2010

Ginger SingerMontana Tech The University of Montana11/15/2010

Tourism Marketing for Fort Benton

Fort Benton

To understand the economy of Fort Benton I will first explain how the town began and

business booms that have happened throughout the years. Fort Benton is the birthplace

of Montana and has struggled with economic changes. However, this small town found a

niche in tourism marketing. To understand the benefits that tourism can offer a small

town, it is important to understand how tourism marketing works and how to correctly

advertise to tourists. Through my research I will explain the tourism industry and

tourism marketing. I will explain how to use effective advertising along with describing

how to create a logo design and other forms of media.

Alexander Culbertson, a principle trader in the American Fur Company constructed a

wooden fort along the Missouri River. The fort was originally named Fort Henry then

renamed Fort Lewis by the Corps of Discovery. After the fort’s construction was

finished, Malcolm Clarke was left in charge. It wasn’t until winter swept over the land

that Malcolm Clarke and Alexander Culbertson realized that the location of the fort

would not be ideal because of ice jams and floating ice. It was suggested to Culbertson

that they relocate the fort downriver three miles on the north side of the bank. Fort Lewis

was taken apart and floated down the river (Lepley, 1999; Doerk 2010).

By spring of 1847, Fort Benton was formed. However, it wasn’t named Fort Benton until

1850. Culberson named the fort after Thomas Hart Benton. Benton saved the American

Fur Company from loosing its license after a dispute with the Federal government about

trading whiskey with the Indians (Lepley, 1999). Fort Benton was important to travelers,

traders, settlers, and gold seekers. It was the premier trading post in Blackfoot country

(Doerk, 2010).

The last steamboat came in 1922. The reason steamboats were seen less and less was due

to trains. Trains became faster and more efficient, and eliminated the need for

steamboats. Unfortunately, steamboats were not the only demise for the popularity of

Fort Benton. Fur trading became less common until 1865 (Lepley, 1999).

The original structure of the fort was made out of logs. After Alexander Culbertson

visited Fort Laramie he suggested that Fort Benton be built out of adobe, similar to Fort

Laramie. It was thought that adobe would hold up better in Montana weather conditions

than logs. Unfortunately the adobe structure did not hold up as well as was anticipated.

Although the fort deteriorated, one corner of the fort still stands today. It is located in the

town’s park and is one of the oldest buildings in Montana. Since then to the present day,

construction has started to rebuild the fort in order to remember the history of the town.

Recently the fort has been reconstructed and is now one of the leading tourist attractions

in Fort Benton (Doerk, 2010).

Changing economy

At the turn of the century, Fort Benton saw a boost in the population and several new

jobs. Ranches and homesteads began to spread through the prairie that surrounded Fort

Benton. Fort Benton is surrounded by countryside, which made it ideal for ranching.

The cattle population around town kept rising that cause a demand for cattlemen. Cattle,

helped save Fort Benton from its declining economy and population (Lepley, 1999).

Farming Economy Boost

Mining had swept the state and the western half of the county for that matter. Mining

may have made the country aware of what Montana had to offer, however, it was

homesteading that brought people and kept their interest (Lepley).

The Enlarged Homestead Act was passed by congress in 1909. The act gave 320 acres of

land to be farmed for three years then the farmer could claim it as their own. This act did

not segregate to genders. Woman we allowed to claim land also. A man and a woman

would be able to double their land by getting married (Lepley).

Chouteau County was in the center of all this, and the land surrounding filled with crops.

Prior to the Homestead Act there were only a couple hundred people living in Fort

Benton. After the fact the population grew to a couple thousand. The ancestors of many

of the family’s that farm today were the people that originally homesteaded the land

(Lepley, 1999).

Farming turned out to be good for the state, probably better then they had imagined or the

rest of the country. The well-known unpredictable weather became stable. It rained

when the farmers needed and stopped when it was harvest time. The weather was so

beneficial that more and more people traveled to Montana to start farming. World War I

brought an increase in the price of wheat. There was so much grain that came through

Choteau County that it took days to even drop of a load at the grain elevator (Lepley,

1999).

Unfortunately Montana’s weather could only be predictable for so long. By the time the

United States entered the war farmland started drying up. The Federal government

believed that the prices of wheat would increase when the country entered into the war.

Farmers bought more land to take advantage of the prices. Unfortunately the war brought

prices down and the farmers that borrowed money for more land we now surrounded by

dept (Lepley, 1999).

Devastation from the Great War hit all over the country. Choteau County had the highest

death rate in the Great War for Montana. The war finally ended, however, conditions still

were not looking up the Fort Benton’s farming community. The weather remained dry.

