situational analysis page 1

page 12

page 21

page 32

page 43

public relations plan

campaign strategy

creative plan

media plan

ST R SIX

hanayo hasegawa

situation analysis

History of the Mexico Tourism Board

The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) is responsible for promoting Mexico’s tourism and leisure market to both international and domestic audiences. It is headquartered in Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico.

MTB’s mission: “The promotion, both integrally and competitively, of Mexico, its products and destinations, in domestic and international markets, by means of joint efforts involving all stakeholders in tourism.”

Through the use of creative advertising, partnerships with stakeholders and private corporations and pitching campaigns, the MTB has continued to promote various forms of attractions available to tourists who visit Mexico. Tourism has been a growing industry in Mexico. The World Tourism Organization has projected that Mexico will be the second fastest growing tourism industry by the end of 2013. Although it has only been a little over a decade, MTB has seen an increase in the number of tourist arrivals over time. Mexico although better known for its sand and beaches in the past, boasts various types of tourism including wedding tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism and more recently, medical and health tourism. In the last five years, the MTB has pursued three campaigns: ‘Live It to Believe It’ (2013), The ‘Place You Thought You Knew’ (2011) and ‘Vive Mexico’ (2009). Their most recent campaign focuses on showcasing the diverse range of tourist activities Mexico has to offer. These past campaigns will be further explained in the ‘category creative analysis.’

Industry Trends:

situational analysis

World•Tourism is a growing industry in the past five years•Rough patches in: •Late 90’s due to Asian financial crisis •2000’s: SARS •2009: Global economic downturn and H1N1•2013: 5% increase in international tourist arrival [UNWTO] •2014: expects 4-4.5% growth

Regional - the Americas•2012: -generated US $213 billion -attracted 163 million tourists -accounted for 20% of total tourism receipts -Mexico absorbed 6% [US$12.739 billion]•US outbound tourism: -No stark growth since 2008 due to recession and 9/11 terrorist attacks -Half of all outbound US tourists travel to Canada and Mexico -Travel within region is prevalent due to proximity and cost efficiency

Mexico•Tourism: 3rd largest income•Number one market is the US, followed by Canada and Europe•General positive trend in increase in inbound tourism•Expecting increase in upcoming two years [see figure 1]•More recently attracting tourists from the far east [i.e. China]•Hotel investment and development on the rise [2013: $23.3 billion in infrastructure]•2012: Tourism income accounts for 6% of national GDP and 7.2% of national employment•Rise in tourism by LGBT community

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Combating negative drug violence image and the future:Mexico is still combating negative media coverage, especially from the U.S., of drug related violence since 2006, when the government of former president, Felipe Calderon, launched a military-led crackdown on drug gangs operating within the country. This has resulted in increased violence in particular areas of drug-related activity, such as the northern border-states and trafficking routes along the Pacific coast such as Rio Grande and Ciudad Juarez. Major tourist locations have been largely unaffected by this violence, as most of the popular resorts are in the south of the country and along the Yucatan peninsula.6 According to the Mintel database for ‘US Outbound Tourism’ (2012), many of the American travelers are not necessarily put off by the travel warnings about safety or security concerns.

Competitive Analysis

Mexico has both international and domestic competitors. Many other foreign countries offer holiday resort destinations similar to Mexico which make competition inevitable for the MTB; especially islands in the Caribbean as they are also accessible regions from the Americas. Domestic competition is also important to look at as many Americans tend to travel within the country rather than flying internationally for reasons of cost, convenience and familiarity.

InternationalWe will look at Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico as our international competitors. According to Mintel (2012), these three destinations are ranked in the top four visited Caribbean islands by American tourists. Although Mexico has the largest number of international tourist arrivals as of 2012 and a much larger share of international tourist arrivals in the whole of the Americas, there are considerable overlaps between market sources, purpose of visiting and peak visit periods. (Refer to Figure 2).

As of age distribution, a Simmons OneView crosstab analysis showed that Puerto Rico has a higher demographic appeal (55-64 year olds) compared to the other countries (35-44 year olds). Jamaica and the Bahamas are also more reliant on tourism as their market share is much larger compared to Mexico and Puerto Rico. Price wise, they all lie in a close range with the Bahamas costing the most out of all destinations. These are price approximations two months in advance of bookings for the summer. Mexico shows a similar price range to the Bahamas which can be as much of a competition as the other two destinations that have a slightly lower average pricing. We must take into consideration the location of where the traveler is flying out from, as this could influence the price. For this comparison, we used Chicago O’Hare International Airport because we found that a good share of past travelers to Mexico are from the West/Midwest region of the U.S.

5000

5500

6000

6500

7000

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Inbound U.S. tourists into Mexico

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DomesticOur domestic competitors are the states of California, Florida and Hawaii. Data was taken from Simmons OneView and compiled for the analysis between these three states in comparison to Mexico. The major factor that these destinations have in common with Mexico is the weather and the domestic vacation package they have to offer. According to Mintel (2012), only 30% of Americans hold passports which also makes domestic destinations more appealing for those who do not have one. There are more significant differences including age distribution and price. Florida’s age demographics is the most similar with Mexico whereas California attractd a younger demographic (25-34). Hawaii attracts a much older generation (55-64). There is a huge range in flight prices as seen in the table below (Figure 3). Florida has the closest price range to Mexico. California and Hawaii’s visitors are from the same region, the West, as travelers to Mexico. The Bahamas has the highest flight price out of all competitors. Travelers may feel inclined to save up money to travel to the Bahamas instead of Mexico.

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Consumer Analysis

Primary Target ConsumerAccording to our analysis of our Simmons data, our primary target consumers are predominantly white, ages 35-44 and are consumers of high household income of $100,00 and above. Travelers to Mexico are 71% more likely to be from the top 10% of the U.S. population. It could be said that most of the travelers to Mexico are college educated if not have attended graduate school. Those who have traveled to Mexico are 57% more likely to have attended graduate school. 63% of those who have traveled to Mexico are presently married. According to Mintel’s database, in 2010, 40.7% of the visitors were with their partner and children and 44% were traveling as a couple. According to Simmons data, it is most likely that these families will have two children and on average are aged 11-17. Travelers to Mexico are more likely to travel with their family or with their significant other and are fully employed working for more than 30 hours a week.

Secondary Target ConsumerOur secondary target consumers are a younger demographic and tend to travel as a couple or friends instead of family and children. They tend to have a household income of $75,000 and above. According to Mintel’s database, in 2010, approximately 38% of those visiting were of ages 18-35. This target consumer can be both full time and part time workers. Especially for those consumers of college age between the ranges of 18-22, will presumably be funded by another larger source of income such as that of their parents. They are a younger demographic which tend to be more interested in environmental implications of traveling more than that of the first target consumer. This target consumer will be more interested in trying new things compared to the primary target consumer. This younger demographic can be seen to fuel tourism during specific seasons such as spring or winter.

Overall demographics:

•Region: Most consumers are traveling from the West and Midwest

•Our consumers are passport holders (ages 25-54)

•College educated

•White

•Main purpose of visiting is for pleasure and leisure

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Compared to its competitors, travelers to Mexico are more likely to:

•Go camping/hiking

•Be open to traveling to foreign countries

•Love the idea of traveling abroad

•Be willing to make travel arrangements through

an unfamiliar company

•On average want activities organized for them on

vacation

•Be aware of their health and care about their diet

•Categorize themselves as being broad-minded,

liberal and outspoken

•Identify as being affectionate, passionate,

romantic, kind hearted, sociable, friendly and

reliable.

Brand AnalysisTo better understand the nature of Mexico’s brand we conducted six focus groups which included 45 males and females total all of varied ages. We asked the question “What comes to mind when you think of traveling to Mexico?” Every person that we asked had both positive and negative associations with traveling to Mexico. We found that people who had traveled to Mexico had more positive associations with the idea of traveling to Mexico than those who had not. Through our focus groups we have found that while Mexico’s brand has several strong positive associations, the negative associations often overshadow these associations at least when the participant had not previously traveled to Mexico. See Figure 4

Media Usage Analysis

The media usage analysis looks at three mediums: print (magazines), television, and internet and analyzed against gender, if they have ever travelled to Mexico, if they worked full-time, if they completed graduate school, if they have a household

situation analysis

travel to Mexico safety

health

getting sick

relaxation

waterfood

unfamiliar country

culture

adventure

currency

batering

languagecrowded

di�erent laws

beaches

warm weather

resorts

all - inclusiveruins

night life

alcohol

margaritascorona

tequila

shopping

food

seafood authentic

dancing

naturejungles

caves

water activities

scuba diving

�shing

snorkeling

jetskiing

parasailing

getting in/outof country

drug cartels

crime

theft

murder

corruption

dangerous cities

Mexico travel brand associations

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income of $100,000 – $149,999 and their age range (25-34, 35-44, or 45-54). The data that is being used for analysis was retrieved from Simmons OneView.

InternetAcross all age groups, both men and women age 25-54 have reported strong internet usage on weekdays from 4pm-11pm along with reporting that they also used the internet for at least five hours daily during the week from the hours of 9am-4pm.Current Social Media Landscape for VisitMexico:Facebook - 1.2 Million “Likes”Twitter - 137,000 followersInstagram - 3,938 followersGoogle+ - 195,254 followersPinterest - 416 followersYouTube - 6,275 subscribers

TelevisionThe strongest data depicting when people watch television claims that for both men and women ranging from age 25-54. These same people also have completed graduate school, claim to work full-time, and have a household income of $100,000-$149,999. These people watch “primetime” television which refers to television programming that airs Monday-Saturday from 8-11pm along with Sunday from 7-11pm.

The difference between them and the first group mentioned is that while these people have also completed graduate school, they do not claim to work full-time nor do they claim having a household income of $100,000-$149,999.

MagazinesMen - Overall, across all groups of men, age 25-54, they prefer to read bi-weekly magazines. As for particular types of magazines, men age 35-44 particularly enjoy reading in-flight magazines, while men age 45-54 enjoy reading in-flight magazines, business and finance magazines, along with news magazines.

Women - A particular publication type that women age 25-54 enjoy are entertainment magazines. As for specific segments, women age 25-34 and 35-44 read child-rearing/parenthood magazines. That same 35-44 year old group of women also enjoy health/fitness magazines along with weekly publications. Women age 45-54 also enjoy weekly publications along with health/fitness magazines, but they also read travel and women’s magazines as well.

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Category Creative Analysis

In order to ensure the success of our own creative strategy, we have analyzed the last three campaigns for the Mexico Tourism Board. The category creative analysis focuses on the different creative elements of each campaign, as well as the driving force behind each aspect. We have also looked at competitors’ creative campaigns to guarantee that Mexico’s advertising remains competitive and original. 2009 Campaign: •Slogan: “Vive Mexico”•Campaign Strategy: testimonials from Mexican celebrities acting as Mexico travel ambassadors•Campaign Goal: Emphasize safety and hospitality

2011 Campaign: •Slogan: “The Place You Thought You Knew”•Campaign Strategy: show all that Mexico has to offer (i.e. adventure, culture, cuisine, and history)•Campaign Goal: rebrand Mexico as a limitless travel destination 2013 Campaign: •Slogan: “Live It To Believe It”•Campaign Strategy: play on emotions and experiences through visual imagery that creates the illusion of personal memories•Campaign Goal: Get people to think of Mexico as the place that offers several unique travel destinations instead of just thinking of Mexico as one monotonous travel destination

Mexico’s last three campaigns demonstrate how the creative trend is shifting from presenting the country as one unit to presenting it as several different travel destinations, each with unique experiences to offer. The diversity of the destinations is reflected by the diversity in the creative content. The ads are starting to feature historical sites and hidden cultural gems as opposed to just showcasing beautiful, sandy beaches.

Public Opinion and Stakeholder Analysis

Public Opinion:The violence between drug cartels in Mexico has many Americans fearful of traveling to Mexico. In a Pews Global Attitudes Poll conducted in April 2012, 61 percent of Americans rated drug-related violence in Mexico as a major threat to the wellbeing of Americans . Additionally, 34 percent of Americans in February of 2013 held a mostly unfavorable opinion of

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Mexico, which is very near the same amount as the 39 percent of Americans that have a mostly favorable opinion of Mexico. Star Six aims to ensure the safety of America’s southern neighbor by informing American citizens and stakeholders of the actual nature and scope of violence through open conversation.

Media Coverage: Coverage of drug-related violence has made headlines of almost every major news source. Generally speaking, the stories lead with the death toll of the drug cartel war. They rarely identify who is in these numbers, which are rarely civilians or tourists. Breaking news stories place heavy emphasis on tourists involved in any type of crime. Most reliable news sources do not address crime towards Americans in comparison to common civilian violence that occurs within the United States. Regarding tourism in Mexico, sources often provide safety travel tips for Americans. They often direct media consumers in the direction of government-officiated travel advice and warnings. Despite intentions to keep American citizens informed, they open with generalized statements that can easily mislead a consumer. “The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens about the risk of traveling in Mexico due to threats to safety and security posed by Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) in the country.” – U.S. Department of State website Despite heavy focus on detailing violence in Mexico, some news sources seek out expert opinion to weigh in on safety concerns, including CNN and Huffington Post.

“The gateway to Disney World, Orlando saw 7.5 murders per 100,000 residents in 2010 according to the FBI; this is higher than Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, with rates of 1.83 and 5.9 respectively.” – Robert Reid, U.S. Travel Editor for Lonely Traveler “Physical safety if you are in the main tourist areas and you are sensible is not a problem,” in Mexico City, said John Bailey, professor emeritus at Georgetown University who has researched public security in Mexico4.

Stakeholders: Travel & Tourism in Mexico accounted for 12.5 percent of the country’s total GDP in 2012, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council . Thus tourism is a vital element to the country’s economy. The total GDP includes spending on hotels, airlines, airports, travel agents and leisure and recreation services, as well as government spending on promotion and safety efforts.

