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The power of social media - tourism success in Vulcan, Alberta (2010)

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Dayna Dickens

- The town of Vulcan, Alberta had an unofficial association with Star Trek due to its name and began embracing this theme in the 1990s to boost tourism. - In 2007, the tourism coordinator came up with the idea to host the world premiere of the new Star Trek movie, despite Vulcan not having a movie theater. - An amateur video proposal was made and campaign began on Facebook, gaining worldwide media attention. Though the premiere bid failed, tourism increased substantially. - In 2009, 300 Vulcan residents were bussed to a special screening in Calgary after backlash against the film studio. Leonard Nimoy later visited Vulcan, cementing its Star Trek legacy.

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In 2006, the windy road of my career found me out in Western Canada where I got to take on the role of tourism coordinator for the Town of Vulcan ¨C population just under 1,800 people Located on a secondary highway, 75 minutes south east of Calgary, in the middle of the prairies. FAR FAR to the west you can just make out the Rocky Mountains peeking above the horizon and Far Far to the east I¡¯m sure you can see Saskatchewan if you stood on your tippy toes. Vulcan had long been known for it¡¯s unofficial association with Star Trek. Not long after I started working for the Town of Vulcan, I heard that they were planning to make a new Star Trek movie, and I came up with the crazy idea of trying to host its world 1
premiere¡­an idea made all the more crazy by the fact that Vulcan doesn¡¯t have a movie theatre. I¡¯d like to kick off the meat of my presentation today by showing you the video proposal that we made and sent down to Hollywood. This video and the facebook page it promotes became the foundation of a much larger campaign that made all the difference for Vulcan¡­. <<<<WATCH VIDEO>>>> 1
Vulcan had long been known for it¡¯s unofficial association with Star Trek. Not long after I started, I heard that they were planning to make a new Star Trek movie, and I came up with the crazy idea of trying to host its world premiere¡­an idea made all the more crazy by the fact that Vulcan doesn¡¯t have a movie theatre. I¡¯d like to kick off the meat of my presentation today by showing you the amateur video proposal that we made and sent down to Hollywood. Warning: the video was made in house, using basic desktop software. This, and the facebook page it promotes became the foundation of a much larger campaign that made all the difference for Vulcan¡­. <<<<WATCH VIDEO>>>> 2
A little background history: 1966, Original Star Trek Series hits the airwaves - People stopped to have pictures taken - Sports teams pointy ears. 2
1969 show was cancelled, but people kept stopping by because of Star Trek. Late 1980s/early 90s, downturn in local economy - V.A.S.T. begins 3
And Vulcan Ears become the unofficial community souvenir 4
1993 ¨C Vulcan hosted its first Star Trek Convention: Spock Days 1995 ¨C the Vulcan Starship FX6-1995-A is unveiled at the entrance to town About this time Murals began to be painted around town and some local businesses began experimenting with the brand 5
1998 ¨C The Vulcan tourism & Trek Station celebrated its Grand Opening, and Town Council members donned their first Star Fleet Uniforms ¨C a symbol they came to be recognized for. 6
Staff at the Trek Station wore Star Trek uniforms 7
And people came in from all corners of the galaxy. Between 1998 and 2006, Visitor stats at the Trek Station remained fairly stable, at around a little over 10,000 people/year. The town had always followed a traditional marketing mix ¨C including radio, website and print (including visitor guides, newspapers and brochures). Then¡­ 8
In late summer 2007, upon learning about plans to make a new Star Trek movie, I came up with a crazy idea to ask Hollywood if we could host the world premiere of the new film. Earlier that year, the small town of Springfield, Vermont had won a contest to host the premiere of the new Simpsons movie, so I figured if they could do it, why not us? I spoke with my boss, who rolled his eyes a bit, but gave me the go-ahead, as long as I didn¡¯t ask for any money beyond what I already had in my marketing budget. I signed up for facebook, started the group, sent out a press release to my then modest media list and we were off. My original plan was really a lark ¨C because I had no idea how to 9