In 1919, the weather reached the driest it had ever been since the Homestead Act (Lepley,

1999).

Almost five years later the weather became more ideal for farming. The hot summer

days cooled down a couple of degrees. The rain came back to the plains. Unfortunately,

the grasshoppers also enjoyed this good fortune in weather. The crops grew more

plentiful and the grasshoppers took advantage of this. The crops became infested with

grasshoppers causing grain to be worth less. It wasn’t until 1928 when crops and the

economy started to turn around. Chouteau County became the primary producer of wheat

in Montana. To this day Chouteau County still owns this title (Lepley, 1999).

The second Great War hit the country and took the economy with it. Weather conditions

remained beneficial, however, the price of crops declined so much that farmers had to

store their crops to sell later when prices started to rise again. Several farmers stored

their harvested crops for so long that they began to rot then they were unable to sell.

From then on there were consistent ups and downs in crop production and the wheat

market (Lepley, 1999).

From this research Fort Benton has seen many shifts in business opportunities throughout

the years. The larger towns in Montana see more economic growth than smaller towns so

it is necessary for those smaller towns to find a way to keep current jobs and create new

ones. Because Fort Benton is so rich in history it only seemed necessary for the town to

capitalize on the tourism market.

It is important to understand the history of the economy of Fort Benton to understand

present day conditions. Advertising for tourism in small towns in Montana include

historical events, people, and landmarks. Also to market tourism it is important to

determine the audience. Typically tourists looking to visit Fort Benton are interested in

the fort and historical stories that took place in the town. To understand Fort Benton’s

culture it is important to understand the history and economic trends.

Fort Benton Today

Fort Benton is currently home to 1,594 people. The town reached its peak population in

the 1970s; however, it has roughly maintained its size since then. Currently, the town is

made up of an older community. The mean age is 43 years of age. Fort Benton is known

as a retirement community and many people around the state mention that they wish to

retire in Fort Benton. 97% of the people in Fort Benton are Caucasian. There are a few

other races, however, that make up less than 3% of the population (U.S. Census Bureau,

2000).

Businesses in Fort Benton have come a long way from trading furs and beads. Farming

is still one of the leading businesses across the county. Cattle ranching are also important

among the economy. Fort Benton may not be big enough to have a movie theater or a

mall, but there are several businesses that are essential to the community. The grocery

store, gas stations, car lots, and restaurants prosper in the community. There are several

small businesses that are locally owned that bring in commerce to the town (U.S. Census

Bureau, 2000).

Tourism is a large part of Fort Benton’s success. Every year durring the month of June,

Fort Benton puts on a festival called Summer Celebration. Summer Celebration is

important to the town because it brings in the most tourism.

Tourism Industry

Tourism, all around the world has grown to considerable importance (Crampon, 1955).

Tourism contributes to economic development and has potential in providing social

benefits by contributing to cultural enhancements (Bushell, Prosser, Faulkner, & Jafari,

2001). Traveling is a social practice for people to meet and see other places (Coultard,

2008). A tourist is usually defined as someone who is traveling for pleasure. However, it

is possible for recreation and business to be combined (Crampon, 1955).

One of Fort Benton’s most notable tourist attractions is Summer Celebration. This

weekend allows visitors to learn the town’s history, partake in cultural events, and buy

and sell merchandise. Every year Summer Celebration is host to “Art in the Park.” Art

in the Park allows in-state and out-of-state residence to sell crafts and merchandise. The

Summer Celebration committee receives 10% of each vendor’s commission. Buy selling

these crafts; the vendors are able to run their businesses (Paige, 2009). These crafts play

a significant role in the geographic and cultural region. They provide symbols of the

community and share beliefs, customs, and values (Basu, 1995).

Tourism Marketing

In order to encourage previous visitors to revisit Fort Benton and persuade new tourists to

travel to Fort Benton it is important to market for tourism. Unfortunately, funding for a

small town is low for advertising and marketing. It is necessary to budget the cost to

implement an advertising campaign. Some examples of texts that can be produced for

tourists and by tourists are maps, guide and travel books, postcards, narratives, and

procedural testimonies (Caldas-Coulthard, 2008). Tourism advertising involves

representing the places tourists want to visit and why they want to visit (Iedema 2001). It

also is important for tourism marketing to turn realities into versions of reality (Van

Leeuwen, 2005).