Mexican Citizens: A poll reported in LA Times reported “nearly seven in 10 Mexican city dwellers believe that crime has rendered their cities unsafe .” Mexican citizens are influential actors as employees of hotels, resorts, restaurants, and travel within the country. Star Six plans to initiate communication between Mexican citizens and other stakeholders in order to create a positive relationship between citizens of both countries.

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Government: Regarding the large stake tourism holds in the Mexican economy, there are several government organizations and authorities that oversee economy and public safety:•U.S. Department of State: This government agency issues public warnings for global travel. •U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies: These agencies have been involved over the past decade in aiding Mexico’s National Defense agencies in arresting kingpins of drug cartels. •Mexican Secretariat of Tourism•President Enrique Pena Nieto and Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense: President Pena Nieto began his term in 2012, stating in his inaugural speech that bringing peace to the country is his first priority.

Air Travel: U.S. international air travel is expected to increase to 100.3 million trips taken in 2014, a 3.1 percent compound growth rate since 20098. More than half of arrivals in Cancun are from the U.S Thus relationships with international airports and airlines are crucial to ensure safe and smooth travel.Travel Agencies:•Expedia Media Solutions: created an integrated campaign to increase exposure and market share for the brand by reaching its 63 million web visitors. The campaigned increased passengers to Mexico by 21.7 percent•Apple Leisure Group: invested $600 million in six tourism resorts to increase the number of hotel rooms and employees, anticipated to generate $350 million

Hotel Industry: The American Hyatt Hotels and Starwood Hotel and Resorts Worldwide expanded their real estate in Mexico in 2013 due to the opportune 11 percent increase in hotel bookings since 2012. Star Six plans to seek similar expansions by reaching out to other major hotel chains that are attractive and familiar to American tourists.

Global Tourists: The United States contributed the largest amount of arrivals to Mexico by five-fold in 2012, with 5,941,91412. Canada contributed the second largest with 1,519,544 arrivals. In Europe, the largest contributing country was Spain with 278.811 arrivals. Since American’s hold the largest state among tourists, Star Six will track the opinion of weary American travelers closely.

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Three Key Issues

1..MTB will try to combat the negative media portrayal created by major opinion leaders that are disseminated through mass media. MTB will try to cooperate with representatives such as the U.S. Department of State to help improve negative public opinion of Mexico and traveling to Mexico.

2.Other countries, especially competitors in the Caribbean also have a diverse range of tourist activities to offer. Mexico, in this way, is not special by any means to be able to offer different avenues of tourist attractions (which is what the most recent campaign is instigating.) MTB will try to differentiate itself from its competitors by incorporating the offering of a diverse option of activities as well as this notion of ‘gaining’ an experience from their visit to Mexico.

3.Proximity to the U.S. is a significant advantage, as well as a drawback in a way that it is relatively difficult to make new impressions of opinions and views that are and have already been established about the country and the culture. MTB will try to penetrate through the assumptions made about Mexico and try to reapproach and market the aspect of ‘familiarity’ in a beneficial and positive way to U.S. tourists.

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strengths- great range of opportunities and experiences that Mexico provides- proximity to U.S. border helps attract American tourists- infrastructure development and investment is making certain attractions more accessible and safer for tourists to experience- the warm hospitality of local citizens continues to work in favor of Mexico tourism

opportunities- the tourism industry is growing as a whole- drug-related violence is much more isolated than is perceived by the U.S. population- potential for cross-marketing with private and public businesses, resorts, travel agencies, and other stakeholders

weaknesses- increase in drug wars and drug-related violence have created a bad public perception of Mexico and have spurred foreign governments to issue negative travel advisories- weather conditions can be extreme and unpredicatble [i.e. hurricane season]- there is the inconvenience of international travel including passports, customs, luggage, etc.

threats- the U.S. economy is hurting and economic growth is slow, which may limit American arrivals and/or spending- Americans tend to cancel whole trips in times of economic downturn or crisis compared to Europeans- domestic travel in the U.S. is convenient and familiar [only 30% of Americans hold passports]-a lack of control over media coverage and ill-informed travelers in regards to the drug wars and related violence creates a fearful U.S. population

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donald knoelke

campaign strategy

campaign strategy

Campaign Business Objective:

To increase the number of Americans who travel to Mexico by six percent while also diversifying the destinations that they travel to and the activities that they participate in.

Primary Target Market:Age range: 35-44 years oldHousehold income: over $100,000Marital status: MarriedEducation: College-educated or has also attended graduate schoolOccupation: Business/managerial (MGMT), financial operations and professional/technical jobs.Reside: Suburb of cities in the West and Midwest regions.Children: Two on average.

Profile of our primary target audience: Robert & Angela (Josh & Abby)Meet Robert and Angela. They are a middle-aged married couple that lives in a suburban neighborhood called Elmhurst, located on the outskirts of Chicago. Both Robert and Angela graduated college. Robert attended graduate school as well.

He is a mid-level manager for a large insurance company located in downtown Chicago. He commutes for approximately an hour everyday to work by car. Robert tends to make spontaneous decisions when spending money. He likes the company of other people and is very sociable with his friends and coworkers. His wife, Angela, is a stay-at-home mom whose hobbies include yoga and blogging. She maintains a blog specifically focused around healthy eating and exercise. She is the president of the PTA and is well liked within the community. Angela prides herself on her planning and coordinating abilities for both her family and friends. She also is the one who gathers most of the information about travel for the family when they are looking to plan a vacation. Both Robert and Angela are active online. Robert uses the Internet to watch videos and check financial/stock information. Angela, other than her blog depends on the Internet for collecting information about products. They are subscribed to the magazines Travel + Leisure and American Way. Angela enjoys reading Fitness and Marie Claire. Robert enjoys reading Sports Illustrated and The Economist Traveler. After a long day of work, Robert enjoys relaxing and watching evening television. They have two children, Josh who is 12 years old, and Abby who is 15 years old. When planning a vacation, Robert and Angela will almost always work around their kid’s schedules and when they have breaks from school (during spring, winter and summer). When on vacation, they enjoy spending time on the beach, eating at authentic restaurants and doing inclusive resort-affiliated activities.

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Secondary Target Market:Age range: 25-34 years oldHousehold income: Over $75,000Relationship status: Couples (straight and LGBTQ)Education: College educated or has attended/is attending graduate schoolOccupation: Professional/technical jobsReside: Metropolitan outskirts of cities in the West and Midwest regions.

Profile of our secondary target audience: Jake & Molly

Meet Jake and Molly, a couple from the metropolitan outskirts of Seattle. At the age of 28, they both just finished graduate school and work downtown. They commute 25 minutes into the city by public transportation. Jake is a technical assistance consultant for a major telecommunications company. Molly works as an industrial and commercial designer for retail and service industries. They live in an apartment together and have a pet dog named Cooper. They have an active social life and enjoy trying new things. In his spare time, Jake likes to read Sports Illustrated and Men’s Health. Molly enjoys reading Vogue and Fitness. They are subscribed to US Weekly. Both of them have an active presence on social media and are considered outgoing. Molly and Jake care about the environment and are strongly opinionated about recycling. Molly has her own eco-bag she carries for grocery shopping where she buys at local markets, as she is passionate about fresh food products. They like to check out new stores/restaurants and enjoy outdoor activities. When on vacation, they are keen on traveling the unbeaten path. In addition to targets like Jake and Molly, we believe that through our creative we will be able to appeal to couples in the LGBTQ community as well.

Tertiary Target Market:Our tertiary target market is 18-24-year-olds who are in college or recently graduated. We found that our secondary target market’s media usage is very similar to that of our tertiary target especially for cable television and Internet. We believe that this target will also be interested in the adventurous activities featured in our creative for 25-34-year-olds. By reaching this third target, we hope to influence the travel behaviors of their parents/families, highlight Mexico as an exciting spring break destination and encourage travel to Mexico as they grow older and some of them turn into our secondary and primary targets.

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Business Targets:

Travel Agencies and Resorts are ideal opportunities to ease barriers in potential travelers’ trip planning process to Mexico. Star Six hopes to strengthen Mexico’s mutually beneficial relationships by keeping these stakeholders consistently informed on the Mexican Tourism Board’s campaign strategy. Public Relations will send weekly and timely press releases on the current tourism landscape along with travel destination investment opportunities before the general public. In addition, Star Six will invite the Destination Marketing Association International Conference to be held in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico in May of 2015. Further Promotional Partnerships with stakeholders in these industries along with more details can be found in the Public Relations Section on page 21.

Business Partners:

•Expedia – Star Six will establish a symbiotic relationship with Expedia through corporate advertising. Mexico Tourism Board will encourage travelers to book vacations through Expedia at visitmexico.com.

•Expedia Media Solutions – Partner with this agency to increase exposure and market share for the brand.

•American Airlines - Star Six will partner with American Airlines to increase flight rates to Mexico by giving people who travel to Mexico incentives.

•National Geographic – Star Six will solicit National Geographic to film a special on the migration of the Monarch butterflies back to Oyamel fir forest.

•GoPro – Star Six and GoPro will giveaway 200 GoPros to people traveling to Mexico to collect first person user generated content, which we will use in promotional materials.

•Treeson Bottled Water – Star Six will partner with Treeson to provide bottled water for vacationers at resorts.

Key Insights:

•People who have traveled to Mexico have more of a positive perception of Mexico than those who have never traveled there.

•People who have traveled to Mexico are more likely to be environmentally conscious than those who travel to Mexico’s competition

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•Target consumers will serve as media catalyst due to their activity on social media/sharing sites

•Younger target market are more likely to plan destinations and activities independently

•Older target market is likely to travel with family and are looking for coordinated activities •People who travel to Mexico are significantly interested in fine dining, going to beach, shopping, water sports, boating, and sightseeing.

•People who travel to Mexico tend to be conscious about their health and activity level.

Current Brand and Position:

Americans currently view Mexico as a vacation destination that offers beaches, culture and adventurous activities. However that perception is currently troubled with news of drug cartels and violence in the media. Americans understand that Mexico has a lot to offer as a destination, but are concerned of the risks of traveling to Mexico. We aim to accomplish our business objective by highlighting specific accommodations, destinations and activities that Mexico has to offer that Americans may not be aware of. At the same time we will address safety concerns through public relations functions.

Mexico is currently positioned as one of many warm weather beach destinations available to American vacationers. Mexico’s proximity to the continental U.S. plays to its favor and positions it similarly to California, Florida and Hawaii, but concerns of safety have hindered Mexico’s ability to reach its full tourism potential. These safety concerns lead some, but not all of American travelers to position Mexico as a beach destination with more risks than Hawaii and Florida. Travel rates to Mexico by our primary target market are negatively affected by the safety concerns. This is due to the fact that they are not only considering their own safety, but the safety of their children as well. Due to the busy schedules of both our primary and secondary target, many do not understand how isolated the violence is in Mexico and how far away many destinations are from possible violence. While the safety concerns do affect Mexico’s position in relation to its international competition, Mexico has more U.S. travelers visit than Bahamas, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. This positions Mexico as the most popular destination for U.S. travelers among its competition.

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Desired Brand and Personality:

Through our campaign we hope to diversify what comes to mind when people think of traveling to Mexico while at the same time having people view Mexico as a uniquely friendly and welcoming destination.

We will highlight the robust array of activities that Mexico offers in order to highlight destinations and achieve the perception of Mexico as a boundless travel destination. This perception will appeal to people who have previously traveled to Mexico by showcasing what they undoubtedly missed out on because all that Mexico has to offer cannot be experienced in one or even multiple trips. This strategy will also increase first time visits to Mexico by expanding the appeal of Mexico beyond a warm beach destination to a place bursting with history, present-day culture and adventure.

Star Six aims to brand Mexico as a hospitable and inviting destination to combat the negative perceptions people currently have caused by news of drug cartels and violence. We will achieve this by featuring individuals and locations that exemplify the hospitable image we will portray. We will leverage the proximity of Mexico to the United States to portray Mexico as a friendly and familiar neighbor. Star Six will brand Mexico as a sincere, trustworthy and welcoming neighbor who will consistently surprise visitors with what it has to offer. Mexico’s surprising, exciting and lively personality will come from the unique cultural experiences and adventurous activities it has to offer.Our friendly and neighborly brand personality will ease the safety concerns held by our primary target market. The surprising and adventurous side of our personality will appeal to our secondary target market.

Differentiation and Desired Position:

Mexico offers a more unique cultural experience to American travelers than its domestic competitors, California, Hawaii and Florida. Mexico offers historical destinations through the preservation of the cultures of the Mayans, Toltecs, Mesoamerican and Aztecs. These historical destinations date back to 800 BC, older than any historical destinations in the United States. In addition to historical destinations, Mexican culture offers its own cuisine, art, music and dance. Many Americans are familiar with Americanized Mexican food, but have never experienced authentic and fresh Mexican cuisine. Mexican culture provides a more unique and adventurous travel destination compared to competition located within the United States.

Puerto Vallarta and Riviara Nayarit are home to some of the best resorts and beaches in Mexico and we will highlight these to our primary target market. These destinations offer many attractions in a relatively small area so there will be little need for additional travel. Furthermore, these destinations offer more organized activities that would appeal to families while still

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16

providing that opportunity to partake in unique activities. These unique food-related destinations include authentic tapas bars, taco stands and farmer’s markets. These destinations also offer boat tours and opportunities to interact with whales, dolphins and other sea animals. Riviara Nayarit is also known for their ocean front golf courses that will appeal to the males in the primary target market.

Mexico offers a vast array of adventurous outdoor activities that would appeal to our secondary target market. The Cave of the Swallows in San Luis Potsol gives adventurers the opportunity to rappel down 1234 feet. The San Luis Potsol region is an extremely unique environment that includes rainforests, deserts and mountains. The Yucatan Peninsula is another destination that we will highlight to our secondary target market. This destination offers both cultural aspects of the Mayan ruins and the outdoor attractions of cenotes, jungles and caves.

