Oregon Tourism Commission Advertising Accountability Research

1. Oregon Tourism CommissionAdvertising Accountability Research Final Report 2002

2. Table of Contents Page Background 4 The Research 6 Questionnaire 7 Definitions 9 Travel Motivators 10 Hot Buttons 14 Oregon’s Image 15 Image vs. Competitors 19 Image Strengths & Weaknesses vs. Competitors 44 Oregon’s Product Delivery 48 Advertising Awareness 51 Advertising Impacts on Image 54 Bottom Line Advertising Impacts 58

3. Table of Contents (Cont’d) Page Appendices Appendix A – Oregon’s Agricultural Image 65 Appendix B – Methodology 74

4. Background • The Oregon Tourism Commission engaged Longwoods International to conduct a program of research that: • Provides an information base for strategic marketing • Measures the effectiveness of the OTC’s 2000 advertising campaign • Provides accountability in terms of the impact of the OTC’s marketing efforts on trips to Oregon.

5. Background • The objectives of the program were to: • Determine the most important image factors in generating interest in a travel destination • Examine Oregon’s tourism image versus key competitors • Evaluate Oregon’s tourism product • Evaluate the OTC’s tourism advertising in terms of: • Advertising Impacts on Image: • Awareness • Impact on the State’s image as a travel destination • Bottom-line measures • Impact on trips to Oregon • Impact on travel and tourism spending in Oregon

6. The Benchmark Research • An 8-page, 8½”x11” Benchmark survey was mailed in February, 2001 to residents of Oregon’s advertising markets: • 1700 to Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Northern California • 600 to the Southern California Region. • 1196 questionnaires were returned for a 52% response rate. • Respondents were members of a consumer mail panel balanced to be representative of the U.S. population. • Data were weighted prior to analysis.

7. Benchmark Questionnaire • Questionnaire content included: • Top of mind awareness of Oregon as a vacation destination • Image of Oregon and key competitors (Washington, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia) • Past visitation to Oregon • Intentions to visit Oregon during various periods in 2000 and 2001 • Awareness of Oregon’s tourism advertising. • A copy of the survey is appended to this report.

8. The Conversion Research • A one page conversion survey was mailed in January of 2002 to respondents to the benchmark research who indicated that they were planning a trip to Oregon in the year following the conclusion of the tourism advertising campaign. • 400 surveys were mailed and 285 were returned for a return rate of 71%. • Data were weighted prior to analysis. • The conversion questionnaire asked respondents if they had visited Oregon in the period since responding to the benchmark survey.

9. Definitions • Oregon’s RegionalAdvertising Markets include: • Primary Advertising Markets: Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, and Northern California • Secondary Advertising Markets: Southern California.

10. Travel Motivators

11. Travel Motivators • What are the key travel motivators for Oregon as a vacation destination? • To answer this, we measured the degree of association between Oregon as a place travelers “would really enjoy visiting” and their ratings of the state on over 70 different destination attributes. • In order to better communicate the results, the attributes were then grouped into 11 categories or factors.

12. Travel Motivators • For Oregon to be considered as a destination that travelers “would really enjoy visiting,” the state needs to be seen as: • An exciting, must-see destination • Having a great family atmosphere as well as being good for couples and adults. • Also important is that the destination be perceived to be: • A place with excellent sightseeing opportunities • A place offering a unique vacation experience • A popular, well-known place for a vacation • A place offering luxurious hotels and restaurants • A worry free, safe place to travel • Good for entertainment – live music, theatre and arts.

13. Importance Travel Motivators Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

14. Oregon’s Hot Buttons • Looking at the 75 individual destination attributes, the following are the 10 most important (hot buttons) in generating travel interest: • Must see destination • Fun place for a vacation • Good for couples • Good for family vacation • Good for adult vacation • An exciting place • Unique vacation experience • Lots to see and do • Children would enjoy • A real adventure

15. Oregon’s Image

16. Oregon’s Image • Oregon has a reasonably strong image among residents of its advertising markets. • Approximately one half of all respondents strongly agreed that Oregon, as a travel destination is: • an exciting place to visit • a great place for a family vacation • and offers great sightseeing opportunities. • The good news is that these are the three most important travel motivators in generating interest in visiting a destination.

17. Oregon’s Image • Nearly 6 in 10 respondents perceive Oregon to be: • A worry free, safe destination • An affordable place to get to, that is not too far away • A destination offering excellent sports and recreation activities. • While Oregon has some image weakness with regard to entertainment and climate, these are not particularly important in terms of generating interest in visiting.

18. Oregon’s Image vs. The Competition • The challenge that needs to be addressed in the OTC’s advertising programs is that even in its image strengths Oregon remains somewhat undistinguished from its key competitors: • Exciting - Oregon trails British Columbia and Montana, and is tied with Washington • Family atmosphere and Sightseeing- Oregon trails only British Columbia and is more or less tied with Montana and Washington • Worry free – trails Montana and tied with B.C. and Idaho • Affordable – Oregon leads the pack here • Sports and Recreation – trails Montana but a little ahead of the rest.

19. Oregon’s Image vs. Competitors Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

20. Exciting Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

21. Exciting Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

22. Family Atmosphere Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

23. Family Atmosphere Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

24. Sightseeing Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

25. Sightseeing Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

26. Sightseeing Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

27. Unique Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

28. Unique Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

29. Popular Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

30. Popular Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

31. Luxurious Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

32. Luxurious Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

33. Worry Free Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

34. Worry Free Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

35. Entertainment Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

36. Entertainment Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

37. Sports & Recreation Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

38. Sports & Recreation Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

39. Sports & Recreation Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

40. Climate Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

41. Climate Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

42. Affordable Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Competitors include Washington State, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia

43. Affordable Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

44. Oregon’s Image Strengths & Weaknesses vs. Competitors

45. Image Vs. The Competition • Versus the competitive set (Washington, Montana, British Columbia and Idaho): • Oregon’s image strengths are generally related either to outdoor activities or convenience of access and affordability • Notably, there is also a strength in festivals and events – an important and growing travel segment • Image weaknesses are in the areas of perceived excitement, adventure, uniqueness and interesting culture and custom – some of the most important image attributes when it comes to generating traveler interest.

46. Oregon’s Strengths vs. The Competitors Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets

47. Oregon’s Weaknesses vs. The Competitors Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Attributes in bold type represent those which are most important

48. Oregon’s Product Delivery

49. Oregon’s Tourism Product • In evaluating Oregon’s tourism product, we compared the state’s image among those who have never visited (expectations) versus those who have visited in the last two years (recent experience or product). • Oregon’s tourism product clearly surpasses expectations in every category, including the most important travel motivators. • Recent visitors to Oregon have a stronger image of the state as: • An exciting, must see destination • An excellent vacation destination for both family and couples • Having great sightseeing and truly beautiful scenery.

50. Oregon’s Product vs. Image Base: Residents of Oregon’s Regional Advertising Markets * Visited in past two years