a highly desirable destination with a strong overall brand .

• Among international destinations, California has the best image perception for the attributes the state strives to own – being a brand that “embodies a sense of creativity, an anything is possible attitude and inspires people to try new things.” Only Apple and Disney – brands that consistently rank highest no matter the qualifiers – outperform California.

• Among US states, California is the most desired destination. This is an improvement from the previous evaluation in the spring. This gain for California is primarily a loss in status for Hawaii.


Apple 100

Disney 99California 99

New York 98

Google 97

Alibaba 97

Las Vegas 96

Tencent 96

Baidu 95

Australia 94Florida 94

Ctrip 94

Italy 92Marriott 92Lenovo 92Tesla 92

Facebook 91

32%

28%

9%

8%

5%

44%

21%

9%

6%

5%

California

Hawaii

New York

Alaska

Florida

Dream US Destinations

Spring 2015 Winter 2015‐16

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Among the target audiences, California most often is the dream destination for an affluent audience and those age 35‐54.


• Among all audiences, California is the most desired US destination, although strength varies by demographics.

» The VCA target of Affluent has a slightly higher preference for California than overall Chinese consumers.

» Those age 35‐54 are the most likely to have California as the desired US destination.

» Residents of Guangzhou are considerably more likely to prefer California.

45%

44%

43%

46%

32%

40%

44%

50%

19%

22%

19%

21%

30%

22%

22%

16%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Affluent

Families with kids

18‐34

35‐54

55+

Beijing

Shanghai

Guangzhou

Targeting

Age

Geo

graphy

California vs. Hawaii as a Dream Destination

California Hawaii

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Just as California’s rating as a desired destination has improved since the spring, the overall image of the state is better.

• Although little time has passed and VCA has not invested a significant amount of dollars since the spring measurement, there is overall improvement on the image of the brand attributes, coinciding with the shifts in the state as the most desired US destination.

• The best image of the state is among those receiving heavy targeting by VCA: the Affluent and Families with children under 18.


3.9 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.4

Affluent

Families with kids

18‐34

35‐54

55+

Beijing

Shanghai

Guangzhou

Targeting

Age

Geo

graphy

Image of California by Audience

California is a place full of possibilities

California is a place that inspires you to try new things

California’s abundance provides endless experiences

Ratings of California Spring 2015 Winter 2015-16California is a place full of possibilities 4.13 4.30 California is a place that inspires you to try new things 4.10 4.29 California’s abundance provides endless experiences 4.16 4.29

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Chinese consumers are far more likely to consider visiting California in the next year than other continental competitors.

• With the best image of the state, the targeted audiences are the most likely to visit. This could also be a function of their resources given the groups are not mutually exclusive.

• Those age 55 and older are the least likely to visit California but also the least likely to visit its competitors.


0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Affluent Families withKids

18‐34 35‐54 55+ Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou

Targeting Age Geography

Likelihood to Visit by Audience

California New York Florida Las Vegas, Nevada

32%

24%20% 19%

California New York Florida Las Vegas,Nevada

Likelihood to Visit

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Culturally, the Chinese give high marks, so the image evaluation from this audience is higher than from other markets.

• Although nearly every attribute rates 4.0 or higher, there are a handful of attributes with a higher correlation to interest in visiting. These could be messages that VCA considers incorporating into future


RatingIs scenic and beautiful 4.2 Has picturesque national and state parks 4.2 Has excellent beaches 4.2 Offers laid‐back luxury 4.2 Is a place with lots to see and do 4.2 Is free spirited and individualistic 4.2 Has large cities with exciting urban experiences 4.2 Is a place where food wine are part of the culture 4.1

Is fun 4.1 Has a lot of family activities &; theme parks 4.1 Is casual and laid back 4.1 Is youthful and fun 4.1 Provides a good value for the money 4.1 Is culturally diverse 4.1 Has a variety of active outdoor activities 4.1 Has a unique and desirable lifestyle 4.1 Offers the best of everything in one place 4.1 Has friendly people 4.1 Is welcoming and accepting 4.1 Is the ultimate family playground 4.1 Has interesting historical sites 4.1 Is unlike anyplace else 4.1 Has lakes for boating & fishing 4.1 Is a place where people have a unique approach to life 4.0

