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Research Outline

Prepared for Tegan C. | Delivered September 28, 2019

Garfield County - Competitive Analysis

Goals

To obtain a competitive landscape with visitor demographic information (winter vs. other seasons), differentiators, visitor attractions, and digital marketing campaigns/strategies for Garfield County, Utah; Cedar City, Utah; Cane County, Utah; Breckenridge, Colorado; and one other competitor for the purposes of developing a presentation for a business meeting.

Early Findings

Preliminary research indicates that visitor demographics are limited, but there is significant information on digital marketing, differentiators, and visitor attractions for Garfield County. It is believed that this will be the case for all locations.

DEMOGRAPHICS

  • In 2017, Garfield County, Utah's website received 236,607 visitors.
  • The top 10 states where website visitors searched from are the following:
  • The top five states where Garfield County's travel guide was distributed are the following:
    • California
    • Texas
    • Florida
    • Arizona
    • Washington
  • Residents from these five countries follow Garfield County the most on Facebook:
    • United States
    • Canada
    • France
    • Italy
    • Germany
  • Residents from these five U.S. cities follow Garfield County the most on Facebook:
    • Los Angeles, California
    • Las Vegas, Nevada
    • Salt Lake City, Utah
    • Ogden, Utah
    • Bakersfield, California
  • Bryce Canyon National Park in Garfield County, Utah is the top national park destination for Chinese tourists.
  • Even as the Chinese visitation rates have slowed by 10% nationally, it is surging in Utah.

DIGITAL MARKETING

  • In 2017, Garfield County launched its "Day Trip for Days" ad campaign that featured "billboards, print ads, Pandora commercials and more."
  • Five YouTube videos were created in conjunction with the ad campaign to "highlight some of the itineraries that feature a day’s worth of activities one can do in Bryce Canyon Country." These videos were also pared down and shown on television as well.
  • Garfield County's out-of-state online marketing channels include the following:
  • Social media also "plays a key role in promoting an area for visitors and trip planners." Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are used by Garfield County to "share trip ideas, highlight unique activities and ignite desire to experience" the area.
  •  In-state digital advertising strategies included KSL.com ads and banners, Pandora campaigns, search engine marketing, video pre-roll, digital outdoor, email marketing, and website optimization.
  • Garfield County also partnered with Brand USA to be promoted on TripTuner, a website tool that allows users to choose their ideal vacation by "'tuning' the types of activities" they enjoy most. This allows visitors to find information about Garfield County quickly and helps guide them to the county's website.

ATTRACTIONS