In the past, the use of brochures, newspaper ads, magazine ads, and television spots has

been beneficial for marketing the town. Marketing for Fort Benton is difficult because

the town relies on grant money. With a limited budget, the tourism committees are

restricted in how they can advertise. Every couple of years a new brochure is created that

relays information about the town. The other brochures for the museums, the Shep

monument, local businesses, etc, remain the same every year. To help the town market

on a budget every year it is beneficial to create something that the committees can use

and alter by themselves and produce inexpensively.

Tourism advertising is concerned with the identification of generating branded identities

of particular images or brands of tourist destination (Faiclough, 2003). One of many

reasons why Fort Benton is a tourist hub is because there are so many iconic attractions in

the town. The town itself was originally a fort, which has been recreated for the historic

value and to be used as a tourist attraction. The Missouri River is famous for Lewis and

Clark traveling on it up river on their expedition. Shep is one of Montana’s most famous

animals for his loyalty (Doerk, 2010). With tourism advertising it is important to depict

these iconic landmarks and characters in order to inform or remind visitors about Fort

Benton.

In current tourism advertising, there is a reverse process of modification by technology

(Fairclough 1996). Multimodal resources combine into a single medium written

language, music, sound, and appealing images to inform or educate consumers (Caldas-

Coulthard, 2008). My project will use this process by creating brochures that inform the

audience about the attractions the town has to offer and it will be supplemented with

images. The video will present to the audience the history of the town along with

showing past and present images of Fort Benton. Summer Celebration is a well known

festival to those who have visited in prior years. The logo design will serve as a

multimodal resource to tourists because it will inform tourists when the festival will be

held and the theme. It will also educate visitors about the history of the town.

Tourism advertising uses structures of person involvement such as exposition, narration,

and persuasion (Van Leeuwen, 2005). My project will encompass all of these structures

because it is important to send more than one message to an audience of multiple people

from multiple cultures. In tourism advertising it is important to identify that in both

virtual and written advertising there is a sender and receiver also known as a traveler and

host (Baider et al., 2004). This is important because the sender (host) encodes the

message that must be decoded correctly by the receiver (traveler) in order to

communicate the message efficiently. If the logo design for Summer Celebration is not

encoded or decoded correctly it will negatively affect tourists view on visiting Fort

Benton.

Visuals can show different messages (Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2001). It is commonly

known that photographs do not lie; however, the photographer is able to edit the photo in

order to get their point of view across (Caldas-Coulthard, 2008). Even though the

elements in a photo are real, the photograph may not depict reality. Typically, I will edit

my photos to make them look more intriguing to the audience. For instance, if it is a

cloudy day I will edit the sky to make it look more blue and sunny. If there is trash on

the ground or an object that is out of place, I will eliminate the distraction. Tourist

advertising constructs a particular version of reality (Caldas-Coulthard, 2008). Photos

are memorable and by representing a slice of time (Sontag, 1973). Photographs show the

tourist a particular attraction or landmark the person could see if they were there

(coleman, 1998). This tool is especially useful on brochures. Brochures inform and

educate the reader and photographs are supplemental to show the reader what they can

see to persuade them to visit. Photos are the most straightforward way to represent

people and places in tourism marketing (Caldas-Coulthard, 2008).

Effective advertising

Advertising allows businesses to reach consumers. In advertising, it is important to pay

attention to the meaning of the ad along with the connotations. Connotations are

emotional and sway a person’s emotional reaction rather than logical need. They connect

cultural context in advertising. Consumers have needs and wants and businesses need the

consumer to know about their products or services. Marketing and advertising is the

answer to both the consumer and the business (Vintean, 2010).

When considering gender roles in advertising, individuals are influenced by three

categories. Certain characteristics of stumuli may enhance or decrease the elaboration of

the message (if the product is perceived as feminine or masculine). Second, the

characteristics of individuals can affect attention and elaboration of the message

(traditional or non-traditional gender-role orientation). Lastly, situational factors may be

important to influence the elaboration of the message (Ademola, 2009).

There are two types of marketing communication claims know as objective claims and

subjective claims (Koc, 2002). Objective claims are related to the extent to which it

associates the brand with a tangible product or service feature. For instance, the camera

has auto focus features. Subjective claims convey emotional, subjective, impressions of

intangible aspects of a product or service. They are non-physical features of a product or

service that cannot be directly perceived, as they have no physical reality. For instance,

claiming the brochure has a beautiful design (Holbrook, 1978; Edell & Staelin, 1983).

Males tend to respond better to objective marketing communications claims while

females tend to respond better to subjective marketing communications claims

(Silverman, 1970).

