Case Study

San Luis Obispo County (SLO CAL)

BRAND STRATEGY
Travel + Tourism

Capturing the impact of a brand campaign.

THE CHALLENGE

SLO CAL is responsible for branding and marketing San Luis Obispo County, which represents a variety of sub-destinations. As part of its responsibility to those destinations and the county, SLO CAL needed an independent review of its advertising campaign, “The Land Of”, to make certain that their media buy and branding was benefitting their stakeholders.

OUR STRATEGY

Heart+Mind Strategies conducted an online survey among travelers from the Designated Market Areas (DMAs) targeted by SLO CAL’s brand campaign.

With a robust sample size within each DMA (and in total), Heart+Mind was able to assess the awareness, resonance, and impact of the campaign, including an estimate of the economic contribution to the county and to room tax revenues.

IMPACT

The research provided insights into the effectiveness of the campaign, reinforcing the value of SLO CAL’s investment for the county and its sub-destinations.

Heart+Mind was also able to identify the DMAs that generated the strongest ROI on their media buy, helping SLO CAL prioritize campaign spending for the future.

The insights led to a continuation of “The Land Of” brand campaign, and another brand awareness study was conducted one year later showing continued growth in SLO CAL visitation and travel intent. Furthermore, SLO CAL shattered its previous record for traveler volume through its regional airport, 19% above the previous high.