Agenda 10/09/2018 Item #16F 910/09/2018
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Recommendation to approve the submittal of a grant application to Visit Florida in the amount of
$70,000 for the Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide in Collier County, authorize the
County Manager to accept the award and process any necessary budget amendments and make a
finding that this action promotes tourism.
OBJECTIVE: To leverage Visit Florida Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide Grant
Application to use $70,000 to market nationally that our “Beaches Are Open” in Collier County.
CONSIDERATIONS: Visit Florida’s Recovery Grant Program is designed to assist Convention and
Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) to attract visitors back to Florida, following the current Red Tide Bloom. These
funds will be used specifically for marketing Collier County and will generate significant out-of-state
economic impact for the State of Florida. The Visit Florida Board of Directors created these grants
specifically to offset the loss of business that was experienced in Southwest Florida do to the water
conditions in our area.
The CVB has prepared an application to request funds to be used in marketing our “Beaches Are Open”
Campaign once the Red Tide Bloom has subsided in our immediate area in Collier County. Due to the
immediate need to commence the marketing campaign, there is not sufficient time to take a separate
Board action to accept the award. Accordingly, this action allows the process to be expedited should the
funding request be awarded.
FISCAL IMPACT: If awarded, the County will receive additional state funding up to the amount of
$70,000 to assist in creating a marketing campaign to invite visitors back to our beaches. A budget
amendment will be necessary within County Manager Grant Fund (713) for the estimated amount of
$70,000.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT IMPACT: There is no Growth Management impact associated with this
Executive Summary.
ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATION: The Tourist Development Council recommended
approval of this item 8-0 at the September 24, 2018 meeting.
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS: This item is approved as to form and legality and requires majority vote
for approval. - CMG
RECOMMENDATION: To approve the submittal of a grant application to Visit Florida in the amount
of $70,000 for the Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide in Collier County, authorize the
County Manager to accept the award and process any budget amendments and make a finding that this
action promotes tourism.
Prepared by: Ed Caum, Deputy Director Tourism
ATTACHMENT(S)
1. Collier County Application - Visit Florida Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide Final
Draft (DOCX)
16.F.9
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10/09/2018
COLLIER COUNTY
Board of County Commissioners
Item Number: 16.F.9
Doc ID: 6835
Item Summary: Recommendation to approve the submittal of a grant application to Visit Florida
in the amount of $70,000 for the Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide in Collier County,
authorize the County Manager to accept the award and process any necessary budget amendments and
make a finding that this action promotes tourism.
Meeting Date: 10/09/2018
Prepared by:
Title: Tourist Development Tax Coordinator – Tourism
Name: Kelly Green
09/25/2018 2:55 PM
Submitted by:
Title: Division Director – Tourism
Name: Jack Wert
09/25/2018 2:55 PM
Approved By:
Review:
Tourism Ed Caum Deputy Director Review Completed 09/25/2018 3:10 PM
Grants Erica Robinson Level 2 Grants Review Completed 09/25/2018 3:15 PM
Tourism Jack Wert Director Review Completed 09/25/2018 3:42 PM
County Manager's Office Sean Callahan Executive Director- Corp Business Ops Completed 09/27/2018 4:28 PM
County Attorney's Office Colleen Greene Level 2 Attorney Review Completed 09/28/2018 9:43 AM
County Attorney's Office Debbie Allen CAO Preview Skipped 09/27/2018 12:01 PM
County Attorney's Office Jeffrey A. Klatzkow Level 3 County Attorney's Office Review Completed 09/28/2018 11:21 AM
Office of Management and Budget Valerie Fleming Level 3 OMB Gatekeeper Review Completed 09/28/2018 11:50 AM
Budget and Management Office Ed Finn Additional Reviewer Completed 10/01/2018 10:23 AM
Grants Therese Stanley Additional Reviewer Completed 10/02/2018 1:13 PM
County Manager's Office Leo E. Ochs Level 4 County Manager Review Completed 10/02/2018 2:15 PM
Board of County Commissioners MaryJo Brock Meeting Pending 10/09/2018 9:00 AM
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VISIT FLORIDA Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide
Grant Application
Submitted by:
The Naples Marco Island and Everglades CVB - “Beaches are Open” or “Return to Paradise” Campaign
Collier County, Florida
October 15-31, 2018
Background:
This grant application is submitted by the Naples Marco Island and Everglades CVB, which is the tourism development
division of Collier County Government. Collier County is one of the destinations adversely impacted by the 2018 red tide
outbreak in Southwest Florida and are in Governor Rick Scott’s August 2018 emergency order (EO 18-221). The bureau is
requesting $70,000, which is broken down on the attached media plan.
