Bang for the Buck: Taos Marketing

A  friend asked, “How do they measure their results?”

The Marketing Committee will meet Tue. April 29 from 9am – 10am, at the Taos Visitor Center on Paseo Del Pueblo Sur. If last week’s Thursday night meeting is any indication, the public is passionately interested in the subject. I’m told that Griffin and Associates’ contract is up for renewal at the end of the fiscal year, June 30. So, if the community wants changes in the approach to the hospitality trade and since Tourism accounts for about 40% of the private-sector economy in Taos, it’s time for the players to pay attention.

At last Thursday’s public meeting, Mayor Barrone, Councilors Cantu and Hahn were present and Manager Bellis ran the meeting. So the community has a mayor, at least two council members, and an executive team (even the attorney was there), who recognize the importance of maintaining historic relationships with visitors. An estimated $400,000 to $500,000 has been spent on promotion and advertising annually from Lodger’s Tax revenue for the last few years.

Whether or not the Marketing Committee and Griffin has made any effort to measure results is an unknown. I hear anecdotal evidence of bumps in the GRT, due to events like the “Mumford and Sons” concert last year. But it appears that the Town and/or County need to take charge of measuring occupancy rates, lodger’s tax, GRT and other hospitality revenues so the community understands what works and doesn’t. Just as TSV provides data on skier days, we need to track the so-called “measurables.”

Internet hits and estimates by the media of how many folks watch TV commercials or read expensive magazine placements mean little. Ask any promoter and he or she will tell you “buzz” and “word of mouth” are the best advertising, but hard to track. Many of us never heard of “Mumford and Sons” but it was an obvious coup, like Hopper and Friends. We’ve all heard of Dennis Hopper. A movie star is always good for press and buzz.

So how will the community measure the results of spending all this dough?

A more challenging conundrum concerns the look of a sadly decaying Town and some unfriendly public and private greeters. We don’t have enough money to fix everything but I noticed last summer what a difference all the flowers in downtown Taos made, thanks to Los Jardineros. If we can’t fix it, let’s fake it. A clean roadside or tidy if mottled sidewalk and potholed street can reassure locals and visitors that we care about the community.

Folks in general are friendlier than they used to be. Smith’s grocery store is a good example of the way corporate policy has trained employees to smile and offer helpful service. Other stores are following the example. Some resort communities have made it a priority to encourage friendly smiles and service. Hospitable policies work effectively and contribute to community good feeling whether at local government or private businesses. Employees at the Taos County Complex have set an example for friendly public sector service. One town parking meter cop (Eric)  is friendly, one (Robert) not so much.

Contrary to hoary myths, some of the better jobs are found in the hospitality business, i.e. waiters, cooks, baristas, and bartenders. Many make a living wage and benefit from flexible hours. Your bartender or waitress might be a graduate of UNM, Harvard or Reed or Colorado College but has chosen to live in Taos because of artistic or recreational opportunities.

Both visitors and locals enjoy fishing, rafting, skiing, making art or writing poetry or whatever else Taosenos do, music, acting, painting, yoga, meditation, etc. Aficionados of fishing, rafting, hiking, biking, softball, soccer, and hockey tournaments, as well as government gatherings of state, federal, municipal, and county or Coop officials all help fill up rooms, restaurants, and GRT coffers.

We must recognize the multiple sources of our visitors and track them i.e. measure the results. In today’s world of “niche marketing,” it seems that we should target publications and potential visitors based on specific aims: place small ads, accompanied by stories, written about local adventures in art, recreation, culture, etc.

By investing in specific publications and Internet digests that target travelers, it seems as if we could create a stream of informed and sympathetic visitors, who will return year after year not unlike Taosenos who return each year to the homecoming that is fiesta. Fiesta, badly in need of an imaginative “redo,” is a big event and everyone talks about “events.” A weeklong series of class and family reunions along with historic exhibits and dances, not to mention authentic booths, would augment the annual affair.

I don’t know how many “Mumford and Sons” events are out there. The Solar Fest and former film festival fell apart due to infighting and mismanagement. (One must not underestimate the Taosenos’s passion for perverse behavior.) The Fall Arts Festival has managed to survive and needs a boost of imaginative participation. But the community needs to carefully consider “events” that expose public or private producers to “high risks” and failure.

Investments could be made in long-term projects, like publicizing the Rio Grande del Norte Monument and events that incorporate local interest in art or cultural presentations. Basic themes could incorporate local interest in the acequia culture with art, film, music, history, and fiesta or recreational events that attract commensurate enthusiasm from visitors. Certainly sustainable building, gardens, etc. could be another theme or yoga and spiritual retreats another. Enigmatic slogans mean little to locals or visitors. If the community starts with grass roots ideas, concrete activities, and builds from the bottom up, then we can match the event or specific themes to a target audience. Don’t forget about the bikers and car clubs who already come here or through here.

And don’t forget to check the box office results…the proof is in the revenue.