Help for Hilton Head in a Tough Economy

With many people scaling back in the face of tough economic times, 2009 is a year when value is going to be the key to spending, particularly when it comes to vacations. Folks are still traveling but they're being really choosy about where they spend their hard-earned money. The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce hopes a $200,000-plus ad campaign beginning next month will encourage those within an easy drive of the island to do just that.
Much of the ad campaign, with money from The Town’s crisis reserves, is focused on advertising on Internet sites used by people in key demographics in the two closest, affluent drive markets: Atlanta and Charlotte. Both cities also offer direct flights to Hilton Head Island Airport and Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport as an option.
The campaign will also include electronic billboards and radio spots during drive-time hours and a small number of print ads, and promotional banners and 3D models at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Those will focus on branding the island as a place to relax, recharge and reconnect with loved ones.
This is a key booking time right now and most lodging properties are not at the same pace right now as last year. The Internet campaign should allow the chamber to expand its large database of people who have either visited the island or expressed interest in taking a vacation here in the recent past. The chamber sends everyone in the database a monthly newsletter in order to keep the island fresh in people's minds.