This application to VISIT FLORIDA’s Tourism Recovery Grant Program is for funds to be used by Collier County for a multi-
pronged marketing and public relations campaign designed to most effectively and efficiently rebuild market share lost
due to red tide. Collier County is also working in partnership with Manatee, Sarasota, Lee and Charlotte counties on the
submission of a separate Southwest Florida regional grant application for a cooperative, multi-DMO effort in support of
the entire, Red Tide affected region.
The 2017/2018 red tide crisis has had adverse economic impact and created a current and future negative public
perception of Collier County as a tourist destination. As a coastal community, we attract visitors to Florida who are
seeking clean beaches, fresh seafood, fishing, boating and an abundance of water-related recreational activities. All are
directly dependent on water quality.
The destination has experienced a severe downturn in visitation. Charter fishing captains and other water-based
businesses are on the verge of closure. Occupancy for all types of accommodations are significantly depressed while
restaurants and attractions sit idle. Since June 2018 when the red tide bloom drifted back into the area and caused
significant fish kills, negative national press coverage of this issue has increased exponentially. Our brand is specifically
built around outdoor offerings. Our destination’s tagline is “Florida’s Paradise Coast”. Recent press coverage stands in
stark contrast to the destination’s brand promise and is greatly affecting the area’s visitation.
The effects of the red tide outbreak are projected to continue to impact our area’s economy for months to come and
long after the bloom clears. At the time of submitting this grant, scientists are not able to predict when the red tide
bloom will end, and some scientists have said it may clear in 2019.
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Packet Pg. 1254 Attachment: Collier County Application - Visit Florida Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide Final Draft (6835 : Visit Florida Grant
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The results of Collier County’s marketing efforts to uniquely define the destination and engage in efficient, effective
marketing has proven to engage and attract visitors. The County has realized an increase in visitor spending of 4.2% in
Tourist Development Tax collections year-to-date through June, of 3.1%.
The CVB is making this application in need of the financial resources to allow it to counter the negative perception
created by red tide and to portray the area as a desirable Florida destination and assure potential visitors that area
beaches, offshore coastal islands, and boating and fishing environments are once again pristine and enjoyable. Efforts
will also be focused on encouraging visitors who have chosen other destinations during red tide to reconsider “Returning
to Paradise”.
Goals:
• Create messaging that will mitigate negative perception and misinformation pertaining to the red tide event.
• Raise awareness among potential visitors to the Collier County area while assuring and demonstrating that
coastal areas and waterways are clean, clear and available for visitation, recreation and enjoyment.
• Reach potential visitors consistent with the destination’s visitor profile within geographic core markets, such
as lift markets serviced by Fort Meyers International Airport (RSW).
• Provide visitors with the tools and information that allow them to personally and quickly ascertain water and
beach conditions, proving the destination’s claims of offering beach and water environments that can be fully
enjoyed upon visitation.
• Engage marketing and communications tactics that are proven, measurable and can demonstrate the
assurance of direct return on investment.
• Offer calls to action which will direct potential visitors to the CVB’s website and marketing campaign “Beaches
are Open” or “Return to Paradise”.
• Convey information that will encourage potential visitors to book area accommodations and plan activities
such as fishing and boating excursions, boat rentals, other water recreational activities, visiting area beaches and
state parks, and dining in local restaurants.
Target Audiences:
Demographics:
Primary target of the effort will be women 35–64 years of age with families and exhibiting $150k+ in household income.
Secondarily, the effort will target couples with women 45-64 and $100k+ in household income. Efforts will also utilize
behavioral and contextual targeting against travel interests and response.
