Over the past few years, the phrase “the year of mobile” has been with us to ring in each New Year. And 2013 is no excep-

tion, as we get much closer to that foretell-

ing becoming true. In a study conducted by comScore, smart-phones and tablets now drive one out of every three minutes spent with digital media. These numbers are tough for market-ers to ignore. So, what types of

mobile marketing tactics can marketers in the Show-Me State easily integrate into a current strategy to help boost tourism?

Mobile-Friendly Websites The growth of local search and social media has fueled the need to optimize websites and land-ing pages for viewing on smart-phones and tablets. According to Google Research, 74 percent of those surveyed said they are more likely to revisit a mobile friendly website; 61 percent

“Yes, the weather is bad, and if I were deal-ing in weather it is not the brand that I’d put up in cans for future use. No, it is the kind of weather I’d throw on the market and let it go for what it would fetch, and if it wouldn’t sell for anything I would hunt up some life-long enemy and present it to him. Failing in this, as a last resort I should probably take it out on the big bridge, dump it into the Mississippi and start it to Europe via the jetties. I’d unload it someway, and that quickly, too.”

- quoted in “A Day with Mark Twain” by John Henton Carter

I was staying in a limited-service hotel in St. Louis right after a significant winter storm (hopefully this season’s last), and after my morning workout, I meandered into the bustling breakfast area to grab a bite.

It was packed with spring-break families. I struck up conversations with five different families who were all enjoying a leisure vacation. The travelers were from as close as Wentzville to as far away as South Dakota.

The Monthly Newsletter of the Missouri Division of Tourism

The Travel VanHoffman|LewisRemember when “going native” meant leaving your comfort zone behind and disguising yourself as someone else, someone more authentic? Well, going native is back—and it’s back with a vengeance, this time in the form of native advertisements.

Native advertisements, the darling of trend predictors and marketing professionals like Dan Greenberg, Gini Dietrich and David Armano,

take branded content and place it on an external third party source, such as a blog, social media feed or website, so it seamlessly integrates within that external third party source.

As Dan Greenberg, CEO of Sharethrough, describes it, “Ads that are native to a site don’t live in the corners and don’t interrupt the user; they exist in the stream of content, and when done well, they bring new value to the user experience of the site in the form of brand content — promoted videos, sponsored sto-ries, relevant coupons, promoted posts. Indeed, the key to native advertising lives in the quality of the brand content, and as such, the future of the native ad industry lies in the hands of the creative agencies and marketers who produce the content itself.”

Native advertisements are hardly a panacea, but the concept is worth considering, especially if

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Digital Clarity

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April 2013

The youngest did not care there was snow on the ground during their spring break. The parents, however, were not thrilled. I was reminded then about Mark Twain’s famous quote – “A great, great deal has been said about the weather but very little has ever been done.” I shared that quote. I asked if they had to

change any of their plans because of the weather, all replied that no, they still planned to do every-thing they had expected. That was a relief.

Because as hard as we work to get people TO Missouri, we hope they enjoy everything about their trip while they are here. As a consummate control freak, however, I have learned to roll with the punches that Mother Nature dishes out.

you are already making awesome content and you have the media budget.

To give you a better idea of what native advertisements look like, check out the example above from Sharethrough. What you’re looking at is a blog post from a food blog. The video at the bottom looks, acts and feels like it was written by the author of the blog, but it wasn’t. That video is branded content. The blog was targeted based on a variety of parameters, and the branded content was placed for the advertiser for a fee. Oh, and yes—it’s mobile-friendly.

The best native advertisements appeal to a specific audience. For example, a CVB could promote

the restaurant scene in their town, create a video showcasing their chefs at work, and then place that video on food blogs through a native network.

There are dozens of ad networks who now include native in their offerings or specialize in native; Sharethrough, Outbrain, IZEA and Pulse Point are just a few examples.

Although native ad products vary, the concept is the same. Going native is about entertaining the user as much as informing or selling. The best media mix includes the direct sell along with the soft sell. No need to panic, new trends come and go, but a little knowledge of the lingo before you go always helps.

Travel Van ContinuedApril 17-18, 2013National Restaurant Association Public Affairs ConferenceWashington, D.C.

April 18, 2013MTC Educational WorkshopJefferson City, Mo.

April 23-24, 2013HSMAI’s MEET Mid-AmericaChicago, Ill.

April 23-25, 2013African American Travel ConferenceRock Hill, S.C.

May 4-12, 2013National Travel and Tourism WeekNationwide

May 18-21, 2013National Restaurant Association ShowChicago, Ill.

June 2-4, 2013MACVB Annual ConferenceJoplin, Mo.

June 4-5, 2013ASAE MM&C ConferenceWashington, D.C.

June 8-12, 2013International Pow WowLas Vegas, Nev.

June 20-22, 2013TTRA International ConferenceKansas City, Mo.

June 26, 2013Resort Marketing Strategy ConferenceBaltimore, Md.

July 15-17, 2013DMAI Annual ConventionOrlando, Fla.

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Coming Events

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admitted they are more likely to leave a site that isn’t optimized for mobile use. This means mobile optimized websites are now more important than ever.

A responsive Web design is an option to help meet the needs of both mobile and desktop users. One of the most important tactics a company can use for their brand, is to create the ultimate user experience, from the mobile and desktop per-spectives. By opting for adaptive design, you are providing visi-tors not only a site that works with the browser and screen size of the user, but the ability to showcase the best, most relative features on each device.

Mobile Commerce and Advertising Currently, it is estimated that the percentage of U.S. travel booked online is almost 60 percent, thanks to sites and apps from companies such as Kayak and Priceline. On their mobile devices, consumers are able to compare prices on flights, hotels and even entertainment from competing vendors. As smart-phones and tablets become more popular, companies are redirecting their dollars to explore new opportunities in mobile advertising.