Compared to Mexico’s international competitors Bahamas, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Mexico boasts the highest international tourist arrival by over 20,000,000 visits. Due to this high travel rate along with the fact that there is a large Hispanic population in the U.S. many Americans are familiar with the culture and language of Mexico. Americans are also very familiar with Mexican holidays and we can promote travel during these times. This familiarity is a key advantage Mexico has over its international competition.

Unique Selling Proposition:

Our unique selling proposition is that Mexico is a place to be experienced, not just visited. We distinguish ourselves from our competition by being a destination that people visit to gain something as opposed to being a place that people visit to strictly lose stress and escape from responsibility. Whereas our competition promotes losing oneself on a beach with a drink in hand, we promote a fulfilling vacation that will add value in the form of culture and adventure.

Creative Brief:

Our campaign will be structured around the idea of fulfillment. Through our campaign, we want to show people that a vacation experience truly does exist beyond the wildest of dreams. We distinguish ourselves from our competition by being a destination that people visit to gain something as opposed to being a place that people visit to strictly lose stress and escape from responsibility. Our creative concept is focused around the idea that Mexico is bursting with rich experiences well beyond the bounds of the beach. A couple days in the sand are perfectly balanced by a few days of parasailing through the ski, walking among a million monarchs in a butterfly sanctuary, and exploring the remarkable Mayan ruins. In Mexico, the beach is just the beginning.

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Our targets value learning and gaining new experiences, so we believe that they will become invested in this campaign. With our campaign we plan on highlighting the rich culture, history, and cuisine. These are all authentic things that cannot be fabricated or replicated by any destination other than Mexico. Our targets are also people who will not be satisfied by a week of sitting on the sand. Our targets take action; and they seek opportunities to engage their mind, challenge their body, and invigorate their soul. Our targets will care about Mexico because we will prove to them that it is the destination they deserve. Vacationing anywhere else would be robbing themselves of enrichment, fulfillment, and excitement.

After seeing the campaign, we hope that travelers will be encouraged to embrace the Mexican culture and the idea of self-discovery and adventure. We want tourists to feel that they owe it to themselves to make the most of a seven-day break from reality. We want our targets to feel welcomed, enlightened, and inspired to seek out new experiences. We want the targets to change their thought process from “What can I do in Mexico?” to “What should I do in Mexico?” We want our targets to realize that Mexico is an infinite playground, and it is within their power to choose their own adventure. The power of choice is incredibly appealing, and this will bring our targets to the website to discover for themselves what personally alluring vacation opportunities exist in Mexico.

We also want to make sure to be original and creative as many vacation destinations have creative that all seems the same. So far Mexico has not been able strike a balance between presenting everything it has to offer and highlighting the best. For more information about our creative, along with examples can be found on page 32.

Campaign Scope:

Timing: This campaign will occur during parts of the year when traveling to Mexico is not as high, but when our target audiences are planning their trips. The fall, winter and summer seasons would be the times where our advertising would be focused the most so that traveling to Mexico is in the forefront of travelers mind’s as they plan where to go. We will buy three bursts of media in the months leading up to the three most popular times to travel to Mexico. The first burst correlates with winter vacations and will be from September 15th until the end of November. The second burst, which hopes to prompt spring travel, will be from December 16th until the end of February. The final and third burst will occur from March 16th until the end of May and will encourage summertime travel to Mexico. As for parts of the day or week, television advertising would occur during primetime and throughout the weekend since our target audience is busy and does not have as much time for television viewing.

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Location: The geographic placement of advertisements will focus in highly populated cities and counties throughout the United States, with focus in the Midwest, West, and Southern regions of the country. The top 25 DMAs have strong data for traveling to Mexico and this belief is reinforced by strong data backing up Mexico travel in counties sizes measured as A and B, which consist of populations of 150,000 people and higher.

Specific Cities of Focus:

Chicago Dallas Detroit Houston Los Angeles

San Antonio San Francisco Washington D.C. Seattle Portland

Phoenix St. Louis Denver Minneapolis New York

Boston Philadelphia Atlanta

Allocation: Overall, the campaign will focus on visual media in order to evoke the ideal image of Mexico, which we crafted for the audience. This will be done through implementing campaign efforts on television, magazines, online and outdoor media, which will reach our audience during different parts of the day. Radio will be used as well, but the message delivered through radio will have a variation compared to the primarily visual media. The highest priority will be placed in cable television however, since audiences will be watching television and relaxing, thus being in a state of mind that Mexico tourism wants its audience to be in while receiving our message. The second focus will be on outdoor media, this media will allow travelling to Mexico to remain a constant in the subconscious of the audience, and when the time to pick a travel destination arises, Mexico tourism will be the easiest for audiences to recall. Our third focus will be on the Internet as purchasing decisions can be made straight off of the Internet and the audience spends many hours daily online. Magazines will be our fourth and final focus as advertisements placed here will reach a particular niche guaranteed and will focus on certain characteristics our target audience embodies. We have also withheld $5 million of our buying budget for an emergency fund. For more information on Media buying turn to page 43.

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kelsea kierstead

public relations plan

Goals:1. Improve perception of Mexico as a safe travel destination. Star Six’s primary objective regarding public relations is to minimize stakeholder’s concerns of safety while visiting Mexico. To achieve this, Star Six will address the concerns of safety by providing useful tips and information for travelers. Star Six will present the realistic scope of drug-related violence immediately following any potential negative coverage to all stakeholders. Efforts will only be implored simultaneously with positive messages that connect stakeholders to the culture and opportunities Mexico has to offer.

2. Connect stakeholders to the Mexican culture and people. Star Six’s focus on fulfillment will be greatly mirrored in the Public Relation campaign. We want stakeholders to feel connected to, and a part of, the Mexican community. The hospitality of the Mexican people will be leveraged to foster a neighborly relationship between stakeholders and the Mexican people.

Relations with the American tourism market will center on two-way communication. The campaign will strongly encourage Americans to share their experiences in Mexico in a variety of mediums that appeal to the unique and specific interests of our target market. All events with the American tourism market will be extremely interactive and personal. Star Six also aims to increase the visibility of vital roles of stakeholders within Mexico by featuring real Mexican people within media releases.

3. Build an interdependent relationship between tourism industries. Furthermore, Star Six public relations will maintain business-to-business relationships to expand partnerships within the tourism industry. We will share opportunities to expand their services within Mexico’s borders. We will incorporate corporate advertising with businesses extending from Apple Leisure Group, to Expedia, to National Geographic.

Public Opinion:

Americans in previous polling have had generally negative perceptions on safety in Mexico. In a Pews Global Attitudes Poll conducted in April 2012, 61 percent of Americans rated drug-related violence in Mexico as a major threat to the well-being of Americans . Throughout the duration of the one-year campaign, Star Six’s goal is to see an improvement in the perceptions of Mexico, specifically regarding safety. Star Six will closely monitor public opinion as the public relations plan is implemented in order to track progress of the campaign. Three methods will be used to obtain a clear picture of the vast perceptions of Mexico:

1. Polls created and administered by tourism board: The Star Six Public Relations Team will promote an optional survey on visitmexico.com. The survey will ask information on the last trip to Mexico, rating the experience of travel, lodging, service, and more. Direct questions regarding safety and satisfaction while visiting will be include in multiple items to get a reliable response from respondents. This information will gauge of satisfaction of the population of Americans who have actually visited Mexico.

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2. Monitor social media: Star Six will be consistently tracking trends on social media by searching for hashtags and keywords related to Mexico daily. Response to those who are talking about Mexico via social media will be crucial to establish immediate two-way communication between The Mexico Tourism Board and American opinion leaders.

3. Professional record of media coverage by using MediaVantage: This web-based application will allow Star Six to monitor and perform advanced searches on daily TV, print, online news, social media and RSS feeds and compiles this data into a comprehensive analysis. The application will keep The Mexico Tourism Board informed the moment a mention occurs.

Media Contacts and Relations:

Star Six recognizes the importance of keeping the media involved in the Mexico Tourism Board’s campaign activities. By keeping the media informed of Mexico’s active efforts to provide the best experience all stakeholders, concerns of violence should diminish from media coverage.

Tactics: Press Releases will be the primary contact with the media. They will inform the Mexico Tourism Board’s media contact list in response to relevant current events, but most importantly for press conferences announcing events.

At Press Conferences, the media kit will contain video footage presented by public relations and expert spokespersons of the event. Journalists will receive either a fact sheet or a quote sheet, whichever is most appropriate for the topic. All materials will carry the tone of Mexico’s vision with clean and colorful visuals.

Timely updates on tourism and the Mexican economy: Star Six will make sure to cover important business opportunities that provide jobs creation and growth in the Mexican community. Press Releases will feature Mexican people that have contributed in providing an experience for American and Mexican citizens alike.

Between these two forms of communication with the press, Star Six intends to build a stronger relationship with journalists. In past coverage, the media has emphasized the drug-related violence in Mexico without placing the associated events in context. It is essential that the press’ perception of Mexico reach beyond isolated incidents of violence. Personal and consistent contact through press conferences will emphasize potential of the Mexican community, rather than letting reported statistics of drug-related violence command one-way conversation in the press.

Media Contact list for Colors for a Cause Art Exhibit: The following list includes relevant contacts from news publications from the cities the event is visiting, as well popular national news publications that have well-developed arts and entertainment sections.

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Town and Country NPR The Washington PostEditorial Offices (202) 513-2000 Local: metro@washpost.comtnc@hearst.com 202.334.7300300 West 57th St.33rd Floor New York, NY 10019

The Chicago Daily Herald Dallas Morning News The Detroit News Kmiecik, Betsy News, Sports, and Editorial Felecia Hendersonbkmiecik@dailyherald.com 214-977-5126 fhenderson@detroitnews.com(847) 427-4390 508 Young St. (313) 222-2557 Dallas, TX 75202Los Angeles Times San Antonio Express News Arts and Entertainment Features EditorJohn Corrigan Emily SpicerJohn.Corrigan@latimes.com espicer@express-news.net 202 W. 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 San Francisco Chronicle

Metro News Desk metrodesk@sfchronicle.com

Communication with Stakeholders:

Tourism Industries:Travel Agencies: Star Six realizes the importance of keeping the tourism industry consistently updated on Mexico Tourism Board’s campaign progress for two reasons:1. To provide more travel options for its clientele.2. Increase the ease in planning trips to Mexico. Star Six aims to consistently keep partners within the tourism industry informed with Mexico’s campaign progress and timeline through monthly newsletters.

Expedia Media Solutions: Expedia recently worked with the Mexico Tourism Board by creating an integrated campaign to increase exposure and market share for the brand. It was greatly successful, reaching its 63 million web visitors and increasing passengers to Mexico by 21.7 percent. The Mexico Tourism Board needs to establish a symbiotic relationship with Expedia through corporate advertising. Mexico Tourism Board will encourage travelers to book vacations through Expedia

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at visitmexico.com. A rich media unit in the form of an interactive banner will capture the attention of visitors and make booking simple. This will benefit Expedia by increasing business on Expedia.com. Expedia will continue to provide strategic advice through its media solutions program. Having an additional team extending Mexico’s campaign on its travel site will be beneficial to increase the number of trips taken to Mexico by Americans. In terms of public relations, partnering with Expedia will help American travelers feel more comfortable when by easing the planning process.

National Geographic: Star Six will build a corporate advertising relationship with National Geographic. Star Six’s Public Relations will pitch to National Geographic to send a production crew to film an hour special in the Oyamel fir forest, home to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuaries. This location is ideal to film the natural phenomenon of the Monarch that return back from Northern Canada in late October. The in-depth and professional video coverage of the biodiverse, endangered location will spark ecotourism interest for American couples and families. The Mexico Tourism Board will provide any resources necessary for the team as needed.

Destination Marketing Association International Conference: Star Six Public Relations will pitch to the Conference board to host this well established, international tourism industry event in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico in May of 2015. The conference will be held at the Four Seasons resort in Punta Mita. The purpose of attending this conference would be ideal to “build business relationships and strengthen brand visibility.” Star Six will send both E-Newsletter and print newsletter invitations to travel agencies to explaining detailed information on the networking benefits of attending the conference.

Press materials: Media (video) Kit showcasing vivid video footage of campaign, including GoPro footage and highlights from Mexico’s television advertisements. The video media kit will intertwine measures of our successes in terms of stakeholder opinion highlights, as well as business statistics of interest for financial analysts, including ROI, taxes, costs of labor, and trends in Mexico travel industry. All of this information will also be included on a printed fact sheet for those who are interested in expanding stake in Mexico.

Hosting an event for international figureheads of the travel in Mexico will prove that Mexico is a safe and trustworthy location. Furthermore, the Mexico Tourism Board will be able to make connections with its new partners in the hotel and travel agency. A global event in which the market of both the Mexico Tourism Board and its partners can equally benefit is monumental for Mexico’s brand image. A press release and corresponding to the listed media contacts will be released two months in advance of the conference, after the list of Mexico’s partners attending has been confirmed.

American Airlines: Star Six Public Relations will establish a partnership with American Airlines to increase the number of trips taken to Mexico. American Airlines will offer a 50 percent bonus in the number of miles flown to any destination in Mexico for

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AAdvangtage frequent flyer members. This loyalty program promotion will encourage Americans to travel to Mexico through American Airlines. The business relationship will further public relation efforts to make traveling to Mexico familiar and convenient.

Travel Journalists and bloggers: The Mexico Tourism board will invite an array of travel journalists and bloggers to explore Mexico. Star Six Public Relations will sponsor journalists to visit places “off the beaten path.” This is an opportunity for American news consumers and bloggers in the target market to see that Mexico’s diverse culture, a key component of Mexico’s branding statement. Furthermore, blogs will indirectly show that planning and preparation before traveling results in a safe and enjoyable trip. Bloggers as public opinion leaders model the sharing of experience The Mexico Tourism Board wants to encourage among Americans.