Has great professional sporting events 4.0 Has many quaint small towns 4.0 Is a good place for snow sports 3.8

41%

Has friendly people

41%

Offers the best of

everything in one place

41%

Is the ultimate family

playground

41%

Provides a good value for the money

39%Is a place where people have a unique approach to life

Correlation to Likelihood to Visit California

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Exposure Advertising recallChina Winter 2015‐16 Research


Awareness is lower than in spring 2015, but it is still significant and an indication Dreamers is attaining wear in.

• Awareness was considerably strong given how little was invested in the 5‐week campaign. But the OTV was the same spot that has been in the market for 18 months, starting in the spring of 2014. Given so little was spent, the previous investment is likely being carried over and consumers are retaining recall.

• Because of this, the cost to reach an aware household was only $0.12. The SMARInsights’ benchmark for campaigns attempting to reach spot markets is $0.67, making the China effort very efficient at reaching the target markets.


SMARInsights’ cost per aware HH benchmark:

$0.67

Awareness Aware HH MediaSpending

Cost per Aware HH

Spring 2014 81% 9,795,391 $2,787,756 $0.28 Spring 2015 85% 10,744,553 $4,647,318 $0.43 Winter 2015‐16 72% 9,085,221 $1,112,474 $0.12

81%85%

72%

9,795,391 10,744,553

9,085,221

‐

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

2014 Spring 2015 Winter 2015‐16

Overall China Awareness

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With winter placements of only OTV, there was significant recall of seeing the Dreamers spot online.

• With wear‐in being established in the market, not only is recall considerably higher than would be expected given the level of investment, but consumers also have been exposed to the Dreamers spot multiple times.

• And with multiple exposures, consumers react more positively to the spot.


61%

73%64%

2014 Spring 2015 Winter 2015‐16

TV/OTV Recall

16.9%

67.4%

4.9% 8.3%

2.6%TV/OTV Recall Source

TV Online

Mobile Multiple platforms

Do not recall

23.9%

49.0%

19.6%

7.6%

Number of Times TV/OTV Seen

Once Two or three times

Four to six times Seven or more times

86% 85%89%

14% 14%11%

0% 1% 1%

2014 Spring 2015 Winter 2015‐16

Reaction to TV/OTV Creative

Positive Neutral Negative

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New creative and less spending typically results in a significant drop in awareness. While it was lower, it was only slightly so.

• Unlike the Dreamers spot, the digital placed for winter was new creative in the market. Even so, there was significant awareness. With far less spent than previous digital efforts, the cost to reach an aware household was considerably less.

• Though still positive, consumers were not as favorable in their evaluation of the digital ads as the previous Come True digital.


87% 87% 82%

13% 12% 17%0% 1% 1%

2014 Spring 2015 Winter 2015‐16

Reaction to Digital Creative

Positive Neutral Negative

Digital Cost per Aware HH 2014 Spring

2015 Winter 2015‐16

Awareness 59% 63% 53%Aware HHs 5,360,281 5,723,689 4,802,898 Digital $279,038 $966,279 $52,474 Cost per Aware HH $0.05 $0.17 $0.01

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59%63%

53%

2014 Spring 2015 Winter 2015‐16

Digital Recall

Recall varies little by audience but there are shifts by market.

• The targeted audiences have similar levels of recall, both slightly higher than the overall. The biggest difference is among the markets, Guangzhou having the highest recall and Beijing the lowest.


73% 75% 74%70%

74%67%

74% 77%

Affluent Families withKids

18‐34 35‐54 55+ Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou


Recall by Audiences

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Messaging Creative evaluationChina Winter 2015‐16 Research


Dreamers receives a more favorable reaction from consumers than in spring and also rates higher on communicating brand attributes.