cold-call Hollywood. I knew the Star Trek and Vulcan fans were dedicated, passionate and keen, so I hoped that their energy and enthusiasm would take the spark of my idea and grow it into something substantial¡­. That hope was bang on, Within a few days the group gained several hundred followers, and the story had been picked up by the wire service and reported around the world. We took that initial momentum, and put it into the video I played a couple of minutes ago, created a proposal portfolio and sent the package off to Hollywood¡­. Cold calling the contact information we found on imdb.com, for JJ Abrams and Robert Orci and their agents/Managers. The first round of proposals didn¡¯t go anywhere. BUT The media didn¡¯t go away, momentum kept growing on facebook, and most notable of all ¨C our visitor stats started to go up. By the end of 2007, we logged a 31% increase in visitors compared to 2006 (a little more than 3300 people) Early 2007 we got our first big bite when I worked a lead that connected me directly to the senior VP of MP Marketing for Canada at Paramount Pictures. I sent him the video package and he called asking for more information ¨C never saying no. For the next 18 months, we corresponded and spoke together, and after every phone call that didn¡¯t end in ¡°NO¡±, I felt a little more confident, and posted an update on facebook. Throughout this time, our facebook audience grew, and we took 9
advantage of that forum to make regular seasonal announcements ¨C about things like Spock Days guests, ticket sale details, parade times, volunteer opportunities, summer hours, staff introductions etc etc. Also throughout this time, the media remained interested in what was going on in Vulcan. I did interviews for radio stations across North America and as far away as Brazil and Australia. TV news crews and travel shows came knocking on our doors and our visitor counts kept rising. Sometimes they even wanted to connect with our fans, so we were able to shine the spotlight on our most loyal visitors as well. by fall 2008, Vulcan had been in the media spotlight for long enough that the folks at CBS, who own the rights to Star Trek Merchandising finally contacted the town, and we were able to negotiate a formal licensing agreement that finally recognized Vulcan as the Official Star Trek Capital of Canada¡­. Of course we announced that news to the world as well ¨C through our traditional and social media channels, and once again made world wide news. By the end of 2008 we were up 56% compared to 2006 (6000 people more people than 2006) By March 2009, I was starting to get a little anxious ¨C we were less than 8 weeks out from the movie¡¯s scheduled opening night, and still hadn¡¯t heard a firm yes or not to our proposal. By then I had a whole army of contractors tentatively lined up and they wanted to confirm or drop my holds. Around that time, it was announced that the film¡¯s world premiere would take place in Sydney Australia, and I received a phone call form one of the 9
Syndey morning Radio shows, asking for my thoughts on our failed bid¡­. I called paramount Canada once again to ask for their final decision, if not for a world premiere, then for a North American premiere, or an opening night screening, and March 18, 2009, I finally received word that our proposal was being turned down due to ¡°timing and logistics¡±. We crafted a joint message together, and I posted it on facebook and sent it out in a press release. A short time later our story ended up on the front page article in the Calgary Herald, and across the internet, internationally thanks to the Canadian Press Wire Service. 9
The next morning I received a phone call that went like this: ¡­.. Can¡¯t star 69 celebrities Lost opportunity 90 minutes later received call from Calgary Herald¡­ Short time later from CP I called paramount to let them know latest development¡­. They were caught off guard by backlash against them by Leonard Nimoy, in the media, on our facebook page and across social media, and within 24 hours worked out a compromise (sanctioned by Leonard Nimoy himself) for 300 Vulcan residents to be bussed to Calgary for a special sneak peak screening of the movie a couple of days prior to it¡¯s North American debut¡­.. PICTURES>>>>>> 10
Support form local residents was overwhelming ¨C Residents who had always been resistant to the Star Trek Brand came out in full costume. MORE PICTURES>>>>> 11
Upon arrival in Calgary they were greeted by Hollywood style, by a wall of media, paparazzi and star trek fans. MORE PICTURES>>>> 12
And we were treated to a wonderful evening hosted by Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood, who plays Captain Pick in the new franchise. SPOILER ALERT ¡­ I have a personal theory why the movie didn¡¯t open in Vulcan¡­. IMPLOSION!!! The movie screening marked the end of a very colourful chapter in Vulcan¡¯s tourism history and For the rest of the year, the Vulcan Visitor counts continued to rise and rise and rise, and by the end of 2009, we were up 109% (11600 more people than 2006) ¡­ but the story didn¡¯t end there. 13
