I used to spend every other week traveling throughout 13 states in the Midwest for business. I have seen the Corn Palace in South Dakota (http://www.cornpalace.org/). I’ve driven an SUV on frozen Lake Minnetonka. I’ve had a chance to compare Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Texas BBQ in a one month span. I’ve visited family and friends all along the east coast. I have taken a number of road trips through Oregon, Washington and Nevada. I like to think I’m a well traveled man.
The one lesson I’ve learned is there is no place like home. California, the Golden State. Home of USC, UCLA, Berkeley, Stanford, Pepperdine, CSUF, among the many other fine institutions. We have Silicon Valley and the Housewives of the OC, Snoop Dogg and Mickey Mouse. We have THIS!!! I like frigid 60 degree winter days. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy snowboarding. It’s just that I prefer to go to the snow instead of having it come to me. I enjoy driving to the white, snow-capped Sierra’s in an hour… wearing shorts and flip flops. More than that, I like the fact that I can enjoy a day snowboarding and still make it to a sunset dinner on the beach in the same day. Sure traffic is horrific, botox and silicone abounds, and it costs $800k to buy a 1600sq foot condo but I’ll take it. I have the sun, snow, Hollywood, and beaches all at my finger tips.
Sounds great doesn’t it? Not so much. As I open my morning e-newspaper, I’m slapped with a brutal reminder of our reality. California is hurting. Recent headlines read “84 companies added to the ‘leaving California’ list.” “California dominates small-business bankruptcies.” “Is California A Sinking Ship?” Ouch. Sure our regulations and taxes need to be more business-friendly but for a State that has so much to offer, it seems we should be able to figure out how to boost our economy. Well, the California Tourism Board came out with a number of TV Ads that I’ve seen repeatedly on major networks.
Tourism makes up a huge chunk of our tax revenues so I like the idea. My only question is why I, a SoCal resident, keep seeing these ads on major TV networks here in the state? I know it takes a hefty sum of money to purchase ad space and produce ads. Why are they targeting Californians with an ad that has our Governator telling us “you’ll be back.” We’ll be back??? We’re already here!
Granted, I haven’t seen metrics on the ad campaign but at face value it looks like they’re targeting the wrong people with the wrong ad. This happens so often with businesses today. One recent example we spoke to is a airport Town Car service who serves business travelers. This company’s ad campaign was targeted to his local area so they were missing all the business travelers flying into town from other states. While this is a blatant example, the principle holds true… it is always important to evaluate your ad campaigns to ensure your money is being maximized. Our consultants have been a tremendous resource for many businesses and enjoy working with clients to maximize their ad spend in these tough times. Give us a call… I assure you, “You’ll be back.”
– Michael
Nett Solutions is a SEM agency working with Yahoo! and Google. We are a SoCal based company built of an eclectic cornucopia of: marketers, mothers & fathers, husbands & wives, college grads & MBA’s, surfers, church-goers, athletes, comedians (and those who think they are comedians). Our common bond is that we like to help people succeed.