Local mobile advertising is projected to reach $24 billion in 2016. Targeted mobile display, search and text ads are helping travel companies such as Continental Airlines, MGM Grand, Walt Disney World and Expedia build brand awareness and turn purchase intent into sales with their target audience. Google’s recent changes with regard to Adwords Enhanced

Campaigns have made targeting mobile devices based on loca-tion even easier. With the new bid modifiers feature, you can automatically adjust your bid for each location being targeted.

Mobile ApplicationsCompanies and organizations worldwide have adopted the use of mobile apps to help increase awareness and revenue streams. Mobile apps can provide data such as product information, nearby restaurant reviews, scores to local sporting events, hotel reviews and much more.

HotelsByMe, for example, launched iPhone and Android applications that use the mobile device’s geo location services to help travelers find nearby hotels. The applications sort the list by distance from the user’s current location and plot the hotel location on an integrated map. Also, users can access more than 44,000 hotel properties worldwide; search by city and landmark; and view photos of the hotels. Coupons can be included within applications, driving consumers to redeem special offers.

Mobile and tablet search optimization are increasingly becoming prominent features in a marketing strategy. Accord-ing to research sponsored by Microsoft, mobile Internet users are actively engaged in travel-related activities. In that context, mobile consumers are increas-ingly using mobile media to enhance their travel planning and vacation experience. The growth of mobile and its close relationship with local search highlights the further need for marketers to look at holistic search marketing strategies.

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July 22, 2013MTC Board MeetingJefferson City, Mo.

July 22, 2013Joint Meeting Planners TradeshowJefferson City, Mo.

Aug. 3-6, 2013ASAE Annual MeetingAtlanta, Ga.

Aug. 4-7, 2013GBTA Annual ConventionSan Diego, Calif.

Aug. 8-18, 2013Missouri State FairSedalia, Mo.

Aug. 18-20, 2013ESTORichmond, Va.

Aug. 23-27, 2013SYTA Annual ConferenceLos Angeles, Ca.

Sept. 4-5, 2013HSMAI’s MEET NationalWashington, D.C.

Oct. 1-3, 2013Governor’s Conference on TourismSpringfield, Mo.

Nov. 15-17, 2013Boomers in Groups ConferenceCleveland, Ohio

Got a news item for us to include next month? Send details and contact info to Mary.Oberreither@ded.mo.gov

Travel Guide Updates NeededIf your business is listed on VisitMO.com and is Travel Guide eligible, make note of this date: June 7, 2013. That’s the last day to update your business information for the 2014 Official Missouri Travel Guide. If you don’t remember the process or need assistance with updating your information, send an e-mail to: TravelGuideEditor@VisitMO.com.

• Ready to escape the winter blahs and get away with the family? You might want to try one of the properties on TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice 2013 Top 25 Hotels for Families list. You won’t have far to go. Just head to southwest Missouri and check in at The Village at Indian Point in Branson. This lakeside resort joins properties from as far away as Australia, Italy, Spain and Greece on this year’s list.

• According to OpenTable diners, Sub Zero Vodka Bar in St. Louis is one of the hottest spots in town. The OpenTable Diner’s Choice 2013 Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants list highlights new restaurants, celebrity chefs and avant-garde restaurateurs. Win-ners are selected based on more than 5 mil-lion reviews submitted by OpenTable diners nationwide between March 1, 2012, and Feb. 28, 2013.

• Just in time for the opening day of base-ball season, both major league ballparks in Missouri made TripAdvisor’s Top Ten American Ballparks list.

Not only is Busch Stadium a beautiful ballpark, fans enjoy a

variety of mouthwater-ing local foods, with a view of the Gateway Arch and the St. Louis skyline as a backdrop; all while watching an exciting game of Cardinals baseball.

On the other side of the state, Kauffman Stadium’s illuminated fountain and waterfall are fan favorites in Kansas City. A great park for tailgating; fun activities for kids; deli-cious food choices; and great seats are some of the amenities noted by fans of the Royals.

Travel+Leisure “Best Lists”:

• America’s Best Museum RestaurantsEmbracing haute cuisine, artist-themed menus, and farm-to- table freshness, the latest museum restau-rants hold their own with trendy local restaurants. Bixby’s, at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, is no exception. Chef Greg Ziegenfuss crafts regional ingredients into seasonal lunch menus following the restaurant’s guid-ing culinary theme of “Dining with Local Influence.”

• Best Places to Eat Like a LocalO’Connell’s Pub in St. Louis was noted for serving one of the juiciest, most satisfying cheeseburgers ever.

Industry NewsAre you looking for a historic dining experi-ence with great food, in an 1830s surround-ing? Check out the J. Huston Tavern at Arrow Rock State Historic Site. The tavern has been serving meals to travelers along the Santa Fe Trail since 1834.

The menu varies from salads and sandwiches to the “Best Fried Chicken in the State,” cho-sen by voters in the 2011 “Best of Rural Missouri” contest.

The tavern is open for the season, so make it a special stop as you explore Arrow Rock State Historic Site and the village of Arrow Rock.

For more information on the J. Huston Tavern, Arrow Rock State Historic Site, and all Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit MoStateParks.com.

Missouri State Parks

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Picture Missouri Photo of the Month

This photo of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts was submitted by Flickr member “bdevero” to the newly-revamped Picture Missouri photo contest. Do you know any photographers who would like to have their photos published by the Missouri Divi-sion of Tourism? Check out:

PictureMissouri.com