Blogger spotlight:

World of Wanderlust: This blog follows the travels of Brooke Saward, a blogger that has generated 58,300 Instagram followers and traveled to numerous locations on nearly every continent. Brooke’s topics and personality will greatly appeal to the females in our secondary target market. The Mexico Tourism board will invite her to visit Coatepec, Veracruz, the “coffee capital of the world.” Written reviews of the cuisine, historic landmarks in the ecotourism location will provide compelling examples of how much Mexico has to offer tourists within just one destination. Saward’s review would let real travelers do the talking about Mexico’s position as a versatile travel destination.

Camels and Chocolate: Kristin Luna is a travel journalist that blogs her experiences. She is a professional whose work has been published in national, international, and regional newspapers and magazines, ideal for spreading her journey to Mexico to an array of additional media outlets free of cost.

Two Backpackers: This blog follows a couple that provides tips and experiences as a Latin American travel resource. Two Backpackers are the perfect models for Mexico’s target market. A coordinated visit to Mexico could generate helpful information for weary travelers beyond excursion and dining advice.

Travel Journalist’s “Postcard from Tom” Restaurant Review: Food critic Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post travels around the world to report the best dining experiences. The Mexico Tourism Board will invite and sponsor him to explore a destination of his choice and review restaurants. Mexico will include destination reviews within newsletters to business partners in order to showcase the originality and talent of Mexico’s own citizens.

The Public Relations team will also send press releases to relevant news sources to publish travel blogger and journalists in travel sections.

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Hotel Industry:

Treeson Bottled Water supply: A main concern of travelers in Mexico is having access to safe drinking water. The Mexico Tourism Board will work with hotel management to ensure sufficient stocks of Treeson bottled water is replenished at various locations throughout resort partnerships. Treeson is a new, eco-friendly bottled water that supports Mexico’s concerns and efforts of ecotourism. Resort locations will include, but are not limited to Apple Leisure Group hotel chains, the American Hyatt Hotels and Starwood Hotel and Resorts Worldwide. Each bottled water label will be printed with the Mexico Tourism Board logo in addition to the Treeson design. This gesture will ensure that Mexico cares about the health of its visitors, and fulfill Mexico’s image as a hospitable country.

Resort Safety Workshop: To further the protection of visitor’s safety, a non-public, printed newsletter will invite local and chain hotels to enroll employees in a complimentary employee safety training workshop in November of 2014. This date will arrive just before the beginning of the first peak travel increase of December and January to prepare employees. The one-day event in Puerto Vallarta will raise awareness for employees on how to notice and respond to crisis situations. The Mexico Tourism Public Relations team and officers from the Puerto Vallarta Police department will join in a combined effort to give a presentation on general safety tips.

Public Relations will keep safety training fresh in employees’ minds by issuing electronic in-service manuals to human resource managers of resorts to review vital information quarterly.

Government:

Mexico Tourism Board and the US Department of State: Media sources often direct media consumers in the direction of government-officiated travel advice and warnings. Despite intentions to keep American citizens informed, they open with generalized statements that can easily mislead a consumer.

A key component in increasing the perception of safety in Mexico is cooperation with US Government Officials. Star Six’s priority with this communication is to increase government relations by fostering open communication between Mexico and the United States governments. Star Six will arrange biannual meetings between the Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara, and US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs Officials to review guidelines and processes of posting government-issued travel safety warnings and tips. The goal of these publicized meetings will be to keep American citizens accurately informed and safe through direct collaboration.

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Mexico Tourism Board and the Mexican Government: The entire country of Mexico has a stake in Mexico’s tourism industry. Travel & Tourism in Mexico accounted for 12.5 percent of the country’s total GDP in 2012, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Mexico needs to maintain personal relationships with those that work hard to make Mexico’s tourism successful. Monthly print and E-newsletters will be sent to all Government departments. The content will feature the originality and talent of Mexico’s own citizens alongside business updates.

Furthermore, the Mexico Tourism Board will include a special sector on the travelmexico.com aggregate website for employees of travel industries in Mexico (including resort, restaurants, transportation, etc.). The website will serve as a tool for stakeholders in the tourism industry to voice their concerns, stay informed on Mexico Tourism Board’s progress, and access resources to help them succeed. The site will not be visible to the general public to ensure confidentiality and privacy employees deserve. This connection between the Board and all those involved in the industry will express that Mexico greatly appreciates their efforts.

American Travelers:

Imagine Your Mexico Story Photo Booth Tour: Photo booths will visit the downtown centers of Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Washington D.C., the six major cities targeted in the media strategy. The photo booths will also visit cities with large airport bases, including Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Charlotte, Hartford, and Denver. Inside the booth, people could choose between four different backgrounds of the breathtaking landscapes of Mexico. People will have the option to upload these pictures directly to Facebook and Twitter from the booth, in addition to a print copy. The tagline “Mexico: The beach is just the beginning” will be printed on the bottom of the photo. The Instagram hashtag #BeyondTheShore will also be included to encourage people to continue sharing their experiences in Mexico. The photo booths, will introduce the Instagram photo contest. Furthermore, it strengthens the invitation for Americans to experience more than a vacation in Mexico by allowing people to envision themselves within the unique attracts Mexico has to offer. The strategy will begin to be implemented at the beginning of the campaign in October to build an initial visibility before Americans discuss travel plans with family at Thanksgiving. Photos from the Imagine Your Mexico Story Photo Booth could be shared on the My Mexico Story social media aggregate website. This Public Relations event will help promote the interactive site as a component of the viral “buzz” campaign.

Weekend Cooking Expo with Roberto Santibanez: The Mexico Tourism Board will create a two-month long traveling cooking expo featuring the cuisine of professional Mexican chef, Roberto Santibanez. As an American chef raised in Mexico City, he has published several cooking books, one including titled “Truly Mexican,” written to make real Mexican cuisine accessible to Americans. The indoor expo will visit six major cities, including Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Columbus, Baltimore, Seattle, Denver, and Chicago. One example of a venue to host the event is the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks. This

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venue has multiple options for floor plans to keep the flow of attendees consistent in an open space. The event will begin in January of 2015 and reach its final city in mid-February, coinciding with Star Six’s increased media efforts before peak travel in March. Chefs will help Americans create a dish from Santibanez’s cookbook at each station. After creating the dish, participants can collect recipe cards from each station to take home.

Colors for a Cause Art Exhibit: Star Six Public Relations will invite native Mexican artists to donate pieces for a traveling art exhibit proceeds will be donated to The Nature Conservancy. This organization helps protect Chihuahuan Desert, Mesoamerican Forest Corridor, Gulf of California, Mesoamerica Reef, The Maya Forest.

The featured artist will be Rodolfo Escalera, a Mexican painter from Durango Mexico that uses a realism technique to paint Mexican life the way it purely exists. The intention of this event will be trifold: Share the beauty of ecotourism in Mexico through astounding art while introducing Americans to the rich culture of real Mexican people. The small price of $12 dollars to attend the event will raise money for conservation of the Mexico’s biodiversity. The event will visit Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. The duration of the campaign will begin in the third peak of travel increase during April, traveling to targeted Midwestern Cities. These real, tangible images will enhance the creative strategy use of heavy imagery.

Welcoming Event: The Mexico Tourism Board will organize staff at partnering resorts (previously mentioned) to welcome guests as they arrive to the resort. This event functions to build an initial relationship with Mexico’s brand as a safe and welcoming travel destination. The event will begin at the very beginning of the campaign in mid-September on Thursday and Friday to reach guests arriving during weekend travel increases. Resort employees will greet each guest with complementary “care packages.” These packages will include Treeson bottled water, sunscreen, tourist guide brochure in a eco-friendly tote that can dual as a beach bag. The beginning of the brochure will recommend activities, excursions, and restaurants in the area for tourists to explore. The travel recommendations will extend Mexico’s creative campaign, encouraging travelers to choose their own adventure. In order to address safety concern in a positive manner, the brochure will also list helpful tips for travelers regarding safety. These tips will be issued by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.

Party Piñata: The scene of the welcoming event will introduce the Party Piñata mascot of the Mexico Tourism Board. Lively music and decorations similar to the Piñatas in the Park ambient event in Star Six’s creative strategy will invite guests to an atmosphere of adventure and color. This strategy will introduce positive messages while also addressing the concerns of the skeptical American travelers. Most importantly, the country’s hardworking employees will become the face of hospitality.

#BeyondTheShore Instagram photo contest: This contest will encourage Americans to follow The Mexico Tourism Board on Instagram to view and use the #BeyondtheShore hashtag. This two-way communication will encourage Americans visiting

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Mexico to take breath-taking photos of their adventures beyond the beach, capturing the fulfilling experiences they shared in Mexico. Star Six Public Relations will monitor and select a monthly winner for a return three-night stay at the winner’s choice of an American Hyatt, Starwood Hotel and Resort or Apple Leisure Group Resort. The Eye of Adventure GoPro Contest: Travelers can enter online at visitmexico.com to win a GoPro to capture their adventures. 200 people will be selected and the media promoting the contest will reflect the media purchases aimed towards thrill and adventure seeking psychographics of the target market. In cable television, promotion will run on Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, and National Geographic channels. In Magazines, the contest will be promoted in print in Men’s Health, Sports Illustrated, Town & Country, Fitness, and US Weekly. The footage will be used to create viral buzz videos featured on youtube.com and My Mexico Story website. The best of the viral buzz videos will be modified to create a video trailer shown in movie theaters across America. The Eye of Adventure contest will enhance the creative campaign’s platform of fulfillment through personal experience.

Integration with paid media: Dates of all public relations efforts and events coordinate with media’s pulsing strategy to support the influx of media messages at key points throughout the year.

•The Eye of Adventure GoPro Contest will coordinate with media emphases in October/November, January/February and April/May to extend reach and increase frequency beyond the paid media budget. Buzz videos will allow interaction between travelers to Mexico. Social sharing of the GoPro video footage will strengthen cable television advertisements that depict first person perspective, fast-paced visuals by encouraging active participation.

•Imagine Your Mexico Photo Booth Tour: The tour will begin at the beginning of the media campaign in mid-September to increase initial visibility. The Photo Booth placement will also complement the burst media plan by traveling to cities that have lower response to paid media content in number of trips taken.

•Weekend Cooking Expo with Robert Santibanez: The event will begin in January of 2015 and reach its final city in mid-February, coinciding with Star Six’s increased media efforts before peak travel in March.

•The #BeyondTheShore Instagram Photo Contest: The Instagram Photo Contest will be promoted on visitmexico.com and My Mexico Story aggregate site during the three media bursts in October/November, January/February and April/May. Earned media will be the primary mechanism in promoting this contest, especially through the Photo Booth Tour. However, the hashtag #BeyondTheShore can be easily implemented to paid media as the campaign is monitored throughout the year.

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•Colors for a Cause Art Exhibit: The benefit art exhibit will run in April, during the third burst media effort.

•Welcoming Event: This event at partnering resorts in Mexico will begin in during peak guest arrivals on Thursday and Friday in September. This “kick-off” event to indirectly address Mexico’s image of safety will correspond to the beginning of the media plan.

Media materials to promote events will utilize paid purchases to target the specific audiences. For example, purchased ambient media in Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Washington D.C will be used to promote the Colors for a Cause Art Exhibit (see Appendix). Furthermore, promotion for The Eye of Adventure GoPro Contest will utilize advertising in paid media to target those of our specified market that enjoy adventure seeking. These mediums include Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, and National Geographic channels, Men’s Health, Sports Illustrated, Town & Country, Fitness, and US Weekly.

Event locations: Event locations were selected across the nation in the top 25 designated marketing areas where previous travel to Mexico has been high. Events are allocated across the nation to mirror media’s general emphasis across the nation. All locations are targeted in the paid media plan.

event materials cost

Destination Marketing Association International Conference

MediaVantage SoftwarePress kit $30,000

Tourism industry communication Monthly E-newsletterPress kit

Monthly print newsletter $27,300 ($2,275 for full distribution of

5,000 copies x 12 months)

Travel blogger trip cost Plane ticket, lodging, dining, estimated cost $5,000 per blogger

Welcoming Event Treeson bottled water, Sunscreen, Eco bag, Brochure

$72,000 at $1 per bottle (2,400 per resort x 30 resorts)

Resort Safety Workshop Treeson bottled water $72,000 at $1 per bottle (2,400 per resort x 30 resorts)

Mexico Tourism Board and the Mexican Government

Imagine Your Mexico Photo Booth Tour

Employee website, Monthly newsletter to Mexico government departments

$30,000, $27,300 ($2,275 for full distribution of 5,000 copies x 12 months)

Cooking Expo Professional Chefs, Recipe Cards, Venues $75,000 at $25 per hour (20 chefs x 25 hours x 6 cities), $1,100 for 50,000ct, $60,000 ($10,000 per

weekend x 6 cities)

Photo Booth rental including prints and transportation

$745,840 ($1,075 per booth for 8 hours x 7 days x 12 cities)

Colors for a Cause Art Exhibit Venues, Press Kit $60,000 ($10,000 per weekend x 6 cities), $30,000

Eye of Adventure GoPros, Buzz Marketing $60,000 ($300 each x 200)

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Colors for a Cause

an art exhibit featuring

Roldolfo Escalera

April 3-5, 2015, Chicago

El Arrayan

Roberto Santibanez’s Cucumber Pineapple Guacamole

1 (10- to 12-ounce) cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced (½ inch) ½ cup finely diced red onion 2 fresh serrano or jalapeño chiles, minced, including seeds, or more to taste 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste ¾ teaspoon fine salt, or 1½ teaspoons kosher salt 2 large or 4 small ripe Mexican Hass avocados, halved and pitted ½ pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced (½ inch) ½ cup chopped cilantro, divided

