Over 1 Billion Ways to Say ‘Come Visit’

The flagging economy and tough legislative budget wrangling have leveled out for many state tourism offices, which are back to the business of luring in visitors. And it is a big business: More than $810 billion is spent by travelers in the U.S. every year.

Lately, many destination marketers are turning over more of their budgets to digital and social media both to save money and track effectiveness. For state tourism offices, accountability can mean the difference between getting funded or getting cut. Collectively, state destination marketers manage about $677 million in total yearly budgets, while city and specific destinations have more than $1.4 billion, according to the Destination Marketing Association International and U.S. Travel Organizations.

“For every dollar spent, they get back between $4 and $10 (in taxes),” said Jake Steinman, CEO of North American Journeys and organizer of the annual eTourism Summit. “The tourism agencies haven’t been able to convince their states that they are the sales force for the state. Sometimes it seems the only way they can justify their existence is to close down and see what happens.” (www.adage.com)

The Hottest New Joint in Town Is Club Applebee’s

Chain restaurants probably aren’t the first places that come to mind when late-night drinking is on the agenda. But Applebee’s is trying to change that.

Certain Applebee’s locations in the U.S. have become known as Club Applebee’s because locations such as one in Del Rio, Texas, and about 50 Applebee’s in central Florida lure customers in with half-price appetizers, drink specials and the promise of dance music or karaoke.

The Club Applebee’s locations typically try to have themes most nights of the week, such as karaoke night, trivia night, ’80s night and even the occasional luau.

“There’s been significant traction the past two years” in the late-night daypart, said Mr. Masilionis. “This particular daypart has been a strong driver in 2010 and 2011, and we still see opportunity moving forward.” (www.adage.com)

5 Brands Testing Foursquare’s New Ads

Time to look in on how Foursquare’s numerous brand partners are testing “promoted updates,” the geo-social platform’s first-ever advertising product that was launched last week. We’ve got examples from Whole Foods, JCPenney, Hertz, Old Navy and Crunch Fitness.

First, a quick tutorial on how the GPS-enabled promoted updates work. If downtown New Yorkers open the Explore tab on the Foursquare app while near an Old Navy, for example, they could receive a promoted $15 off special from the retailer that can be redeemed if they check in at a store in the vicinity. The ads platform also has similarities to paid search promotions. When users search for specials, a relevancy algorithm serves deals based on the users’ check-in history and whether they’ve “liked” the retailer. (www.adweek.com)

A Torrent of Toys, From Lunchables

MARKETERS used to entice children with cheap plastic trinkets in boxes of Cracker Jack or cereal. The Lunchables brand is raising the stakes considerably.

In a new advertising and sweepstakes campaign called “Never Be Bored Again,” the brand will give away prizes valued at more than $1 million to children ages 6 to 13, its largest giveaway ever. The brand is giving three grand prize winners $7,500 and one of three options valued at $25,000: a multiroom treehouse, a backyard court for multiple sports or an electronics-filled game room.

The brand is also awarding 25,000 winners a Hasbro toy or game, including toys like Nerf foam dart guns (valued at $35) and games like Sorry ($17).

In a cinema commercial promoting the giveaway, children armed with Nerf guns pretend to engage in a war battle, all of it filmed with the sweeping music of a war movie. When one of the battalions retreats to a backyard and scurries into a treehouse, a boy declares that he won it from Lunchables. (www.nytimes.com)

Bears extend with official fan travel partner

Chicago Bears has announced that sports travel and event management company Primesport will continue as the official fan travel partner of the National Football League (NFL) franchise.

Financial terms of the renewal were not released.

“With the release of the schedule and the start of the season quickly approaching, we are extremely excited to get back on the field and gain momentum towards a successful 2012,” said Chicago Bears vice president of sales and marketing Chris Hibbs. “We know that our continued partnership with Primesport will provide our incredible fans safe and reliable packages throughout the season.”

Primesport chief operating officer Greg Norman added, “We have built a reputation in the NFL as a reliable and dependable source for fan and corporate travel, and we look forward to delivering a unique experience to Bears fans. Leave the planning to us. We can deliver unforgettable and hassle-free experiences that fans and companies will remember for a lifetime.” (www.sportspromedia.com)

Quiksilver to produce NHL-branded boardshorts

The National Hockey League (NHL) has announced a new merchandising agreement with American surfwear brand Quiksilver.

The partnership, which was unveiled at the 2012 NHL Exchange licensed products and retail trade show, sees Quiksilver producing co-branded NHL boardshorts which will be available from October.

“We are excited to extend the reach of our Quiksilver brand in partnership with the NHL,” said Quiksilver Americas executive vice president Steve Tully “Hockey fans in the US and Canada will now have the opportunity to experience Quiksilver’s iconic product category — boardshorts— in collaboration with their favourite NHL teams.” (www.sportspromedia.com)

LG Takes On Overwhelming Laundry

The average consumer, if they’re lucky, only shops for a specific appliance once or twice a decade. It’s important, however, for the makers of those machines to find ways to stay top of consumers’ minds constantly to ensure they will be in the consideration set when purchase time comes.

Along those lines, LG Electronics is launching a social media campaign for its washers and dryers that it hopes consumers will see, share and remember when they’re shopping for their own appliances.

“We wanted to make sure we continued to engage with consumers from a brand perspective,” David VanderWaal, director of brand marketing for home appliances at LG Electronics USA, tells Marketing Daily. “The objective is to create a conversation with consumers by being relevant and authentic and genuine, and not trying to sell anything. We’re trying hard to create a relationship that the consumer will not only enjoy, but they will pass it on.”

The Facebook-based campaign consists of videos depicting a woman, Sharon, whose life has been taken over by laundry. “It’s hard to say when this all started. Two months? Five years?” says the woman, who is basically a pile of laundry with a head and limbs. “It seems like I spend every waking moment doing laundry.” The videos go on to depict the daily struggles of her life, such as not being recognized by friends for lunch dates, trying to get into the front seat of her car, and unsuccessfully having an intimate moment with her husband. The campaign employs the tagline “Less Mess. More Life.” (www.mediapost.com)

Five Guys Leads Restaurant Growth Rankings

Five Guys Burgers and Fries came out on top in the 2012 rankings of the 15 hottest restaurants from the National Retail Federation’s Stores magazine, based on 2011 U.S. sales growth by percentage.

Five Guys — which saw U.S. sales jump by 48% last year to $921 million — was also #1 in last year’s rankings. The rankings are compiled by Kantar Retail.

The other chains in last year’s top four also held their positions this year. Jimmy John’s ranks #2, with 2011 U.S. sales growth of 28.3% to $953 million; Chipotle Mexican Grill ranks #3, with 23.5% growth to $2.26 million; and BJ’s Restaurants ranks #4, with 20.8% growth to $621 million.

Four chains not on last year’s list made the 2012 rankings: Noodles & Company (#8, +17% to $304 million); Dunkin’ Brands (#13, +8.7% to $6.43 million for combined U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins units); frozen-custard chain Culver Franchising System (#14, +8.2% to $718 million); and multi-chain operator Darden Restaurants (#15, + 8.1% to $7.9 million). (www.mediapost.com)