• Although the same spot was placed for the 5‐week run, Dreamers is receiving higher ratings for communicating VCA’s brand attributes.

• Just as awareness can wear in, creative can improve as consumers continue to be exposed to high‐quality destination marketing. When they view the destination more favorably, they in turn have better perceptions of the marketing.


3.6Good; rating is average

3.9Goal; rating is in the top 25%

4.1+Excellent; rating is in the top 10%

TV/OTV ads …

4.3

4.4

4.3

4.4

4.3

4.3

3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5

Shows California as a place full of possibilities

Spring 2015

Winter 2015‐16

Shows California as a place that inspires you to trynew things

Spring 2015

Winter 2015‐16

Shows that California’s abundance provides endless experiences

Spring 2015

Winter 2015‐16

Average Good(top 25%)

Excellent(top 10%)

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Impact of the advertising Build interest

China Winter 2015‐16 Research


Those with recall took significant steps to research California. Usage of the micro‐site was a driver in gathering info.

• There are many ways for consumers to connect with destinations. Often this includes research through sources other than “official” content. Chinese consumers aware of the winter media were driven to use the official sources, with considerably more usage than those who were unaware.

• The campaign was focused on driving consumers to the Bring Your Dream to California micro‐site within Weibo. With nearly two‐thirds of those aware visiting the site, it was extremely successful at pushing these consumers to take action.


4% 5% 4%

51%

42% 40%

63% 65%

Visit California Website Visit California Weibo Bring Your Dream to CaliforniaWeibo

Gathered any information

Impact of Recall on Information Gathering

Unaware

Aware

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Recall of the media improves the overall image of the state but also associations with agricultural products.

• California’s improved brand attribute evaluations are tied to recall of the marketing. Those exposed to the winter media were far more positive, especially for attributes associated with abundance.

• Food, wine, and agri‐tourism are part of the state’s primary tourism product, and a goal of the marketing is to improve awareness of them. Recall of the campaign pushes California’s association with these products higher.


Ag Product No Recall Recall Impact

Wineries 4.0 4.3 0.3 Fine dining 3.9 4.2 0.3 Local cuisine 4.0 4.3 0.3 Farmers markets 3.7 4.0 0.3 Breweries 3.8 4.0 0.3 Farm tours 3.9 4.2 0.3 California‐grown crops (almonds, grapes, etc.) 4.0 4.3 0.3

Brand Attributes No Recall Recall Impact

California is a place full of possibilities 4.0 4.4 0.4 California is a place that inspires you to try new things 4.0 4.4 0.3

California’s abundance provides endless experiences 4.0 4.4 0.4

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Just as overall image is improved, the state’s position as a dream destination is influenced by recall of the advertising.

• California receives significant ratings as a dream destination even from those with no recall of paid media. But awareness certainly improves the state’s position, especially among young audiences and those in Guangzhou.


37%41% 42%

31%

43%

34%37% 37% 37%

46% 47% 45%48% 48%

31%

41%46%

54%

Overall Affluent Families with kids 18‐34 35‐54 55+ Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou


Impact on California as Dream Destination

No Recall Recall

20

Those with recall are considerably more likely to visit within the next year, even when the Chinese economy has struggled.

• Although the Chinese economy has struggled in the past year, consumers continue to anticipate travel to California. Those with recall of the media are significantly more likely to indicate they will visit within the next year. SMARInsights has found consumers overestimate how much travel they will do, so both overall travel levels and influenced increments will likely be significantly smaller.

• The biggest potential influenced on travel are among younger audiences and those in Shanghai and Guangzhou.


23%27% 27%

20%

25%

21%

26%

21% 20%

36%

41% 40%37% 37%

27%

36% 36% 37%

Overall Affluent Families with kids 18‐34 35‐54 55+ Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou


Impact of Recall on Likelihood to Visit

No Recall Recall

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Appendix Questionnaire China Winter 2015‐16 Research



Questionnaire

china winter 2015 16 advertising awareness wave

Documents