When advertising to different genders it is important to remember how men and women

process information. Females process information comprehensively. Males process

information through heuristic devices such as procedures, methods or strategies for

solving problems (Statt, 1977). Men prefer to have available and apparent cures to

interpret the message where females engage in more creative, associative, imagery-laced

interpretation (Wood, 1966).

Tourist destinations and experiences are used as aesthetic strategies in literature,

television, marketing, and films. Landscapes and landmarks can be seen as visual, spatial

and ideal concepts. They are significant in tourism and consumer ads and illustrate

imagination to communicate consumer culture (Waade, 2010). The viewer and the reader

have an aesthetic relationship to the text similar to the relationship between an artwork

and a museum visitor. The consumer is receptive to the experience through his or her

feelings and memories (Kaare, 2002).

The concept of tourist gaze and visual culture of tourism has been the object of

comprehensive research interests and theoretical reflections (Crouch et al., 2005).

Tourist gaze is a visual matrix that structures the commercial image of tourist sites,

landscapes, and events in forms of media such as postcards, travel books, and brochures.

These forms of media shape the tourist’s perception, understanding and experience of

specific places and cultures they visit (Urry, 2002).

In advertising, it is important to catch and hold the consumers’ attention (Pieters et al.,

2010). Advertisements must use professional-looking clutter-free designs. Complexity

can have a negative effect on the audience because they pay less attention to the brand

and the message (Aitchinson, 1999; Book and Schick 1997).

Creating a Design

One of the most powerful tools in advertising is that it is better to use less than more

words (Vintean, 2010). One of the most basic ways to advertise is by using a logo.

Logos put an image to a name. The number one rule of logo design is to keep it simple.

Logos are beneficial to advertising because they will not look dated after a couple of

years (Breau, 2009). There are two strategies that are beneficial to build a brand:

distinctiveness and consistency (Knutsen, 2004).

When creating a logo, the design must be unique to the business, product, or event they

are representing. It isn’t always necessary to create a new graphic when text will suffice.

It is important to keep consistency when designing a logo (Knuten, 2004). The use of

color in a logo is powerful because they evoke specific emotions (Breau, 2009).

A typeface must be chosen that can be used consistently in the body of related text

documents. This typeface should set the product apart from other products. For instance

if competitors use 12 point Times New Roman it would be helpful to use a different

typeface to stand out (Knutsen, 2004).

When submitting a project it can benefit the client organizationally and the project

aesthetically to package the deliverables. Packaging makes the project look attractive,

professional, and unique. Packaging includes binding, color, cover design, and even the

page orientation. Packaging gives the impression that the author cares about how the

project looks. In many mediums, tone is often overlooked; however it can be used to

make the project stand out. It is easier for the audience if the textual information is short,

pointed, and consumer-friendly (Knutsen, 2004).

Designing Brochures

Brochures are an easy and inexpensive way to inform the consumer about a product,

service, event, or attraction. There are a few tips designers can follow to ensure their

brochure has appeal towards the consumer (William, 2008).

Contrast adds visual interest to the page and it also helps create a hierarchy of

information so the audience can scan important point rather than read the entire

document. Contrast can be used in the typefaces, rules, colors, spacing, and the size of

the elements. Contrast is only effective if it is strong. In other words, if two elements are

different but similar it may look more like a mistake than a design strategy (Williams,

2008).

Repetition can benefit the brochure by creating a unified look to the document. Some

forms of repetition may include colors, fonts, layout, and bullets. Alignment is important

to make the brochure look professional. Strong, sharp edges create strong, sharp

impressions. Combining alignments can cause the piece to look sloppy. For instance,

using right align, left align, and center alignment together to eliminate white space

(Williams, 2008).

The Last tip is Proximity. Proximity groups similar items together. Proximity can be

used on a brochure providing information about an attraction. On a brochure for historic

Fort Benton, information on the history of the fur trading fort would be grouped in one

section. A description of each of the buildings would be in another section. Tour

information, address, and contact information would be grouped in another section.

Proximity makes it easier for the reader to scan the brochure (Williams, 2008).

Conclusion

Even though Fort Benton has seen many economic changes in the past, the town has

found benefits in tourism. Fort Benton has limited resources so money is tight when

budgeting for advertising. Tourism has grown to considerable importance. It contributes

to economic development and has potential in providing social benefits by contributing to

cultural enhancement. Maps, guide and travel books, postcards, narratives, and

procedural testimonies are used as forms of advertising for tourism. My senior project,

which is a marketing package for Fort Benton, will include a logo design for Summer

Celebration, brochures, and a film on the history of Fort Benton.

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