Tourisme Montréal invests $20 million in innovative new marketing strategies and cutting-edge technologies in 2008
Montréal, May 14, 2008 – Tourisme Montréal today announced major investments of $20 million in tourism markets outside Quebec as part of a new integrated approach to marketing Montreal as a world class destination. This new approach will be featured in all promotional and advertising initiatives developed by Tourisme Montréal, which also unveiled its new cutting-edge website. These major investments will be accompanied by massive usage of innovative technologies as part of a daring, creative strategy centred on Montreal’s authenticity as a destination. Tourisme Montréal’s objective remains the same: to promote leisure and business tourism in Montreal.
This massive offensive by Tourisme Montréal is a response to an especially demanding context facing the entire Canadian tourism industry. External factors, such as gasoline prices, exchange rates, a weak US economy, etc., as well as greater competition worldwide, have forced us back to the drawing board. In this context, making use of the Web as a resource became an absolute priority.
1. Major investments in innovative marketing strategies
As part of a $20 million investment in promotion in 2008, Tourisme Montréal has opted for an integrated approach with creative contents and cutting edge technology that awaken the senses, provoke, and elicit a reaction.
“Tourism Montréal continues to use a visionary approach in developing new markets, as it acquires the best tools to attract new customers,” noted Charles Lapointe, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. “Over the past fifteen years, our customers have changed, and our customer approach has kept pace with the changes.” This new customer is more informed, uses the Internet more, takes part in forums, and shares information with the virtual community.
Tourisme Montréal thus continues its strategy of diversifying international markets, as implemented last year in Mexico, France, the United Kingdom, and China, while maintaining our presence on our traditional markets in Ontario and the United States. However, in 2008, the goal is to make the “à la Montréal” experience more concrete and publicize it better through Tourisme Montréal’s new creative, technology-based approach.
By bringing the tourist experience alive, and stressing the passion and “joie de vivre” that is the soul of Montréal, the new creative approach is distinct from traditional advertising and place more on emotion, reaching both tourism clientele and a business clientele. All the initiatives planned by Tourisme Montréal are designed to raise awareness of the city and encourage the purchase process.
2. A revamped website
In the past few years Tourisme Montréal relied more and more on the Internet, a trend that culminated in 2008 with a major $1.5 million investment in its brand new web platform, produced in conjunction with its technology partners, Sid Lee and Cactus. The redesigned Web approach Tourisme Montréal is launching today is in keeping with its 2005-2010 strategic plan and the organization’s technology plan, which extends over three years. The new creative platform will make the tourism experience more tangible and adapt the destination’s positioning to different target clienteles.
Drawing mainly on its user-friendly, interactive approach (Web 2.0) to influence buying decisions, the brand new Tourisme Montréal website allows web surfers to enrich the content themselves, e.g., by commenting on information or sharing their impressions and experiences.
“At a time when tourists are more in control and have a wider range of destinations to choose from, Tourisme Montréal has made its case with sincerity, authenticity, creativeness, and innovation,” Charles Lapointe adds. “Our organization is not afraid to question where it is going and reinvent itself, because that’s what it takes to keep Montréal the number one tourist destination in Canada.”
Tourisme Montréal relies upon support from a growing network of partnerships within the tourism community for specific target markets, and wishes to thank its longstanding partners; the City of Montréal, the Ministry of Tourism of Québec, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, the Société des casinos du Québec, the Hotel Association of Greater Montréal, the Montreal Convention Centre, Air Canada, VIA Rail Canada, Aéroports de Montréal, the Canadian Tourism Commission, and all the members of Tourisme Montréal.
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To visit the website of Tourism Montréal: www.tourisme-montreal.org
Backgrounder 1: Promotional and marketing campaigns (in pdf format)
Backgrounder 2: Web site (in pdf format)
Source:
Pierre Bellerose
Vice President
Public Relations, Research and Product Development
Tourisme Montréal
(514) 844-2404
bellerose.pierre@tourisme-montreal.org
Tourisme Montréal is the organization that assumes leadership of the collective effort to promote and position Montréal as a premier destination for business and leisure travel as well as to create business opportunities for its members and partners and to steer Montréal tourism product development according to continually evolving markets.
