Campaign seeks to change region's image

The new ad campaign for Reno-Tahoe

tourism a campaign noteworthy for its

emphasis on outdoor activities rather than

gaming superficially looks like a highrisk

proposition.

After all, the Reno-Sparks Convention

and Visitors Authority still is about a year

away from completion of a major study of

the region's visitors a study that will

allow the authority and its advertising

agency to carefully target advertising

expenditures.

And the success of the new campaign

won't be easy to track. It's designed to

begin changing the image of the Reno-

Tahoe region, and the immediate effects

will occur in the minds of potential visitors

rather than the reservation books of

regional hotels.

The campaign isn't as risky as it looks,

says Deanna Ashby, the director of advertising

and marketing for the visitors

authority.

For one, the visitors authority board

feels urgency about getting a message out

to the market after a year in which all of its

advertising dollars were pooled with other

agencies making a regional pitch.

To wait another year for completion of

a profile of Reno-Sparks visitors before

launching an advertising campaign would

be more dangerous than awaiting the

study's results, Ashby says.

The visitors authority and its advertising

agency EstiponaVialpando

Partners of Reno - aren't flying blind.

Ashby and Dotti Loader of the advertising

agency point to three key facts:

* One study after another through the

1990s found that gaming visitors to the

Reno area were typically in their mid-

50s. There's little reason to believe that

profile has changed.

* Those visitors now have a multitude of

options for gaming Indian gaming in

California as well as casino operations

throughout the United States.

* Outdoor activities not merely the

area's 40 golf courses but also a multitude

of other outdoor sports quietly have

taken a larger role in the tourism business.

The convention and visitors bureau

counts more than 140 outdoor outfitters

already in business in the area a strong

indication that something is happening

just below the radar screen.

The new campaign, which carries the

theme, "Reset Your Compass: 360(deg) of

Adventure," features panoramic scenes

from northern Nevada snow-covered

peaks, green golf courses, upscale nightlife,

mountain biking, kayaking and ballet.

Adventure travelers, the focus of the

new campaign, typically spend more

money per trip than conventional travelers

$1,275 as opposed to $425 and stay

longer as they explore outdoor options, the

visitors authority board before it approved

the campaign earlier this month.

The campaign is designed, Ashby says,

to accelerate the process of widening the

appeal of the Reno market beyond gaming.

"We've got to change the way we do

business," she says, noting that adventure

travelers and business and convention

travelers are key targets.

The visitors authority acknowledges,

however, that the $500,000 it's putting

into the campaign pales with the about

$30 million a year that Las Vegas spends

on tourism promotion.

That tight budget argues against extensive

spending on research to accompany

advertising campaigns.

"Research is great, but it's all subjective,"

says Ashby. "We need to prioritize

ourselves and leverage our spending."

An example of that leverage will come

this winter with spreads in ski magazines

that combine a pitch for Lake Tahoe skiing

with ads highlighting the convenience

of travel to Reno/Tahoe International

Airport and the possibilities of nightlife in

Reno.

With the limited budget, Ashby says,

it's critically important for the community

to stay the course with this campaign.

"We have to commit and stay committed

to a campaign for the long term," she

says.

It's equally important, she says, for

individual properties to follow through.

Visitors drawn to the Reno-Sparks area

for adventure tourism will expect that

hotel front desks be prepared to provide

timely, accurate information.