About a month after the big movie screening I received a phone call form the Calgary Comic and Entertainment EXPO. They had been watching Vulcan¡¯s story unfold in the media and were hungry to get a taste of our success with a desire to be covered by the Space Channel and to get on the front page of the Calgary Herald. In 2010, they wanted to Invite Leonard Nimoy to be their marquee guest and wondered if I would be interested in hosting him for a Vulcan Homecoming Vulcan on their Expos opening day ¨C they would cover his appearance fee, all I had to do was look after on the ground logistics¡­..if ever I experienced a pinch me moment, that was it ¨C FINALLY an opportunity to apologize to the godfather of Vulcan himself ¨C for hanging up on him. By now, I have talked long enough, but I have one last video that I would like to play for you, that captures the magic of the day of Nimoy¡¯s visit to Vulcan. I¡¯m going to play that for you now, then wrap up with some social media takeaways¡­. 13
14
Regardless of the social media forum (Facebook, Pinterest, Google +, YouTube, twitter etc), posts/pages/profiles/comments etc do not have to go Viral to be effective. Vulcan¡¯s social media campaign never reached more then a few thousand people at it¡¯s peak; however those few thousand people were actively engaged in the conversation and were always keen to hear about what we were up to next ¨C AND TO SHARE IT WITH THEIR OWN NETWORKS All of these interactions/shares/comments and likes were documented for anyone (i.e. Paramount Pictures) to see an evaluate. These days Humour, Inspiration, and kittens, puppies and babies are what get the most shares in Facebook ¨C so, if you use that forum, you could try to post humourous, inspirational or adorably cute images with comments or captions that link back to your website, where people will be more open to receiving your hard sell. 15
NOT: ¡°If you build it they will come¡± situation. Social media accounts need to be thoughtfully and regularly maintained with information that is appropriate to the forum you are using, and relevant to your target market¡¯s interests and reasons for being there. To be successful, you must stay on top of what¡¯s happening in your social media accounts as it happens. This means interacting with your friends/fans/followers and responding to their engagement with you as close to in real time as possible ¨C that is where the opportunities for social media success lie. 16
Example: Home for the Holidays Shop in High River campaign ¨C 2011 vs 2012 - Impact of facebook/google ads vs radio ads. 17
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The power of social media - tourism success in Vulcan, Alberta (2010)

  • 1. In 2006, the windy road of my career found me out in Western Canada where I got to take on the role of tourism coordinator for the Town of Vulcan ¨C population just under 1,800 people Located on a secondary highway, 75 minutes south east of Calgary, in the middle of the prairies. FAR FAR to the west you can just make out the Rocky Mountains peeking above the horizon and Far Far to the east I¡¯m sure you can see Saskatchewan if you stood on your tippy toes. Vulcan had long been known for it¡¯s unofficial association with Star Trek. Not long after I started working for the Town of Vulcan, I heard that they were planning to make a new Star Trek movie, and I came up with the crazy idea of trying to host its world 1
  • 2. premiere¡­an idea made all the more crazy by the fact that Vulcan doesn¡¯t have a movie theatre. I¡¯d like to kick off the meat of my presentation today by showing you the video proposal that we made and sent down to Hollywood. This video and the facebook page it promotes became the foundation of a much larger campaign that made all the difference for Vulcan¡­. <<<<WATCH VIDEO>>>> 1
  • 3. Vulcan had long been known for it¡¯s unofficial association with Star Trek. Not long after I started, I heard that they were planning to make a new Star Trek movie, and I came up with the crazy idea of trying to host its world premiere¡­an idea made all the more crazy by the fact that Vulcan doesn¡¯t have a movie theatre. I¡¯d like to kick off the meat of my presentation today by showing you the amateur video proposal that we made and sent down to Hollywood. Warning: the video was made in house, using basic desktop software. This, and the facebook page it promotes became the foundation of a much larger campaign that made all the difference for Vulcan¡­. <<<<WATCH VIDEO>>>> 2
  • 4. A little background history: 1966, Original Star Trek Series hits the airwaves - People stopped to have pictures taken - Sports teams pointy ears. 2