Stir together the cucumber, onion, chiles, lime juice, and salt in a large bowl. Score the flesh in the avocado halves in a cross-hatch pattern (not through the skin) with a knife and then scoop it with a spoon into the bowl and gently stir together (do not mash). Stir in half the cilantro and the pineapple last so the fresh acidity is distinct from the avocado. Season to taste with additional chile, lime juice, and salt. Transfer the guacamole to a wide dish and sprinkle the remaining cilantro on top.

the destination you deserve

public relations plan

For  Immediate  Release             Contact:    Kelsea  Kierstead  kierstead@travelmexico.com    

The  Mexico  Tourism  Board  presents  benefit  art  exhibit  in  American  cities      The  Mexico  Tourism  Board  is  proud  to  announce  that  the  “Colors  for  a  Cause”  Art  Exhibit  is  scheduled  to  visit  six  major  U.S.  cities  in  April  2015.  Proceeds  from  the  event  will  be  donated  to  the  Nature  Conservancy  preservation  organization.      The  art  exhibit  will  feature  pieces  from  renowned  Mexican  artists  inspired  by  the  real  beauty  of  the  country’s  wildlife  and  rich  cultural  heritage.  Secretary  of  Tourism  Gloria  Guevara  believes  the  event  will  be  beneficial  for  the  Mexican  community.      “We  are  excited  to  be  a  part  of  showcasing  Mexico’s  biodiversity  through  the  artistic  expression  of  our  own  citizens,”  she  said.  “The  best  part  is  that  the  appreciation  for  the  art  can  also  be  donated  right  back  to  preserving  the  beauty  of  it.”      Colors  for  a  Cause  will  visit  Chicago,  Dallas,  Detroit,  Houston,  Los  Angeles,  San  Antonio,  San  Francisco,  and  Washington  D.C.  The  small  entrance  fee  to  attend  the  exhibit  will  be  donated  directly  to  the  Nature  Conservancy’s  efforts  in  preserving  natural  habitats  in  Mexico.    The  featured  artist  Rodolfo  Escalera,  a  native  from  Durango  Mexico,  has  had  several  of  his  work  donated  to  support  programs  including  The  Special  Olympics,  St  Jude’s  Children’s  Hospital,  and  the  Air  Force.  For  Colors  for  a  Cause,  his  work  will  introduce  Americans  to  the  rich  culture  and  beauty  of  Mexico.  His  collection  reveals  the  unadulterated  image  of  the  natural  world  in  great  detail.      The  Nature  Conservancy  is  humbled  to  accept  funds  in  order  to  continue  managing  protected  areas,  controlling  the  spread  of  invasive  species  and  helping  manage  uncontrolled  fire  in  collaboration  with  conservationists  in  Mexican  communities.      “I  am  happy  to  see  a  large  connection  of  Mexico’s  citizens  working  together  to  support  Mexico’s  ecosystem,”  Mark  Tercek,  President  and  CEO  of  The  Nature  Conservancy.  “Its  what  our  entire  organization  is  fueled  by,  conservationists  and  its  caring  community  members.”      Mayor  of  Detroit,  Michigan  believes  the  event  will  offer  a  great  opportunity  for  people  from  Detroit  and  surrounding  areas  to  contribute  to  another  country’s  culture  while  also  increasing  sales  for  small  businesses.      “[Colors  for  a  Cause]  will  be  the  perfect  way  for  our  city  to  get  a  taste  of  other  country’s  culture  after  this  long  winter,”  Mayor  Mike  Duggan  said.        

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For  Immediate  Release           Contact:    Kelsea  Kierstead  kierstead@travelmexico.com  

Mexico  Tourism  Board  to  meet  with  US  Government  to  reform  travel  advice      The  Mexico  Tourism  Board  has  arranged  a  meeting  between  Secretary  of  Tourism  Gloria  Guevara  and  US  Department  of  State  officials  on  January  14th,  2015  to  create  guidelines  for  government-­‐issued  travel  advisories.      The  primary  goal  of  the  meeting  is  to  reform  communication  that  is  often  unspecific  for  American  travelers.  Guevara  believes  solving  this  problem  will  increase  travel  opportunities  for  American  and  Mexican  citizens  alike.      “The  US  Department  of  State  and  I  share  the  same  interest  in  providing  the  best  services  for  our  people,”  she  said.  “I  believe  working  together  will  ensure  that  plans  to  visit  new  places  are  not  hindered  by  indistinct  information.”      The  first  biannual  meeting  will  establish  guidelines  and  processes  of  issuing  government  travel  safety  warnings  and  tips.  Collaboration  between  representatives  of  both  governments  will  ensure  that  travelers  are  not  deterred  from  international  destinations.      Secretary  for  Public  Diplomacy  and  Public  Affairs  Richard  Stengel  agrees  that  often  travel  warnings  generalize  advisories  to  larger  geographic  regions  that  can  be  misleading  for  Americans.    “Travel  tips  are  supposed  to  be  written  for  those  unfamiliar  with  the  country,  and  even  travel  itself,”  he  said.  “We  need  to  make  them  more  clear.”      Collaboration  between  The  Mexico  Tourism  Board  and  the  US  Department  of  State  will  ultimately  ease  future  travel  planning.      “I  want  American  and  Mexico  citizens  to  feel  comfortable  and  informed  while  traveling  to  visit  their  country  neighbors,”  said  Guevara.      

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31

abby levenhagen & brittany kellen

creative plan

The Creative Concept:

Our unique selling proposition is that Mexico is a place to be experienced, not just visited. We distinguish ourselves from our competition by being a destination that people visit to gain something as opposed to being a place that people visit to strictly lose stress and escape from responsibility. Further, we distinguish ourselves from our competition by offering incredible experiences beyond the beach. Hawaii, Florida and California lack a rich cultural experience, and there is a clear limit to the adventurous activities that can be experienced in these domestic destinations. The Mayan ruins, the rainforests, the jungles, and the authentic Mexican cuisine, music, and art are all things that simply cannot be experienced anywhere in the United States.

Our creative concept also distinguishes us from our international competitors, which include the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Although these international destinations offer experiences and cultures that are new to most American travelers, they are also inherently unfamiliar, which can be a concern for many travelers. Mexico distinguishes itself from international competition by having a large Hispanic population in the U.S., which makes most Americans familiar with the culture and language of Mexico. This familiarity is a key advantage Mexico has over its international competition. Further, although our international competitors offer new cultures, the experiences are relatively uniform within the borders of each destination. Mexico, in contrast, offers unique experiences and adventures in each destination within Mexico. For example, the San Luis Potsol terrain includes rainforests, deserts, mountains, and incredible caves waiting to be explored. Riviara Nayarit, on the other hand, offers amazing ocean front golf courses.

Our creative concept is focused around the idea that Mexico is bursting with rich experiences well beyond the bounds of the beach. We want to subtly imply that by spending 4-7 entire days on a beach, travelers are robbing themselves of the fulfilling experiences of Mexican culture, history, and adventure. A couple days in the sand are perfectly balanced by a few days of parasailing through the sky, walking among a million monarchs in a butterfly sanctuary, and exploring the Mayan ruins. We know from our key insights that people who travel to Mexico are significantly interested in fine dining, going to the beach, shopping, water sports, boating, and sightseeing, and our creative campaign plays right into that insight. We also feature many active adventures in our creative campaign, such as scuba diving, zip-lining, and hiking through the Mayan ruins. This also plays into our key insight that people who travel to Mexico tend to be conscientious about their health and activity level, as well as the environment.

Campaign Theme: Logo: Keep current logo We are very satisfied with the current Mexico logo, and we also want to preserve this aspect of the brand so that people are

creative plan

32

the destination you deserve

still familiar with who we are. The cheerful colors and radiant aesthetic of the logo are consistent with our creative campaign, as we use incredibly vibrant and bold visuals in all of our broadcast, print, and online advertisements. Tagline: What’s in store beyond the shore? We want to make it clear that a vacation in Mexico can be anything our visitors want it to be. The places to go, sites to see, and foods to eat are limitless. We want to provide vacationers with the power of choice. In each of our print ads, the tagline will be followed by two very different, but equally exhilarating activities that can complement a lazy beach day and add substance to the vacation.

Slogan: Mexico: the beach is just the beginningOur creative campaign is centered on the idea that in Mexico there is such an incredible array of destinations and opportunities that the beach is just the beginning. Our main targets are people who will not be satisfied by beautiful beaches alone. Our targets seek adventure, excitement, and diverse cultural experiences that can only be found beyond the sand.

Appeal to consumers:•Primary target market: the suburban family •Emphasis on key insight that older target markets are likely to travel with family and seek coordinated activities •Safe and hospitable seaside resorts •Enriching family-friendly activities •Kayaking, visiting monarch sanctuaries, visiting cultural and historical sites

•Secondary target market: the young urban couple •Balance of relaxing and exhilarating activities • EX: two days at the beach, followed by two days of snorkeling and cave diving •Strong emphasis on ecotourism

Emphasis of unique brand properties:•Discovering what is beyond the beach •Mexico is already known for their universally appealing beaches, and our campaign will complement this appeal by highlighting the vast array of opportunities that can happen once the feet leave the sand.•Strengthen associations of culture through food, history, and adventure

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•Incorporate the nostalgia of the childhood game-book series, “Choose Your Own Adventure” •Resonates with our target markets based on age and familiarity with the series •Creatively puts the power in the hands of the consumer•Emphasis on familiarity of culture and language of America’s neighbor •Perry the Piñata will incorporate cultural traditions and hospitality

How the audience should feel:•Travelers will feel they owe it to themselves to spend their vacation in Mexico •Evoke a desire to experience a destination, rather than just visit it •Represented in our logo extension, “The destination you deserve”•Travelers will yearn for adventure and fulfillment •Educational, cultural, physically thrilling, and pleasing to the palate •Travelers will realize it is the only destination that strikes the perfect balance between “chill and thrill”•Travelers will doubt that such an amazingly diverse and colorful place really exists •Sparks curiosity •Drives them to seek more information •Empowers them to choose their perfect adventure•Travelers will feel welcomed, enlightened, and inspired to seek new experiences

How the creative alters the brand:The creative direction alters the brand personality by highlighting the robust array of destinations and activities that Mexico has to offer through highly visual advertisements. We differentiate ourselves from the past creative campaign by showcasing the vast array of activities to do in Mexico. We empower our targets by presenting the viewer with a choice in our advertisements. This will establish the Mexico Tourism Board brand as a vessel to a boundless travel destination. The creative campaign also has a strong emphasis on the concept of choice when it comes to how visitors want to spend their vacation; and we engage our audiences by actually having them choose which activity they would do after a day at the beach. This puts the power in the hands of the audience, and drives them to the subsequent advertisement to see what their vacation would be like if they did more than just check a box, and actually traveled to Mexico. The creative plan strengthens already strong brand associations–the beaches and the hospitality–while developing new brand associations.

creative plan

34

Creative Examples

We plan on showcasing Mexico through a variety of creative outlets. Our campaign will use broadcast, print, radio, interactive, and ambient media to highlight the adventure that can be found in Mexico. As stated before, we want to encourage travelers to explore all that Mexico has to offer and take an active role in shaping their experience. Our campaign is centered around letting people create their own story, where the beach is only the beginning. Our creative will be highly visual and revolve around giving travelers choices.

Print:Our print ads will play on the idea of choices and will mimic a “choose your own adventure book.” The ads will appear in groups of three, with the first ad giving the viewer two choices to learn more about later in the magazine. Each ad will feature vibrant, exciting images of activities that one could be doing while in Mexico, while featuring the slogan, “The beach is just the beginning.” We really want to create ads could stand alone, yet collectively still create a fun, and engaging experience for the viewer.

what’s in store beyondthe shore?

dive down and befriend some sea turtles

zip through the jungle’s canopy and feel the wind in your hair

the beach is just the beginning

choose your own adventure:

[turn to page 18]

[turn to page 53]

the beach is

just the beginning

Grow some fins and swimExplore the under waterworld and swim with sea turtles in Riviera Maya.

#beyondtheshore | www.mymexicostory.com the destination you deserve

the beach is

just the beginning

Embrace your inner Tarzan in CancúnZip line through the jungle and swingfrom tree to tree.

#beyondtheshore | www.mymexicostory.com the destination you deserve

35

creative plan

what’s in store beyondthe shore?

play puppet master at a color carnival

dine with the gods in an enchanting cave

the beach is just the beginning

choose your own adventure:

[turn to page 18]

[turn to page 53]

what’s in store beyondthe shore?

become a time traveler and explore ruins

kayak out and look through the window to the sea

the beach is just the beginning

choose your own adventure:

[turn to page 18]

[turn to page 53]

the beach is

just the beginning

Join in the festivities in MorelosOur hospitable natives will showyou how colorful life can eally be.

#beyondtheshore | www.mymexicostory.com the destination you deserve

the beach is

just the beginning

#beyondtheshore | www.mymexicostory.com the destination you deserve

Feast your eyes on this magni�cent restaurantsurrounding the archaeologicalwonder of Teotihuacan.

the beach is

just the beginning

#beyondtheshore | www.mymexicostory.com the destination you deserve

the beach is

just the beginning

#beyondtheshore | www.mymexicostory.comthe destination you deserve

Open your eyes to a natural wonderVisit the iconic golden arch and see the beauty of Land’s End in Los Cabos.

Travel back in time in Tulum.Conquer the Mayan ruins while overlooking the sparkling ocean waters.

