Co-op Advertising Opportunities

Among the many ways the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau does its job is to create opportunities for local stakeholders to be able to market themselves to potential visitors in ways that otherwise might be unattainable.

To that end, DCVB makes deals with media for advertising space that is subdivided into smaller pieces to make it more affordable for local businesses to participate and get exposure.  Most recently, such ads have appeared in Our State magazine.  Our State is one of the most highly circulated and read publications on the subject of North Carolina. Since NC is the sixth busiest state in the union for visitation, and since many Durham visitors come from within a 300 mile radius, this publication is a great avenue for businesses to get their messages out to potential customers.

Spring is a strong visitation season for Durham, and DCVB has arranged for co-ops in Our State in February, March and April of 2012, and these spaces are being sold now.  "The value for local stakeholders is undeniable," said Sam Poley, DCVB's Director of Marketing and Communications.  "Advertising in Our State is simply unattainable for many local businesses unless it is broken down in the way we have been able to negotiate.  The opportunity we've created here is absolutely something for which businesses need to budget."

Those interested in participating in these co-op ads, or who have suggestions for other publications in which to have co-op ads, are encouraged to email Sam Poley.

Coop Advertising Opportunities Closing Fast

As reported here last week, the Durham Convention &Visitors Bureau is pursuing cooperative advertising opportunities in Our State magazine.  The negotiated rates and advertisement units are such that the level of affordability is heretofore been largely unseen for a publication with Our State's reach. 

Stakeholders can purchase a space on the coop ad that is similar in dimension to a sixth page in the publication for $625.  DCVB is paying an additional $745 to brand the page and attract visitation and attention to Durham, its assets and its lifestyle options.

"Success of this new program is predicated on participation of stakeholders.  That participation lacked severely in recent years and so these efforts were discontinued," said Sam Poley, Director of Marketing and Communications for DCVB.  "However, response to this offering has been overwhelming," he added.  Full page advertisements with six partners each are planned for May and June, and both are nearly sold out.  "If demand is strong enough, we'll add pages so we hope everyone interested will let us know," said Poley.

Those interested in learning more should email for additional information.  DCVB is planning more such advertising options in the near future.  The economy has driven the return to this advertising format, but Poley hopes as things improve that stakeholders will continue to embrace these opportunities for both their economic value and the message they send about Durham as a community.

Co Op Advertising Opportunities

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official marketing agency for Durham, and as such is charged with getting Durham on the list of consideration for leisure and business visitors alike. With the economy as it has been, marketing dollars for DCVB and private sector businesses have been scarce, so every dollar spent needed to be a home run, so to speak. 

Creativity is a strong brand value in Durham, entrepreneurial is another. To that end, DCVB is moving forward by looking backward to a program it employed years ago: cooperative advertising where multiple stakeholders purchase small portions of advertising space.   This type of advertising allows those with limited budgets to advertise in publications they might not otherwise be able to afford to do so. Think of it in the same vein as membership clubs where a club buys in bulk and then sells portions to members at a discount.

These opportunities will take form beyond print and move into some creative online options, too, including some location-based gaming options that are costly to initiate but will be economical to buy into.

Stakeholders with an interest in knowing more can email Sam Poley, Director of Marketing and Communications.

Visitors Guide Advertising Still Available, Great New Options Also Offered

With the absolute profusion of online advertising opportunities available to businesses these days, good old-fashioned print advertising seems to have taken a back seat in the minds of some businesses as an effective means to get messages into the hands of interested potential customers.  Truth be told, both are critical in successful marketing.

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) offers numerous opportunities for local businesses and organizations to put messages in front of some of the 6 million plus visitors to Durham each year. One of the most visible and recognized publications is the Official Durham Visitors Guide. There are 150,000 copies printed and distributed each year.  The guide is also reproduced online with links to sponsors websites...providing a double bang for the buck. Additionally, DCVB offers online opportunities on its various web platforms and sites.

"DCVB has not only expanded its inventory of online space to reach highly-targeted visitors and newcomers, it has also developed several new offerings in traditional outlets, as well," said Shelly Green, President and CEO. "DCVB provides an effective means for local businesses to connect with visitors needing goods and services," she added. 

Industry professionals agree that great marketing requires multiple theaters of operation. "We tend to think first about online and social media, but then add to it whatever else makes the most sense...and usually that means print and/or broadcast," according to Don Pausback, principal of Pausback Advertising in Durham.  Pausback Advertising has recommended to several of its clients inclusion in the Official Durham Visitors Guide as part of an overall strategy of reaching the lucrative visitor market. 

Not advertising to save money is akin to stopping a clock to save time as the old saying goes.  Well-targeted advertising is--and always will be--an excellent move.  Electronic, print or otherwise, a well-produced advertisement in front of the proper audience in the right medium is almost always going to be effective.

Opportunities still exist for the upcoming 2011 edition of the guide, the most informative guide with the largest distribution of any other visitor publication produced in Durham.  Others guides are profit-making vehicles for outside publishers and are not sanctioned by DCVB..  Click here for additional information.