Geographic:
Primary geographic targets for the destination will be this Fall and Winter. Primary markets include the Northeast and
Midwest U.S. markets. Winter targeting provides more focus on Northeastern, Midwest and Canadian markets.
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Packet Pg. 1255 Attachment: Collier County Application - Visit Florida Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide Final Draft (6835 : Visit Florida Grant
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Psychographics and Expressed Interests:
Efforts will target individuals seeking relaxation and release through a multitude of experiences which can be found
“outside” in the Collier County. As mentioned above, the effort will utilize behavioral and contextual targeting by those
expressing travel interests, specifically beach and water-related activities.
Strategies and Tactics:
The CVB’s efforts will include strategies and tactics designed to reach the stated objectives. Using a highly data-driven
approach, the CVB favors marketing efforts that can deliver metrics to prove return on investment. All tactics will utilize
the VISIT FLORIDA Grant Logo where applicable.
Message Tactics:
At the time of execution, all pre-planned messaging will convert to post-red tide messaging. Communication will depict
an outdoor destination with clean and clear beaches along with a variety of water related recreational o pportunities.
Paid Digital Advertising:
Once red tide subsides, Collier County proposes targeting top markets for a two-month period with paid digital
advertising. Messaging will focus on promoting the area’s beautiful beaches and islands. Channels will include:
• Adara: The CVB has been advertising through Adara and found it to be a very cost-effective platform to reach
potential visitors, with a high rate of conversion. Additionally, Adara conversions have a shorter booking
window, compared to other platforms as measured by Arrivalist.
• Weather Channel/AccuWeather: This weather platform will allow the VCB to implement weather triggered
marketing through display advertising and let people know our destination’s beaches and waterways are clean,
clear and ready for their arrival. Weather platforms can launch core messages in a compelling way when
weather isn’t ideal in the targeted markets and allows the audience to learn more about the destination and its
offerings through high-impact creative units.
• Paid Social: The CVB has been actively utilizing paid social media ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to
promote the destination during their year-round campaigns with an excellent engagement rate and increase in
website traffic. Ensuring paid social media is a part of the digital media buy allows for the VCB to not only target
but engage with potential visitors.
Public Relations:
Since August 2018 when the red tide media coverage reached a national level, Collier County has primarily pitched non-
beach destination experiences, postponed familiarization trips to the area and closely monitored media coverage for
inaccuracies.
Once the red tide subsides, the CVB proposes hosting key media influencers for a group familiarization tour for 4 days
and 3 nights, focused on the beaches and islands, to experience the area’s beautiful, clean beaches “for themselves.”
The anticipated results from this familiarization trip would be coverage from participating media and the estimated
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Packet Pg. 1256 Attachment: Collier County Application - Visit Florida Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide Final Draft (6835 : Visit Florida Grant
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publicity value of this coverage would be measured using the CVB’s PR monitoring tools in concert with our PR agency of
record, Lou Hammond Group, based in New York.
Other media tactics that are currently part of the CVB’s annual plan and will be employed post-red tide to include:
Brining in an National influencer to go on morning TV shows in target markets with a “Beaches are Open” or “Return to
Paradise” message. • Pitching beach/island focused stories, monitoring coverage and actively reaching out to media to
correct any misinformation.
• Deskside visit(s) to journalists in key feeder markets.
• Attending major PR events to spread the word that the area’s beaches and water areas are clean, clear and
enjoyable.
Social:
Currently, Collier County is focusing on non-beach experiences in the area and directing any inquiries regarding red tide
to its Beach Conditions information page (ParadiseCoast.com/Beaches) which offers links to the most accurate and up-
to-date information on water quality from experts.
Once the red tide subsides regionally, Collier County plans to push out real-time photos and videos of area beaches and
waterways through their social channels and will be encouraging our tourism partners to do the same.
In addition, Collier County proposes to identify one or more strong social influencers in key market(s) to contract for
coverage focusing on the beaches and water-related activities in our area. This would be paid coverage that guarantees
online content on the influencer(s)’ platforms.
Anticipated Results and Measurement:
Collier County’s marketing platforms are typically chosen based on their ability to be measured. The destination takes an
extremely data-driven approach in its planning, execution, review and analysis.