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Radio - 30 second spot:

[MVO]: Once upon a time, there was a little girl sleeping soundly in the warm sand in Mexico

[NATS]: Waves crashing, kids giggling in the distance, light breeze blowing through trees

[MVO]: The beautiful little girls eyes flickered open, she stood up, and she ran right to the shoreline, and dove into the ocean

[NATS]: Splashing into water and diving underwater

[MVO]: When she opened her eyes, she was snorkeling with sea turtles in a vibrant coral reef

[NATS]: Snorkeling

[MVO]: The sea turtles guided the little girl through the reef and back to the surface of the water

[NATS]: underwater sounds, sound of breaking the surface of water

[MVO]: Then the little girl was surrounded by millions of monarch butterflies. They fluttered in a circle around her head like a

lovely monarch crown.

[NATS]: Flapping of millions of butterfly wings and natural forest sounds

[MVO]: Then the little girl got to take a magical hot air balloon ride and looked down upon the stunning Mexican waterfalls,

jungles, rainforests, and colorful historic sites

[NATS]: Little girl giggling, wind blowing, air balloon lift-off

[FVO]: Daddy! Can I be the princess in this fairytale??

[MVO]: Fairytale? No, honey, I’m telling you about what we can do on our vacation in Mexico next month!

[FVO]: Really! Wow! Okay but I still want to be the princess.

[MVO]: Mexico: The beach is just the beginning.

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creative plan

Interactive:Our interactive media will be more playful and feature more humor with our mascot, Perry the Party Piñata. We will release a series of videos of the actual piñata in Mexico doing crazy activities with the locals. At the end of each video, viewers will have the chance to vote on the next challenge the Party Piñata should do next. These videos will give viewers a fun way to engage in the campaign, while still highlighting the wide variety of destinations and activities in Mexico.

Perry the Party Piñata will also have his own Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter where each of his excursions will be documented and his personality will be developed.

We will also be creating an online personality quiz, where we will then recommend unique activities or destinations for that personality type to try. Buzzfeed and personality quizzes are very popular right now, and we’ve found that our target audiences are very active on social media sites.

EX: Someone selects 1. A Fun Dive Bar 2. Protein Bar 3. Adventurous 4. If I could live outside, I would

These answers would generate a description of the person based on their responsesEX: “You have an adventurous spirit that thrives in the fresh air of the wilderness! Indulge your wild side every chance you get!”

Then it would give specific recommendations for activities in Mexico. EX: 1. Experience the thrill of rappelling down the 1234 ft. Cave of the Swallows in San Luis Potosi! 2. Explore the enchanting underworld of mysterious cenotes in Yucatan!

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As described in our media plan, we will also have simple banner ads that will echo our print campaign.

All of the online content, including tweets, Instagram pictures, and Facebook posts will be housed on a new aggregate website, called My Mexico Story, that will accompany our campaign. We’ve found that our target audiences are highly active on social media, and messages are more persuasive when coming from peers. This site will function as a multifaceted customer review for prospective travelers. It will show real people’s photographs, thoughts, and experiences.

Ambient:To introduce our Party Pinata, we plan on hosting Pinatas in the Park in several cities across the nation. We will decorate a large park with large and colorful pinatas to celebrate the launch of our campaign. We will have representatives at the parks to answer questions and information cards about traveling to Mexico hanging from the pinatas for people to grab. We have our tagline, #beyondtheshore, and website as a point of contact on the cards. For more detail, please see our public relations plan.

We will also be placing photo booths in subway stations in our target cities. Participants will be able to choose from various locations in Mexico to serve as backdrops for their photographs. They will then get a printout of their photostrip with Mexico’s logo, website, and hashtag at the bottom. By letting participants choose their backgrounds, we hope to communicate the wide range of experiences Mexico has to offer. These images will also be uploaded to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and our My Mexico Story website. For more detail, please see our public relations plan. We plan on using billboards that will again be produced and placed as groups. The first billboard will feature a beach landscape with three sand castles. The first two will look like ordinary sand castles, but the third will be a highly detailed depiction of the Mayan ruins in sand. Then about two billboards down, we will have another ad that will feature a vivid picture of the actual ruins with the slogan, “The beach is just the beginning.” We hope to communicate that the beach only has so much to offer through comparing a replication on the beach with the real thing. We will take this same creative approach and format with other unique places and attractions in Mexico for other billboard designs across the nation.

Misc.Finally, we will be using GoPro footage to create short movie theatre trailers that will be placed in theatres in our target cities. These trailers will have a simple and clean feel, while featuring real footage captured by real people. These trailers won’t have any dialogue, unless it is part of the natural sound. At the end of the trailer the screen will fade to white, and our slogan, “The beach is just the beginning,” and our logo will appear. We believe that showcasing these adventure activities on large screens could be very memorable and impactful for a little cost.

the beach is

just the beginning

the destination you deserve

39

Camera across the hall from an open bedroom with view of a young boy lying on his bed with an empty suitcase underneath him on the ground. A man (boy’s dad) carrying a pile of “vacation wear” walks into the shot and passes the bedroom on his right and glances into the room. He hesitates midstride, and turns into the bedroom and walks towards the boy.

Cut to Kevin with face down in pillow.

Cut to Dad who sits on bed.

Cut to Kevin, remains face down on pillow.

Cut to Dad who looks surprised. As dad is talking, show his face as he catches a glimpse of the picture on the nightstand of Kevin caked in sunscreen, and realizes that Kevin’s statement IS true, so he stops midsentence, picks up the picture and puts it face down on the nightstand as he changes what he is saying.

Cut to Kevin who pulls his head out of the pillow, we see his face for the first time as he sits up next to his dad looking curious

Scene change: Fades out and fades into a beach to the sound of waves and mumbling of distant conversation, as the camera zooms out, the backs of Kevin, the dad, and the mom and the sister (seeing these two for the first time) are sitting on the beach.

All family members simultaneously stand up, and sprint towards the ocean, run in, and then dive out.

As the family is diving into the waves, the camera angle becomes a “human-like perspective” alongside the rest of the family members and also dives “headfirst” into the water

REMAINDER OF VACATION SCENES TRANSITION SEAMLESSLY FROM ONE TO ANOTHER USING SPECIAL EFFECTS

After diving into the waves, and bubbles clear, show underwater shot of the family in snorkeling gear swimming in a coral reef, surrounded by vibrantly colored aquatic life

Camera “swims” up to the surface along the rest of the family and as it emerges from the bubbles of the water surface, the camera is zip-lining through a canopy of trees, and Kevin can be seen zip-lining a few feet over on an adjacent line

Camera turns so it is facing forward on the zip line that is headed toward a passage surrounded by tree branches and leaves. The leaves gradually become monarch butterflies (special effects) and once the camera passes through thick brush, it reemerges on the ground in the middle of a monarch sanctuary. The camera captures all four family members walking slowly among the millions of monarchs.

Dad [SOF]: Kev, why aren’t you packing? We leave for vacation tomorrow.

Kevin (mumbling into pillow) [SOF]: I don’t want to go.

Dad [SOF]: What? Why?

Kevin [SOF]: Every vacation I get all excited, and then we get there and sit on the beach all week. I’m bored after the first day.

Dad [SOF]: What?! That’s not tru…(catches a glimpse of a picture on the nightstand of Kevin on a beach caked in white sunscreen grimacing as his mom is rubbing more lotion on him with a smile on her face) …Okay well good news bud, we’re going to Mexico this year, and you can’t even imagine all the things we can do there.

Kevin [SOF]: Like what?

Dad [VO]: Well we’ll start at the beach; but we’ll just be getting warmed up.

Dad [VO]: We can go snorkeling in a coral reef in Riviera Maya…

Dad [VO]: And we can go zip lining in Cancún…

Dad [VO]: And we can go see the millions of monarch butterflies that Migrate to Michacan…

Video -60 Second Spot Audio

40

Kevin is laughing as a monarchs land on him and cover his entire body, then all at once they fly away, and the shot seamlessly fades into a shot of the family walking through a local marketplace, Dad is buying a taco from a friendly local food cart

Dad is about to take a bite of a taco when Kevin interjects, the camera swivels to Kevin’s smiling face in the market, and swivels back immediately to Dad who now has a pepper in his hand instead of a taco

Dad looks hesitant, but then reluctantly takes a bite

Camera swivels to Mom, sister, and Kevin who are all smiling and holding peppers of their own, then it swivels immediately back to dad who is sweating bullets, is tearing up, and half-laughing/half-screaming in a high pitched voice

Camera swivels to the family who drop their peppers on the ground and walk away from dad like they don’t know him

Camera shot transitions to Dad sitting at a table on a beach eating dinner by candlelight and leaning in for a kiss that is disrupted right before their lips touch with Kevin’s voice, and the kids pop up at the table as it turns into a wicker basket

Camera shot of the basket starting to float off of the beach, and as it zooms out, it shows the hot air balloon inflating above the family, and as it continues to zoom out there are 20 other hot air balloons floating in the air at different heights

Mom, sister, and Kevin are all cheering happily while dad holds on to one of the ropes for dear life, giggling uncomfortably. He gives a pathetic one-handed fist-pump and his voice cracks as he lets out a quiet “woo-hoo!”

Cut back to real-time bedroom. Dad is on bed, Kevin is not.

Cut to Kevin as he walks out of his closet with a suitcase partially zipped shut, overflowing with clothes. Kevin has a hat with a flashlight on his head, ready for adventure.

Cut to dad on bed, with wide eyes

Cut to Kevin, who has a serious look on his face as he interrupts his dad

Cut to dad, who now has a grin on his face

Screen fades outMexico: The Beach is Just the Beginning appears on the screen

Dad [VO]: And we can eat the best tacos we have ever…

Kevin Interjects for the first time, interrupting Dad mid-sentence [VO]: We can have a contest to see who can eat the hottest chili pepper!!!

Dad [VO]: Uh…okay…yeah we can…

Dad [VO]: Or, OR, you and your sister can go to bed early one night and your mom and I can have a romantic dinner alo…

Kevin [VO]: GROSS! EW! No! Let’s ride in a hot air balloon!!

Dad [VO]: I mean you know I’m not a big fan of heights but…

Dad [SOF]: Woo-hoo (voice cracks, followed by nervous laughter)

Dad [VO]: ...Wait, Kevin? Where did you go?

Kevin [SOF]: I shouldn’t need to pack anything special for when we go parasailing, right?

Dad [SOF]: Wait, Kev, remember when we were talking about my fear of heigh….

Kevin interrupts dad [SOF]: Dad, why aren’t you packing?!

Woman’s voice [VO]: Mexico: The Beach is just the Beginning…Choose your own adventure.

Video Audio

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Jake and Molly, a young, energetic couple, look excited as they pack their backpacks with hiking gear in their Seattle home.

When the scene opens there is no dialogue. Camera zooms in on Molly’s hiking boot as she tightly laces them up–audio is of the laces being tied.Camera cuts to the Bandana on Jake’s head as he ties it around his forehead–audio is of the knot being tied.

Camera cuts to both Jake and Molly’s hands as they are zipping their backpacks in their foyer–audio is of the backpacks being zipped up.Camera cuts to door opening, and shot is from outside the house. Molly and Jake have huge grins on their face, but they quickly disappear once the door swings open. Audio and visual of pouring rain.

Molly has a mixed look of amusement and annoyance on her face.

Jake unexpectedly grabs Molly’s arm and pulls her through the thick curtain of down-pouring rain.

The rain seamlessly transitions into a waterfall in Mexico, and Jake and Molly are jump-ing down it in bathing suits, screaming excitedly.

As Jake and Molly get to the bottom of the waterfall, the water seamlessly turns into sandy rubble and they land on their feet on top of the Mayan Ruins in Chichen Itza

Molly starts to chase Jake down the ruins when suddenly the bricks begin to crumble under their feet and disappear completely; and seamlessly the scene transitions to Jake and Molly rappelling down a cave.

Jake and Molly rappel down to what seems to be the bottom of the cave, but they fall into a body of water in a cenote.

Jake and Molly hold their breath, and go under the incredibly clear water where amazing vegetation and aquatic life are surrounding them.

They both come back up to the surface, and when they break through the water and open their eyes, they are standing in the rain in Seattle.

Screen fades out

Mexico: The Beach is Just the Beginning appears on the screen

No dialogue. Sharp sounds of getting ready for a day of hiking and adventure.

Molly [SOF]: Well this is great. What are we supposed to do now?

Jake [SOF]: Go to Mexico?

Molly [SOF]: Yeah okay, Jake.

Jake [SOF]: Just hear me out

Jake [SOF]: (half-screaming during the waterfall jump) We could ride down waterfalls in Chiapas!

Jake [SOF]: We could climb to the top of the Mayan ruins in Chichen Itsa (Jake abruptly starts racing down the steps)…and then race down them!

Jake [SOF]: We could rappel down the Cave of the Swallows!

Jake [SOF]: We could explore the amazing underwater world of Yucatan in a cenote!

Molly [SOF]: (screaming over the obnoxiously loud rain) We need to go to Mexico. Now.

Woman’s voice [VO]: Mexico: The Beach is just the Beginning…Choose your own adven-ture

AudioVideo -30 Second Spot

42

josh villanueva

media plan

media plan

43

Demographic Target

The demographic target fell under these categories for selected media:•Man or woman in the age range of 25-44 years old.•Has traveled to Mexico previously.•Has a household income of over $75,000.•Has a higher education (College educated).

Campaign Duration

The campaign will run from mid-September, the beginning of one of three separate apertures throughout the year and will end in mid-September of the following year.

The six top months recording international travel to Mexico according to Mintel are December/January, March/April, and June/July. Since the target audience we are seeking to reach either has a very demanding, high-paying job, or has a family, there will be planning that needs to take place in order to ask off of work, coordinate family schedules, etc.

With this in mind, the months we believe to be best suited to target these pragmatic consumers with a high involvement purchase such as a vacation to Mexico would be the months leading up to these three times of the year where traveling peaks, so we have focused our advertising in three primary media bursts that begin 2.5 months before the peak travel months. These bursts occur mid-September/October/November, mid-December/January/February, and mid-March/April/May and will be key advertising burst periods when the highest media efforts will be focused.

