VISIT MEXICO

When the H1N1 virus was first detected in Mexico, occupancy in the nation’s commercial and resort destinations plummeted as news of the virus spread, with some of the country’s most popular destinations experiencing declines in excess of 50%. Market conditions remained depressed despite the swift action on the part of the country’s Ministry of Health halting its spread. The country’s hotels, resorts and visitor attractions then looked to the Mexico Tourism Board to revitalize the tourism industry, and MMGY was appointed to develop and implement a new brand initiative and campaign that would motivate both U.S. and Canadian citizens to, once again, consider Mexico as a vacation destination.

MMGY’s North American campaign consisted of two complementary elements. The first was an institutional rebranding campaign. The second was a cooperative advertising initiative run in conjunction with the promotion boards of the country’s most popular destinations (e.g., Cancun, Los Cabos, Acapulco, Mexico City, etc.). The campaign was also executed in conjunction with the country’s major wholesaler/tour operator partners such as American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Liberty Travel, MLT Vacations, Apple Vacations, iTravel 2000, etc.

The creative brand strategy was clear: let qualified viewers/readers know that all the things that made Mexico special prior to the spread of the virus remained the same. And given the very attractive promotional packages offered by the major wholesalers and tour operators, it was time to go. Hence, the campaign featured a simple but compelling promotional theme: “Mexico. Time To Go.” MMGY and the Tourism Board immediately streamlined communications to ensure the development of a quick go-to-market strategy. MMGY established procedures for communicating with all co-op partners to provide faster response times. Additionally, the agency established an account service office in Mexico City to facilitate daily communications with the client and all program partners.

The campaign was executed through a combination of national and market-specific media schedules in television (both broadcast and cable), online, print (magazines and newspapers), and out of home advertising, with particular emphasis placed in the top 10 DMAs known to produce the highest number of visitors to Mexico from North America.

The campaign yielded a 6% increase in annual stopover arrivals (tourists) during each of the two years of implementation (despite the negative press coverage associated with the H1N1 virus, the prevailing economic problems in North America at that time and increasing public concerns about safety of travel to Mexico). The campaign was also voted the “best national tourist board campaign” by the Association of Travel Editors.