Along with its marketing partners, the CVB consistently reviews and analyzes all efforts of its marketing investment
confirming anticipated return, adjusting for continued or increased outcomes, and/or leveraging opportunities that
emerge from efforts or the analysis of those efforts.
Global, Market-Wide Anticipated Results and Measurement:
Through the marketing efforts outlined on previous pages, Collier County anticipates mitigating the negative economic
impact red tide has had on our destination’s tourism industry.
Economic impact of tourism in our destination is measured through the following data sources:
• Tourist Development Tax collections, reported monthly by the Collier County tax collector.
• ADR, Occupancy and RevPAR for area accommodations reported monthly through Smith Travel Research and
All the Rooms. All the Rooms is segmented by region of county.
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Packet Pg. 1257 Attachment: Collier County Application - Visit Florida Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide Final Draft (6835 : Visit Florida Grant
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• Estimated total economic impact, estimated visitation and estimated direct expenditures reported by
contracted consultant, Research Data Services, Inc. through 2018. Remaining 2018 reporting scheduled for
Q2/Q3 and Q4.
Measuring our analytics with our competitive set of destinations using Smith Travel Research data for occupancy, ADR
and RevPAR.
Anticipated Results and Measurement by Specific Tactic:
• Paid Digital Media is expected to raise awareness and generate over 2.9 million impressions during a two-
month timeframe.
Targeted Results:
Social: 500k estimated impressions
Adara: 500k estimated impressions
Arrivalist 500k estimated impressions
Weather Channel/AccuWeather: 1.2 million estimated impressions
Measurement:
Arrivalist tracks conversion on platforms based on physical location or an “arrival” for display ad platforms
that allow digital tracking codes to be triggered on exposure or click. Additionally, visits to landing pages,
which will be utilized during the campaign, can be tracked directly to the originating digital ad.
Adara tracks conversions through data partners (accommodations, flights, attraction tickets, etc.)
Social Media engagement:
• Live-streaming webcam: Live video feed demonstrates to potential visitors in real-time that our beaches are clean
and clear of red tide. View data, website traffic and social engagement will be used to measure this campaign
component.
• Public Relations FAM: The FAM is expected to produce coverage that will resonate with our campaign target(s).
Specific stats, such as total reach and total publicity value, can’t be immediately calculated after the media leave the
destination but can be projected based on historical FAM results.
Our goal with this FAM is to target top-tier media within our key target markets. The CVB utilizes powerful
media monitoring tools through our Advertising and PR Agencies that have capabilities to report total mentions,
total reach, total publicity value, DMA mentions over time, share of sentiment, share of coverage by media type
and share of voice.
Social Influencers:
Social Influencer(s)– Generate coverage from select influencer(s) who demonstrate a strong following and level of
engagement in their market of influence. Quantity and types of influencer posts will be pre-determined by the VCB
before influencer trip(s). Audience engagement and exposure with posts will be measured and reported on by platform.
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Packet Pg. 1258 Attachment: Collier County Application - Visit Florida Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide Final Draft (6835 : Visit Florida Grant
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Media Plan and Proposed Budget -
Dynamic Content Modules
Activated for visitors actively searching for beach/water-related content (already in place)
$0
PUBLIC RELATIONS:
Familiarization Tour for 10-12 - Top tier travel media and influencers (6-week planning)
4 days/3 nights
$20,000
Targeting influencer in morning shows live in target markets (Emily Thompson -Mirroring our post Irma efforts)
$22,000
Paid Media Tactics (Advertorial)
$7,500
Ongoing non-paid media tactics
$0
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Social Influencer Trip (guaranteed coverage)
$12,000
Paid Social Media Buys Targeting Key Market Areas
$8,500
Ongoing non-paid social media tactics
$0
TOTAL: $70,000
KEY:
= Proposed efforts to be funded through VISIT FLORIDA Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide
= Planned CVB marketing efforts to carry post red tide messaging (no funding requested)
16.F.9.a
Packet Pg. 1259 Attachment: Collier County Application - Visit Florida Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide Final Draft (6835 : Visit Florida Grant