Timing

Outdoor and magazine placements do not need to fit specific day part placement which make each of these ideal media to select.

Outdoor media will remain visible throughout the entire day, including when consumers are driving to work in the morning and as they are coming home from work in the evening (along with any extra driving where the billboards are placed in their leisure time).

cost per unit units x month total notes

6,000 18 108,0001 banner ad on 3 different

sites for 6 months

261,895 2 523,7902 mailings at 2 different

times of the year

1,600,000 10 16,000,000 10 months of billboards

102,375 24 2,457,0002 target sites for

12 months

19,088,790sum total

banner ad

direct mail

outdoor - top 50

target sites

star six mexico tourism media plan

cpp total % allocations $ allocations grp’s

$19,227 25% 8,977,803 466

$28,618 5% 1,795,561 62

$21,240 15% 5,386,682 253

$4,240 5% 1,795,561 423

$15,00 5% 1,795,560.50 119

119

119

$30,000 10% 3,591,121

$30,00 10% 3,591,121

$18,500 10% 3,591,121 276

$18,500 15% 5,386,681.50 291

cable television - primtetime

national magazines - men

national magazines - women

spot radio - drive time

facebook

tripadvisor

expedia or orbitz

travel agency site

search engine marketing

100% 35,911,210 2128sum total

total budget: total spent: total remainder:$55,000,000.00 $19,088,790.00 $35,911,210.00

impact media nonimpact media

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media plan

45

Magazines are also ideal because they are not allocated to specific part of the day. Readers can skim through them as they please and magazines can be shared and read among many people which gives the advertising message in it a long life until the magazine in thrown away.

Radio ads will be placed during drive times so that the breadwinners of the family can hear the messages as they are going to and from work. According to Simmons data, 72.16% of people with a household income of $100,000+ listen to radio during key drive times of the day during the week (Monday-Friday). Keeping in mind that significant data was also confounded with the other abovementioned demographic information (education, age, and previous travel to Mexico), we believe it is best to give these people a message via radio that reaffirms the messages that they will be seeing via outdoor advertisements at the very same time on their way to work.

Cable television placements will occur during primetime. 81% of individuals with a household income of $100,000+ watch primetime television so our television efforts will be focused on those times as well. We believe that not as much television will be consumed by our target audience during the day (as they will likely be working) or during the late night hours (as they are asleep already for work the next day) so the time which they will be most likely to sit down and consume media will be once they get home from work during primetime. Weekend placement would occur on Saturday from 8-11 PM and on Sunday from 7-11 PM while families or couples are relaxing and watching television in the evening. Also, the specific placement of commercials during the programs will be as close to the program returning from commercial break as possible so that anyone who may have used a DVR or changed channels during the commercial break still has a high likelihood of seeing our ad.

Internet will have a consistent reach to our audience as Simmons Data has reported strong numbers in our target audience reporting on using the internet for five or more hours between 9am-11pm on a daily basis. This is what leads to our heavy internet emphasis which will be explained later in further detail.

Regional Emphasis

When doing a geographical analysis, we looked to see if previous travel to Mexico was reported from an area. Due to such diversity in various areas of emphasis, we focused on this macro trend as opposed to looking at narrowcast data would still lead to valuable geographic findings.

We found that Mexico tourism was low in the eastern and southern United States, but as we moved west, interest increased.

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Simmons Data reports the highest likelihoods of travel to Mexico in the west region, but more specifically in the states of Arizona, California, Illinois, Texas, and Washington.

We also found cities that reported significant results, while mostly in line with the states we found to be high in travel to Mexico, we uncovered a couple of additional interesting cities. The list includes: Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

In addition to the abovementioned cities, Simmons Data reported that previous travel to Mexico was more likely in the top 25 designated marketing areas (DMAs) so we also are focusing our efforts on cities such as Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, St. Louis, Denver, and Minneapolis. While these cities report strong statistics that they are more likely to travel to Mexico, we do not want to shun other highly populated hotspots such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, so efforts will be put into reaching these areas as well so that Mexico tourism has a presence in those cities.

There will not be a regional emphasis shift by season. Rather, during each season there will be a general emphasis across the nation, not just on specific regions themselves.

Media Scheduling Strategies

This media plan will use a pulsing strategy that has an extremely narrow and focused target so that the target audience will receive constant exposure due to their media consumption patterns all year, but will see an influx of media messages pertaining to Mexico tourism at key points throughout the year utilizing additional media vehicles.

The three projected bursts throughout the year when Mexico tourism is high are again December/January, March/April, and June/July. With that in mind, mid-September/October/November, mid-December/January/February, and mid-March/April/May will be the times in which the highest media efforts are put forward so that as these busy, working, family-oriented consumers will have Mexico tourism at the forefront of their mind while coordinating schedules with their significant other(s).

Overall, the purpose of this pulsing strategy will be to keep a constant presence of Mexico tourism in the minds of consumers, but to a lighter scale during the other parts of the year. Once the prime time for planning a vacation comes around however, the media scheduling will significantly increase in order to best stand out from the clutter of other vacation advertising.

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Media Selection Criteria

The criteria in which media selection occurred focused on two primary factors- cost and taking a look at the lifestyle of the consumer in order to best decide how to reach them.

For example, while looking at the cost per point (CPP) of reaching our target audience, we compared the CPP of broad reaching media such as national television as opposed to narrowly target media such as cable television and decided to look at which one would have the best chance of reaching our specific audience rather than focusing on broad exposure.

That is why we decided to select non-impact media that our research indicated our target audience consumed. The same goes along with our placement and scheduling rationale as well. Simmons Data has verified that television consumption for our audience is highest during primetime, which magazine readership is significant for niche publications, that radio consumption occurs during key drive time portions of the day, and that internet consumption is high throughout the day.

By compiling all of this data, Star Six has allocated money toward each medium with full confidence that each medium selected will be consumed by the target audience, and that this consumption will also occur during the optimal times of the day.

As for editorial compatibility, the focus of placement of our advertisements will be in settling itself between the media our target audience consumes and the values of the audience as well. We believe that the most effective use of money would be by avoiding places where clutter can occur of similar ads as much as possible, but yet still in places where our target audience is so that the advertisements can stand out amongst the media clutter and advertising messages.

Even though our target audience may be specific in relation to the general population, within our own target there is still a lot of diversity within. Age, family status, purposes for travel, hobbies – all of these things will vary within our audience. What the selected media does is bridges the gap between all of these different and unique consumers and connects all of these different people to one core idea – that traveling to Mexico for your next vacation is just what you need. We plan to reach as much of our target audience as possible through a diverse array of channels and mediums.

Summary of rationale for media selection

All of the specific channels, publications, and websites that have been selected were similarly chosen by looking at its compatibility with our audience’s age, income, education level, and if they have ever traveled to Mexico before so that we

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can target these specific media vehicles with the greatest level of assurance that as much of the target audience is getting reached - making each dollar spent that much more effective.

Media Channels emphasized:

Television:Men: ESPN, TBS, Discovery Channel, and Travel ChannelWomen: Food Network, HGTV, E! (Entertainment TV), WE TV, Bravo

Why the emphasis: Television will help give our campaign more of a narrative to it and give our audience an audiovisual experience of all that Mexico offers before they even have to get off of the couch. By using television, we can give audiences a voyeuristic look into what their next vacation can look like by invoking multiple senses. Magazines: Men: Men’s Health, Sky (Delta Airlines), American Way (American Airlines), The Economist, Sports IllustratedWomen: Every Day with Rachel Ray, Fitness, InStyle, Self, Shape, Elle, Allure, Glamour, Marie Claire, Parent, Town & Country, US Weekly, Vogue

Why the emphasis: Magazines are a very narrowly targeted medium as it is, but once we ran Simmons Data, we were able to come up with an even more audience-specific list of magazines that strongly corresponded with our target audience and what they read.

Internet:YouTube.com Expedia.com, FoodNetwork.com, Hotels.com, Orbitz.com, Weather.com, Facebook.com, Travelocity.com, Travelzoo.com

Why the emphasis: For the non-travel sites, we found that men tend to watch more videos online and that women have an interest in cooking which is in line with the rich food culture that Mexico has and the adventurous activities that can be found in Mexico. Also, Facebook will be one major facet of our social media efforts, so we decided to add advertising in there as well for an even deeper presence in social media.

Outdoor:See the regional emphasis above for more details on regional specificity.

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Why the emphasis: Our Simmons Data has shown that in counties labeled as “A” and “B” meaning that along with the top 25 largest counties in the nation, that many counties with populations of 150,000 or more have a higher likelihood of having travelled to Mexico before and thus being more open to receiving our message. In addition to the geographic match, Star Six also believes that exposure rates will be high in these markets as well. Also, we plan on placing these billboards on major freeways that lead in and out of these top markets so that the suburban populations that commute into the city for work can receive frequent exposure to these.

Selected media vehicles:

Internet, television, outdoor, and magazines will all be used in tandem in order to paint a picture of Mexico in the best possible light. By utilizing the audiovisual aspects of the internet and television Star Six will use that to put the audience right in front of all of the fun and amazing things Mexico has to offer and by demonstrating the wide variety of culinary, cultural, and adventurous excursions that they can do while there, they will prompt the audience to take action and begin planning their next trip to Mexico.

Outdoor and magazines will still be incredible vehicles to use for advertising because they can still demonstrate Mexico with high-quality pictures, and vivid colors that will catch the eyes of drivers and readers respectively. Once we get their attention, we believe that the beauty and adventure of Mexico that will be depicted in the ads will prompt them to take action- especially after repeated exposure and the ease of accessing more information.

Summary of rationale for not selecting certain media National Primetime TelevisionThe reason why we did not pursue national television is because we wanted to have a more direct focus on targeting our preferred audience. While the reach of national television is high, the CPP is almost twice that of cable television primetime and decided that in order to best conserve our budget and yet reach our target audience that we would adhere to a stricter set of demographic criteria when selecting media to ensure we reach our audience without spending as much money.

NewspaperWe also did not focus on newspapers because it does not fit well with the image of Mexico that we are trying to portray to consumers and we are looking forward with our budget as well. First, rich and vibrant colors depicting the beauty and culture of Mexico is one of our biggest selling points, and in a newspaper ad, the quality of a color image is not the way we want Mexico to be seen, and this led us to prefer spending the budget in places that can show Mexico’s true colors. Also, instead of investing in newspaper advertising, our media buys shift towards online advertising giving our audience a direct link to learn more rather than having them find the website themselves.

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Impact Media

Banner ads- The three sites that will be used for banner ad placement will be FoodNetwork.com, Weather.com, and YouTube.com. Each of these sites will have a banner ad on them during the three periods of the year in which the highest media emphasis will be given (October/November, January/February, and April/May). Simmons Data shows that females in our exact target audience reported gathering information for a purchase online along with actually making purchases online as well so we want to be sure to receive maximum exposure to our information-seeking consumers who are making online purchasing decisions.

Direct Mail- There will be two months in the year where this will be utilized so as to stand out from our competitors and have a more meaningful interaction with our audience. As fall is occurring (October/November) and during winter (January/February) would be the times where direct mail would be utilized. We believe these are the best times to place traveling to Mexico in the forefront of the minds of consumers because as fall approaches the fond memories of the nice, warm summer will become more fleeting and receiving a piece of mail depicting the natural beauty and fantastic weather of Mexico will give consumers a more positive view of traveling to Mexico. Likewise in the midst of winter, seeing the bright and sunny skies of Mexico may have more impact on those who receive our mailing because they will be experiencing the middle of winter as we send out our second piece of mail.

Outdoor (Top 50)- Outdoor will be used most of the year so that Mexico tourism will constantly be in the minds of those who regularly pass the billboards with our message on it. Since we have strong data according to Simmons that verifies our claims, we are placing these billboards in large cities with surrounding large counties so as to have a broad (yet targeted) exposure, and to stay consistent with our data findings.

Non-Impact Media

Target Sites- Throughout the entire year, Star Six will be sure to keep Mexico at the top of search results so that even if a potential international tourist is planning a trip outside of the parts of the year where Star Six places an extra media emphasis, both visitmexico.com and mymexicostory.com will still have constant exposure. This is done so that potential consumers will have the opportunity to learn both about traveling to Mexico through the main Visit Mexico website, but can immediately seek out what other people are saying about their own Mexico experience through My Mexico Story as well.

Cable Television- Primetime, National Magazines (Men), National Magazines (Women), Spot Radio (Drive Time), Facebook, TripAdvisor, and Expedia or Orbitz.

media plan

banner ad | direct mail | outdoor (top 50) | target sites

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impact media flow chart

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cable television - primetime | national magazines - men | national magazines - women | spot radio - drive timefacebook | tripadvisor | expedia or orbitz | travel agency site | search engine marketing

non-impact meida flow chart

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During our three heavy advertising focused periods (mid-September/October/November, mid-December/January/February, and mid-March/April/May) each of these various forms of non-impact media which will use multiple mediums during its intended timeframe will result in a high reach and high frequency campaign during the times vacations will be organized and planned.

Travel Agency site and Search Engine Marketing will be utilized all year long so that anyone who is thinking about a vacation or decides to browse various travel sites for prices and information will still be able to see Mexico advertisements throughout the year in order to keep a constant awareness of Mexico tourism.

Media Expenditures Summary

Impact Media

Banner Ads ($108,000)- In addition to other internet promotions we plan on incorporating, Star Six believes that due to Simmons Data results it would be great exposure to the audience to see additional banner ads, but only for three websites (which are Foodnetwork.com, YouTube.com, and Weather.com) and during the three periods of the year advertising will increase. 16% of those who reported on clicking banner ads “Very often” were males who had a household income of over $100,000 and 14% who claimed to do so “often” were women reporting a similar household income.