  • 5. 1969 show was cancelled, but people kept stopping by because of Star Trek. Late 1980s/early 90s, downturn in local economy - V.A.S.T. begins 3
  • 6. And Vulcan Ears become the unofficial community souvenir 4
  • 7. 1993 ¨C Vulcan hosted its first Star Trek Convention: Spock Days 1995 ¨C the Vulcan Starship FX6-1995-A is unveiled at the entrance to town About this time Murals began to be painted around town and some local businesses began experimenting with the brand 5
  • 8. 1998 ¨C The Vulcan tourism & Trek Station celebrated its Grand Opening, and Town Council members donned their first Star Fleet Uniforms ¨C a symbol they came to be recognized for. 6
  • 9. Staff at the Trek Station wore Star Trek uniforms 7
  • 10. And people came in from all corners of the galaxy. Between 1998 and 2006, Visitor stats at the Trek Station remained fairly stable, at around a little over 10,000 people/year. The town had always followed a traditional marketing mix ¨C including radio, website and print (including visitor guides, newspapers and brochures). Then¡­ 8
  • 11. In late summer 2007, upon learning about plans to make a new Star Trek movie, I came up with a crazy idea to ask Hollywood if we could host the world premiere of the new film. Earlier that year, the small town of Springfield, Vermont had won a contest to host the premiere of the new Simpsons movie, so I figured if they could do it, why not us? I spoke with my boss, who rolled his eyes a bit, but gave me the go-ahead, as long as I didn¡¯t ask for any money beyond what I already had in my marketing budget. I signed up for facebook, started the group, sent out a press release to my then modest media list and we were off. My original plan was really a lark ¨C because I had no idea how to 9
  • 12. cold-call Hollywood. I knew the Star Trek and Vulcan fans were dedicated, passionate and keen, so I hoped that their energy and enthusiasm would take the spark of my idea and grow it into something substantial¡­. That hope was bang on, Within a few days the group gained several hundred followers, and the story had been picked up by the wire service and reported around the world. We took that initial momentum, and put it into the video I played a couple of minutes ago, created a proposal portfolio and sent the package off to Hollywood¡­. Cold calling the contact information we found on imdb.com, for JJ Abrams and Robert Orci and their agents/Managers. The first round of proposals didn¡¯t go anywhere. BUT The media didn¡¯t go away, momentum kept growing on facebook, and most notable of all ¨C our visitor stats started to go up. By the end of 2007, we logged a 31% increase in visitors compared to 2006 (a little more than 3300 people) Early 2007 we got our first big bite when I worked a lead that connected me directly to the senior VP of MP Marketing for Canada at Paramount Pictures. I sent him the video package and he called asking for more information ¨C never saying no. For the next 18 months, we corresponded and spoke together, and after every phone call that didn¡¯t end in ¡°NO¡±, I felt a little more confident, and posted an update on facebook. Throughout this time, our facebook audience grew, and we took 9
  • 13. advantage of that forum to make regular seasonal announcements ¨C about things like Spock Days guests, ticket sale details, parade times, volunteer opportunities, summer hours, staff introductions etc etc. Also throughout this time, the media remained interested in what was going on in Vulcan. I did interviews for radio stations across North America and as far away as Brazil and Australia. TV news crews and travel shows came knocking on our doors and our visitor counts kept rising. Sometimes they even wanted to connect with our fans, so we were able to shine the spotlight on our most loyal visitors as well. by fall 2008, Vulcan had been in the media spotlight for long enough that the folks at CBS, who own the rights to Star Trek Merchandising finally contacted the town, and we were able to negotiate a formal licensing agreement that finally recognized Vulcan as the Official Star Trek Capital of Canada¡­. Of course we announced that news to the world as well ¨C through our traditional and social media channels, and once again made world wide news. By the end of 2008 we were up 56% compared to 2006 (6000 people more people than 2006) By March 2009, I was starting to get a little anxious ¨C we were less than 8 weeks out from the movie¡¯s scheduled opening night, and still hadn¡¯t heard a firm yes or not to our proposal. By then I had a whole army of contractors tentatively lined up and they wanted to confirm or drop my holds. Around that time, it was announced that the film¡¯s world premiere would take place in Sydney Australia, and I received a phone call form one of the 9
