OCEAN

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The OCEAN system is essentially a marketing-based intranet that can be customized to the specific needs of a company or organization. The system brings together the information and functionality required for comprehensive response tracking and database management. It is securely available at any time of day from any internet connection. For agency and government tourism clients, it establishes and grows a valuable consumer database.

Behind the scenes, the system collects responses from the overall marketing campaign and feeds them into a customized database. On the front-end, it provides an online forum where client and agency staff can review the progress and performance of a marketing campaign. Consumer responses, reach, media/production costs, cost-per-lead, co-op activity, and event traffic are some of the numerous metrics routinely measured by the system. After logging-in, data can be analyzed in real-time, providing valuable insights into which media vehicles are the most successful. The collected campaign contacts can also be "profiled," isolating the best prospects so budgets can be most effectively targeted. The system is completely flexible, and can be modified at any point in a campaign year. Strengths and insights from previous campaigns can therefore be used in new marketing efforts.

Accountability

OCEAN takes into account the unique political considerations of a government organization. It is imperative to show that every dollar spent on tourism promotion is working diligently, and to provide clear evidence to support such assessments. We recognize that money designated for tourism promotion is in competition with a number of critical public services.

As such, accountability becomes one of the key attributes that OCEAN can bring to organizations such as government tourism clients. The OCEAN response tracking system evaluates every response received from advertising vehicles and measures the relative performance of each advertisement. Campaign responses are an essential (and enduring) metric for success, and OCEAN removes guesswork from the equation. Realistic milestones can then be established for future marketing campaigns.

Driving Responses

Because accountability is so vital, we recommended that all marketing efforts maximize results. Thus, each advertisement or event should be designed to produce a direct response whenever possible. These responses can take the form of requests for information (through various online and offline channels), sweepstakes entries, questions/comments, unique online activities, and many others. Obviously, each advertisement is intended to raise the appeal and awareness of the destination, but at the same time each ad should be designed to generate consumer action.

The first stage in building a relationship with a customer is to capture their personal information in a database. As OCEAN captures responses from websites, events, 800#'s, postcards, reader service cards, and other methods, the system compiles those responses in a database for analysis. Those interested in a tourism destination can then be comprehensively profiled to maximize the impact of collateral or targeted emails. OCEAN places all aspects of client reporting into a single, secure web-based environment through which clients such as government tourism agencies can access powerful marketing functions, at any time and from any location.

Tracking Response

OCEAN becomes the central bank for campaign responses from all sources. Because procedures have been put in place to channel all contact information into the OCEAN database, responses can be tracked from each advertisement on a real-time basis. If certain standards aren't met, media that isn't performing up to expectations can be quickly changed. Armed with OCEAN's evidence, free advertising can be solicited from media that is performing poorly. Particular ads can also be removed entirely, increasing the commitment to media that is performing successfully. This is especially valuable with the shorter lead-times associated with online media. On a year-to-year basis, the system also allows print advertising (with longer lead-times) to become progressively more effective. OCEAN provides firm answers to the inevitable questions about the effectiveness of spending money to promote tourism, and about the value of using specific kinds of advertising.

VisitScotland has used the OCEAN system extensively to build and manage its consumer and trade databases for the past six years, which contain over 500,000 records and an active subscriber list of over 95,000 contacts. The organization constantly uses OCEAN to keep a close watch on their entire North American marketing campaign. Other tourism organizations using the system include the Monaco Government Tourist Office and the British Tourist Authority.