Direct Mail ($523,790)- Rather than spending an exorbitant amount of money on a costly advertising form, we will mail out our material sparingly - when the fall and winter seasons are at their peak - and pictures of the beauty of Mexico will resonate that much more along with differentiating Mexico from the clutter of similar messages.

Outdoor (Top 50) ($16,000,000) - This will be money well spent because our target audience lives in the markets where billboards would be placed. In addition to getting in touch with the audience, these strategic outdoor placements will also have a high exposure rate as the audience will see these billboards at least twice a day if not more.

Target Sites ($2,457,000) – Keeping visitmexico.com and mymexicostory.com at the top of perspective traveler’s internet searches is a large priority due to the high internet usage numbers reported via Simmons Data. Between 15-16% of people who reported clicking on sponsored websites ‘often’ or ‘very often’ had a household income of over $100,000 and also fit our female target audience (previously has traveled to Mexico, age, and education level). If this audience is using the internet as frequently as the research suggests (over five hours a day), then they may be planning their next vacation much further in advance than expected. In the event of this happens, the most pertinent sites related to drawing them into learning more

media plan

17%

17%

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cable television - primetime | national magazines - men | national magazines - women | spot radio - drive timefacebook | tripadvisor | expedia or orbitz | travel agency site | search engine marketing

percent allocation

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about Mexico travel is right in front of them and will lead them to seek out more information that is readily available from both the Mexico Tourism Board and from other travelers. Keeping these sites sponsored throughout the year is absolutely vital for the visibility of Mexico tourism online.

Non-Impact Media (Organized by % allocated)

Cable Television- Primetime/ Movie Previews (25%)The remaining fourth of the budget goes into this form of media because of its access to the target audience. With the proliferation of channels that has occurred in recent years, there is a channel that is tailored to many different kinds of people and after doing research on which of the specific people we are targeting was done, we felt it would be best to give the most amount of money to cable television in order to have a presence on as many different channels our audience consumes as possible.

In addition, with a partnership with GoPro, we will also aim to place real camera footage before movies that will act as a trailer for all of the adventure that Mexico offers. In order to gain exposure to a captive audience, we will place this “preview” before action films that have already attracted the type of audience that seeks and enjoys adventure.

Search Engine Marketing (15%)Using the four key phrases of best beaches, where to go for spring break, action adventures, and best family vacations we want to ensure that regardless of the time of year, that if someone is trying to search for somewhere to travel, the best beaches, or wants general information about Mexico, that Mexico will be at the top of the list by utilizing search engine keywords.

Since women showed much more dedication to various magazines than men did, it seemed logical to follow that trend with the money allocated for advertising. As it seems that women have the planning and purchasing power as well, it is that much more important that our message reaches them in the multiple magazines they consume that still manage to cover a variety of people.

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TripAdvisor (10%)Having a strong advertising presence on this site is important seeing as there is strong data supporting that our exact target audience uses this site for travel purchases. We plan on using extra rich media on this site which refers to our videos including: our viral videos that will be disseminated exclusively online, GoPro footage videos that will also be played as movie previews, and our television commercials as well. By using different videos as our rich media throughout the campaign, the ads popping up on website visitor’s pages will be fresher and more relevant and will give more of an incentive for viewers to click on the ad.

Expedia or Orbitz (10%)Mexico Tourism has previously had a successful partnership with Expedia, and that resulted in positive results for both sides, we must continue to have a presence on this site as well. In addition our data backs up our reasoning to have an advertising presence on both Expedia and Orbitz as our target audience also uses these sites for travel purchases as well. Similar to TripAdvisor, we plan on using extra rich media on this site which refers to our videos including: our viral videos that will be disseminated exclusively online, GoPro footage videos that will also be played as movie previews, and our television commercials as well.

Travel Agency Site (10%)In keeping up a strong online presence, especially as it pertains to travel websites, our Simmons Data also claims that our target audience may be using sites such as Priceline, Travelocity, and Travel Zoo to make travel purchases and/or decisions so we must also make the Mexico image present as these are sites that our target audience uses also. Consistent with our strategy on leading travel websites, we plan on using extra rich media on this site which refers to our videos including: our viral videos that will be disseminated exclusively online, GoPro footage videos that will also be played as movie previews, and our television commercials as well.

Facebook (5%)As we hope to gain a lot of traction via Mexico hashtags and keeping an overall strong social media presence, we also want to make our information accessible to potential consumers as well. While we hope that most of the attention that Mexico garners on social media is through our viral campaigns and eye-catching content, we also will have ads on Facebook so that our consumers can easily find us. The ads that will be purchased on Facebook will not be rich, but will either be a static ad that comes up on the side of a user’s newsfeed and have a direct link to visitmexico.com or a sponsored page embedded within a user’s newsfeed that will link to the VisitMexico Facebook page.

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Spot Radio (Drive Time) (5%)By narrowing the cities in which we will air radio advertisements will help enormously with most efficiently using this particular medium to reach part of our audience. As a captive audience, this is a great way to reach them with our message and as they will likely be listening both to and from work, for the CPP of spot radio, it was an easy investment decision to make. Except for males being less likely to listening to radio (99 index), Simmons data claims that every other factor of our target audience (including age, education, income, and previous travel to Mexico) proved to be statistically significant for listening to radio during drive times. So while our efforts may focus slightly more on women, we will not turn away from the male audience.

National Magazines (Men) (5%)By reaching men via cable, outdoor, internet, and radio, we did not think that spending the additional money (which has a higher CPP compared to women’s magazines) on reaching men via magazines since they do not typically do as much work toward the final purchase of a high-involvement product such as a vacation as women do. We still want to maintain some presence to men in this medium however hence why we still allocate some of our budget towards it.

Public Relations Integration Plan

The Eye of Adventure GoPro Contest will coordinate with media emphases in mid-September/October/November, mid-December/January/February and mid-March/April/May to extend reach and increase frequency beyond the paid media budget. Buzz videos will allow interaction between travelers to Mexico. Social sharing of the GoPro video footage will strengthen cable television advertisements that depict first person perspective, fast-paced visuals by encouraging active participation.

Dates of all Public Relations efforts and events coordinate with our pulsing strategy to support the influx of media messages at key points throughout the year. These events include:

Imagine Your Mexico Photo Booth Tour in mid-September (this event will also complement the burst media plan by traveling to cities that have lower response to paid media content in number of trips taken).

Weekend Cooking Expo with Robert Santibanez which begins in January and goes until mid-February of 2015, coinciding with Star Six’s increased media efforts before peak travel in March. #BeyondTheShore Instagram Photo Contest will be promoted on visitmexico.com and My Mexico Story aggregate site during

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the three media bursts in October/November, January/February and April/May.Colors for a Cause Art Exhibit This will run in April, during the third burst media effort.

Welcoming Event: This event at partnering resorts in Mexico will begin in during peak guest arrivals on Thursday and Friday in September. This “kick-off” event will correspond to the beginning of the campaign.

Event locations: Event locations were selected across the nation in the top 25 DMAs where previous travel to Mexico has been high. Events are allocated across the nation to mirror our general emphasis across the nation. All locations are targeted in the media plan.

Remaining Budget

This media plan was put together with the assumption that we had a $55 million budget to use for media spending. As a result, there is an additional $5 million that remains from the original $60 million budget. In the event of a crisis, or something else occurs that may require unsuspected funds, you will have additional funds to help take care of unforeseen costs.

Situation Analysis:1 Linkedin (n.d.). Mexico Tourism Board | LinkedIn. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.linkedin.com/company/mexico-tourism-board

2 Mexico Tourism Board (2013). Consejo de Promoción Turística de México :: Mision and Vision. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.cptm.com.mx/mision-y-vision

3 Mexico Tourism Board (2013). Consejo de Promoción Turística de México :: Mision and Vision. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.cptm.com.mx/mision-y-vision#herramientas

4 The Embassy of Mexico in Singapore (2013, November 11). Tourism Statistics. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/sin-gapur/index.php/tourism-visit-mexico/tourism-statistics

5 World Tourism Organization (2014, January 20). International tourism exceeds expectations with arrivals up by 52 million in 2013 | World Tour-ism Organization UNWTO. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://media.unwto.org/press-release/2014-01-20/international-tourism-exceeds-expectations-arrivals-52-million-2013

6 World Tourism Organization (2013). Tourism in the Americas 2013 Edition. Retrieved from UNWTO website: http://dtxtq4w60xqpw.cloudfront.net/sites/all/files/pdf/tourism_in_the_americas.pdf

7 Arrioja , J. E. (2013, January 25). Tourism Seen Jumping to Mexico’s 3rd Biggest Cash Source by 2018 - Businessweek. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-06-25/tourism-seen-jumping-to-mexico-s-3rd-biggest-cash-source-by-2018%20

8 Business Monitor International (2013). Mexico Tourism Report Includes 5-year Forecasts to 2017. BMI.

7 Timetric (2012). Travel and Tourism in Mexico, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2016. Retrieved from http://www.marketresearch.com/Timetric-v3917/Travel-Tourism-Mexico-Key-Trends-6849457/

8 Euromonitor International (2013). Travel and Tourism in Mexico. Retrieved from http://www.euromonitor.com/travel-and-tourism-in-mexico/report

9 Lauer, M. (2009, May 27). Mexican president launches new ‘vive mexico’ campaign. Retrieved from http://www.marketwired.com/press-re-lease/mexican-president-launches-new-vive-mexico-campaign-1224035.htm

10 Bruell, A. (2011, June 21). Mexico leans on pr t lure back tourists. Ad Age, Retrieved from http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/mexico-pr-combat-negative-press-lure-back-tourists/228385/

11 Rupal , P. (2011, December 21). Marketing the apocalypse: Mexico’s doing it, so can you. Ad Age, Retrieved from http://adage.com/article/

sources

adages/marketing-apocalypse-mexico-s/231712/

12 Terrero, R. (2011, August 8). Mexico sets strong winter ad campaign. Travel Agent, Retrieved from www.travelagentcentral.com13 Villareal, M. (2013, October 13). Mexico’s new marketing campaign: Live it to believe it!. Retrieved from http://internationalmarketingcom-munications.com/tag/mexico-tourism-board/

14 Pew Global Attitudes Project Poll [April, 2012]

15 Gallup Poll [February, 2013]

16 U.S. Passports and International Travel (2014, January 9). Mexico Travel Warning. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://travel.state.gov/con-tent/passports/english/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html

17 Reid, R. (2013, February 7). Lonely Planet: Are Tourists Safer In Mexico Or America?Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lonely-planet/are-tourists-safe-in-mexico_b_1503288.html

18 World Travel and Tourism Council (2013). Travel and Tourism Economic Impact. Retrieved from http://wttc.org/site_media/uploads/down-loads/mexico2013_2.pdf

19 Fausset, R. (2013, December 1). After president’s first year, Mexico still a mess by many measures. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-mexico-presidency-20131202,0,4431161.story#axzz2uqfZ2sIu

20 Graham, D., & O’Boyle, M. (2012, December 2). Mexico’s new president vows to end violence - World - Times Colonist. Retrieved from http://www.timescolonist.com/news/world/mexico-s-new-president-vows-to-end-violence-1.18091

21 IBISWorld (2014, February). Market Research Reports | Procurement Research Reports | IBISWorld US. Retrieved from http://clients1.ibis-world.com/reports/us/bed/default.aspx?entid=227

22 Expedia Media Solutions (2013). Case Study: Mexican Tourism Board. Retrieved from http://www.advertising.expedia.com/Documents/Case%20Studies/casestudy_MexicoTourismBoard.pdf

23John Ganjel (2013, July 17). U.S. Tourism Company to invest $600 mn in Mexico | Mexico Current News and Mexico Current Events, all the Lat-est News on Mexico Today. Retrieved March 5, from http://mexicotoday.org/article/tourism/us-tourism-company-invest-600-mn-mexico

24 Brandt, N. (2013, September 30). Mexico Drug Wars Don’t Scare Hotel Investors: Real Estate - Bloomberg. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-01/mexico-drug-wars-don-t-scare-hotel-investors-real-estate.html

25 Integrated Information System of Tourism Market (2013). Informacion del Mercado hacia Mexico. Retrieved from http://www.siimt.com/en/siimt/sintesis_de_mercados

26 Forbes, M. (2012, February 2). Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism Rises to the Challenge - Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/moiraforbes/2012/02/02/mexicos-secretary-of-tourism-rises-to-the-challenge/2/

Public Relations Plan:1 Pew Global Attitudes Project Poll [April, 2012]

2 Expedia Media Solutions (2013). Case Study: Mexican Tourism Board. Retrieved from http://www.advertising.expedia.com/Documents/Case%20Studies/casestudy_MexicoTourismBoard.pdf

3 Viva Natura (2003). Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary - Santuario de Mariposa Monarca. Retrieved from http://www.vivanatura.org/Monarca.html DMAI (n.d.). Reasons to Participate. Retrieved from http://www.destinationmarketing.org/dmai-annual-convention/reasons-participate Fodor’s Travel (2014). Coatepec, Veracruz. Retrieved from http://www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/mexico/veracruz/coatepec/

4 World Travel and Tourism Council (2013). Travel and Tourism Economic Impact. Retrieved from http://wttc.org/site_media/uploads/down-loads/mexico2013_2.pdf

5 Roberto Santibanez (n.d.). Roberto Santibanez. Retrieved from http://robertosantibanez.com/cookbooks2/?id=419 6 The Nature Conservancy (2014). Protect Mexico Natural Preservation. Retrieved from http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/mexico/placesweprotect/index.htm

7 Escalera Online Art (2014). Rodolfo Escalera 20th Century Mexican American Master Painter and Artist. Retrieved from http://escaleraart.com/pages/the-artist.html

Media Plan:1 Travel and Tourism - Mexico - May 2010.” Mintel. N.p., May 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.