  • 14. Syndey morning Radio shows, asking for my thoughts on our failed bid¡­. I called paramount Canada once again to ask for their final decision, if not for a world premiere, then for a North American premiere, or an opening night screening, and March 18, 2009, I finally received word that our proposal was being turned down due to ¡°timing and logistics¡±. We crafted a joint message together, and I posted it on facebook and sent it out in a press release. A short time later our story ended up on the front page article in the Calgary Herald, and across the internet, internationally thanks to the Canadian Press Wire Service. 9
  • 15. The next morning I received a phone call that went like this: ¡­.. Can¡¯t star 69 celebrities Lost opportunity 90 minutes later received call from Calgary Herald¡­ Short time later from CP I called paramount to let them know latest development¡­. They were caught off guard by backlash against them by Leonard Nimoy, in the media, on our facebook page and across social media, and within 24 hours worked out a compromise (sanctioned by Leonard Nimoy himself) for 300 Vulcan residents to be bussed to Calgary for a special sneak peak screening of the movie a couple of days prior to it¡¯s North American debut¡­.. PICTURES>>>>>> 10
  • 16. Support form local residents was overwhelming ¨C Residents who had always been resistant to the Star Trek Brand came out in full costume. MORE PICTURES>>>>> 11
  • 17. Upon arrival in Calgary they were greeted by Hollywood style, by a wall of media, paparazzi and star trek fans. MORE PICTURES>>>> 12
  • 18. And we were treated to a wonderful evening hosted by Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood, who plays Captain Pick in the new franchise. SPOILER ALERT ¡­ I have a personal theory why the movie didn¡¯t open in Vulcan¡­. IMPLOSION!!! The movie screening marked the end of a very colourful chapter in Vulcan¡¯s tourism history and For the rest of the year, the Vulcan Visitor counts continued to rise and rise and rise, and by the end of 2009, we were up 109% (11600 more people than 2006) ¡­ but the story didn¡¯t end there. 13
  • 19. About a month after the big movie screening I received a phone call form the Calgary Comic and Entertainment EXPO. They had been watching Vulcan¡¯s story unfold in the media and were hungry to get a taste of our success with a desire to be covered by the Space Channel and to get on the front page of the Calgary Herald. In 2010, they wanted to Invite Leonard Nimoy to be their marquee guest and wondered if I would be interested in hosting him for a Vulcan Homecoming Vulcan on their Expos opening day ¨C they would cover his appearance fee, all I had to do was look after on the ground logistics¡­..if ever I experienced a pinch me moment, that was it ¨C FINALLY an opportunity to apologize to the godfather of Vulcan himself ¨C for hanging up on him. By now, I have talked long enough, but I have one last video that I would like to play for you, that captures the magic of the day of Nimoy¡¯s visit to Vulcan. I¡¯m going to play that for you now, then wrap up with some social media takeaways¡­. 13
  • 20. 14
  • 21. Regardless of the social media forum (Facebook, Pinterest, Google +, YouTube, twitter etc), posts/pages/profiles/comments etc do not have to go Viral to be effective. Vulcan¡¯s social media campaign never reached more then a few thousand people at it¡¯s peak; however those few thousand people were actively engaged in the conversation and were always keen to hear about what we were up to next ¨C AND TO SHARE IT WITH THEIR OWN NETWORKS All of these interactions/shares/comments and likes were documented for anyone (i.e. Paramount Pictures) to see an evaluate. These days Humour, Inspiration, and kittens, puppies and babies are what get the most shares in Facebook ¨C so, if you use that forum, you could try to post humourous, inspirational or adorably cute images with comments or captions that link back to your website, where people will be more open to receiving your hard sell. 15
  • 22. NOT: ¡°If you build it they will come¡± situation. Social media accounts need to be thoughtfully and regularly maintained with information that is appropriate to the forum you are using, and relevant to your target market¡¯s interests and reasons for being there. To be successful, you must stay on top of what¡¯s happening in your social media accounts as it happens. This means interacting with your friends/fans/followers and responding to their engagement with you as close to in real time as possible ¨C that is where the opportunities for social media success lie. 16
  • 23. Example: Home for the Holidays Shop in High River campaign ¨C 2011 vs 2012 - Impact of facebook/google ads vs radio ads. 17
  • 24. 18