Self-made videos make connections

Is there anyone who doesn’t like bunnies?
Possibly, but the children who recently visited the Providence Children’s Museum when the organization hosted some hoppy friends close to the Easter holiday sure do.
A video captured then by the Providence-Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau for its YouTube channel shows a group of youngsters petting and giggling at the four-footed nose twitchers. Others seemed to like it, too.
Once it was posted online, the video had 200 views in two days and a couple weeks later had close to 400 – a measure of success for the bureau and its video-marketing efforts.
“We got this really adorable video [with the bunnies]. We try to be clever and thematic,” said Kristen Adamo, vice president of marketing and communications for the bureau. “I think we’ve made a good start.”
Destination marketing via promotional videos isn’t exactly a novel idea, as they’ve long been a staple of vacation guide and planning packages and, as times changed, of travel-company websites.
But the concepts of dedicating a video site page for the project and the roguish way the PWCVB has taken to designing content are among new aspects that have followed the popularity of social media and the do-it-yourself avenues that has allowed.
“It’s definitely a trend and it’s a way that consumers like to interact and engage,” said Kristen Clemens, vice president of marketing and communications at Destination Marketing Association International in Washington, D.C. “Video is going to be a very powerful tool, no matter your product.”
The PWCVB started their effort about a year ago.
So far, they’ve posted just shy of 30 videos, including an official tourism video it developed with the help of Ocean State Video in Cranston.
The rest are a mix of self-made videos, including a trip to RiRa in Providence for St. Patrick’s Day, recaps of bureau events, and member-chef demonstrations from the bureau’s segment on Fox Providence’s The Rhode Show.
“I think we’re learning from each one what we need to do to hone our marketing,” said Adamo. “[Video] was something we had been thinking about for a long time. Travel and tourism really is a visual media. People want to experience and understand what it’s like to visit somewhere. I think video is the best way to afford that experience.” Destination organizations of all sizes seem to agree.
Brand USA, the country’s global-marketing entity born out of the Travel Promotion Act of 2010, just officially launched its campaign, which features a full-length music video.
Visit Loudon, which markets Loudon County, Va., Clemens said, was one of the first tourism bureaus to use mini videos in its marketing effort, including one on finding the county’s best apple pie.
“Basically, they’re going out and creating small clips that have the ability to go viral,” said Clemens. “It’s something people can touch on their favorite device – an iPad, smartphone or computer. I don’t see it going away anytime soon.”
Area organizations seem to just be getting started, in fact.
The R.I. Economic Development Corporation’s tourism department recently started doing weekly podcasts in a video blog promoting area attractions.
“If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is an endless conversation,” said Mark Brodeur, director of tourism, who appears in the videos. “We’re finding it very exciting. It’s a little bit edgy and we’re going to get better at it.”
DiscoverNewport, formerly the Newport County Convention & Visitors Bureau, also has a YouTube channel it has started to utilize more as its other social networks have grown. Videos are also posted on the bureau’s website.
They post “fairly regularly,” according to Andrea McHugh, marketing and communications manager, and concentrate on videos featuring Newport-area activities, including surfing and a recent visit by Thomas the Tank Engine, a popular children’s toy-train company.
Visit New England, an online tourism and travel guide run by Mystic Media in Warwick, began using YouTube video players – linking existing videos – when it re-launched its site this past January.
Jonathan Lhowe, the group’s publisher, said they gauge the videos’ success by YouTube tracking.
“We’re seeing good traffic in what are relatively slow months for the website,” said Lhowe. “We can generate a lot of visits, which makes them a powerful tool.” •

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