VisitSanAntonio.TV
The search for San Antonio stars officially launched this month through local broadcast coverage and a local paid media plan. Residents who have a story idea that captures the heart and soul of San Antonio can submit their ideas on VisitSanAntonio.TV. If selected, their idea will be developed into a four-episode show that will air on Visit San Antonio’s new channel, VisitSanAntonio.TV, as well as on YouTube. Through this exciting, new marketing initiative, consumers will be able to immerse themselves in the destination in ways that are engaging and easily shareable through social channels. All stories will be authentic and informative and will represent San Antonio’s heritage, family, arts and culinary scenes.
Day of the Dead Festivities
September and October marketing efforts focus on promoting San Antonio’s heritage through the activities and traditions around the Day of the Dead celebration and help position San Antonio as an authentic and unique destination. Messaging includes the breadth of activities happening from Oct. 26 through Nov. 3 to reinforce that San Antonio is the city to visit in order to experience this unique celebration. See creative here. VisitSanAntonio.com features Day of the Dead imagery on the home page and links to a custom landing page (sadayofthedead.com) with content about this tradition. The website Events section also features this holiday and quickly links to a curated list of events, including those that are part of the new Day of the Dead festival with its river parade, public art and activities in La Villita. Additional owned media assets, social media channels and opt-in e-news are also promoting Day of the Dead in San Antonio. Marketing actions also include advertising in regional publications Texas Monthly, D Magazine, Houstonia and Austin Monthly and Mexico publications Mural and El Norte. Digital ads and paid social media with video are targeted to Texas and the touch states, as well as key national markets and Mexico markets (Monterrey, Guadalajara, Mexico City and the Bajio region). A sponsored listening program with Pandora in Texas includes an invitation for consumers to watch a Visit San Antonio video in return for an hour of commercial-free music, during which time the Visit San Antonio ad is displayed on the mobile device. E-blasts to paid, targeted lists deployed in September and will go through October. If you are implementing a Day of the Dead event, make sure you add it here so that it gets visibility through Visit San Antonio efforts.
2020 Planning
The Marketing team and The Atkins Group have been developing 2020 media plans over the summer. Recommended media plans for Domestic Leisure, International Leisure and Meetings & Conventions markets are now in review. Overall marketing strategies for 2020 can be reviewed in the Visit San Antonio Annual Plan on Partners.VisitSanAntonio.com.
Holidays Are Coming
A robust marketing plan will promote holidays in San Antonio starting Nov. 1. Media will include print, digital, email, social media, broadcast and out-of-home. In addition, a Holidays co-op gives partners the opportunity to promote their specific business along with the destination.
Promote Your Holiday Events
Help us make sure consumers know all they can experience in San Antonio over the holidays. Add your events to VisitSanAntonio.com here. Also, the Submit an Event link now appears at the bottom of every page of the new VisitSanAntonio.com to make it easier for you. You do not have to be a Visit San Antonio member to add events.
Meetings Website
Content and design development are under way for a new Meetings website. The new website will be more visual, similar to the Leisure website, and will streamline navigation and improve functionality to best meet meeting professionals’ needs.
Meetings and Conventions
Digital, web, social media and print marketing efforts are ongoing, generating an estimated 4.5 million impressions with paid media in September. Also in September, print ads appear in Trade Show Executive and Meetings Today. A new co-op initiative, San Antonio meetings-themed custom e-mails, was implemented to spotlight participating partners while highlighting San Antonio as a unique meeting destination. The first summer deployment consisted of two emails and showcased the following partners: Professional Images Photography, Markey’s, The Quarry Golf Club, SeaWorld San Antonio, Wyndham San Antonio River Walk, Holiday Inn Riverwalk San Antonio, Embassy Suites San Antonio Riverwalk, Biga on the Banks, CRE8AD8, Paesanos Restaurant Group, Embassy Suites at Brooks and Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa. A total of 1.5 million emails were sent and resulted in strong open rates of 21-22 percent and click-through rates of 2.1-2.3 percent. An additional meetings-themed email co-op is scheduled for early October.
2020 Co-Op Opportunities
Take advantage of opportunities to promote your business along with the destination. Tactics are available ranging from $500 to $50,000 and Visit San Antonio will handle implementation. See the 2020 co-op offerings here.
Events Drive Visits
Consumers want to know what’s happening, and the Events section of the website is heavily trafficked. With the new website, this section is more engaging than ever. Don’t forget to add your events to VisitSanAntonio.com here. Also, the Submit an Event link now appears at the bottom of every page of the new VisitSanAntonio.com to make it easier for you. You do not have to be a Visit San Antonio member to add events.
Maps & Guides
Your customers might appreciate a copy of our convenient Tearaway Map showing the downtown and metro areas or our handy Dining & Nightlife Guides. If you would like a supply, please contact Visit San Antonio’s front desk at 210-244-2000.