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North Dakota’s Legendary Ad

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Destinations have always stretched the truth. The mountains are just a bit taller, the air slightly cleaner and nightlife is always so much more vibrant. But being something you’re not has consequences.

Oh North Dakota, why?

I considered not writing this story.

After all, do we really need to pile on?

And while I won't add any more jokes to this mistake of the moment, in the end, this story highlights my philosophy on destination branding and marketing.

For those of you catching up, here is a muted recap: Visit North Dakota launched a new ad campaign.

One of the ads was:

  1. Called inappropriate due to the ad copy.
  2. An instant internet meme / easy to make fun of.
  3. A textbook example of trying to be something you are not.

And now, in classic knee-jerk fashion, Facebook photos have been removed, PR-heavy wall posts issued and the masses what to know more.

Quick reminder, you do have a Social Media Crisis plan, right?  Right?

The real issue here is not the ad copy, which, in all honesty, is not that racy, insulting or inappropriate.  Silly, sure, but we have all seen much worse.  No, the real issue, and a reason why many people have commented on this campaign, is the positioning of the ad.

Positioning which attempted to show off North Dakota, and Fargo, as something it is not.

Specifically a destination with vibrant nightlife.

Seems to me, someone already talked about this.  And told you to stop it.

Yet here we are.  A poor ad, touting a weak tourism asset and now collecting the social media equivalent of calling bullshit.

Frankly, the ad deserved it.

In this brave new world of sharing, social and instant feedback, hiding the weak points of your destination through overly generous ad creative will not be tolerated.

Focus on your strengths and don't pretend to be something you are not.

Because sooner or later, someone is going to call bullshit.

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Troy Thompson

Troy Thompson is a respected consultant, speaker and thought-leader in the tourism industry. Principal at the Travel 2.0 Consulting Group and Founder of mark, Troy provides destinations, DMOs and CVBs with answers to difficult digital marketing questions.

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  • http://twitter.com/decillis Betsy A. Decillis

    I was totally going to blog on this, but eh... I'm lazy and will just post my thoughts here.

    The real issue here was the response. A bad ad is a bad ad and we all make mistakes. Embrace that you made a mistake and leverage it to make something good come out of it. They chose to rip the ad down and blame the fans, not only on the Facebook page but also in an article (http://www.inforum.com/.../article/id/347040/group/News/). This response is what is keeping this story about a bad ad going, not the ad itself. 

    Then take a look at someplace like Visit Savannah. They put together what others deemed to be a bad video. And then turned it around into a positive. All we remember now is how awesome their response was. North Dakota is really missing a big opportunity here.

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Thanks Betsy, I appreciate that your laziness adds to the conversation on this site. Heh.

    I will agree, the response certainly did not help.  They could have handled the situation much more gracefully, and as you pointed out, the response is keeping this story alive.

    And based upon the interview (from your link), there is a pretty big disconnect between Ms. Otte Coleman and what is actually the issue here.

    I don't know Sara, and I imagine she is a smart tourism markerter, but comments like: 

    'Clearly people have way more time on their hands...'

    and 

    'At this point, I would say we’d have lots of other options to showcase the nightlife and the downtown fun atmosphere that Fargo and Grand Forks and Bismarck have to offer...'

    Are really not helping the controversy about the tone of the ad, nor convincing me that this was an honest mistake.

    And you know what is really interesting, I cannot recall that Visit Savannah video.

    But I am confident I will remember the North Dakota ad.

    - Troy

  • Brian

    It's a bad ad, Troy.  Yes, bad in concept.  But just because an ad is bad in doesn't automatically mean that the message that was intended to come across is untrue.  No nightlife in the community?  Really?  Fargo, ND actually is a pretty fun place to party and experience...Before you go making blanket comments about what a destination is and isn't you should maybe come for a visit yourself first.  If you have visited you would know that the area is actually a lot of fun with a a wide array of things to do and see. #justsayin

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Hey Brian,

    Thanks for the comment, whether you agree or disagree, I do appreciate it.

    Clearly, there is nightlife in North Dakota, no issue there.  The issue is whether or not that tourism asset is a strength of the destination in the eyes of the visitor.

    Every city in America has a bar, but would I promote that as nightlife?

    If you are asking me, honestly, if I would promote North Dakota or Fargo, as a nightlife destination to cities such as Minneapolis, Winnipeg, Madison or Milwaukee, my answer is going to be no.

    In-state, to a local audience? Maybe.

    It is too far of a stretch to say that North Dakota is a great place for nightlife, in comparison to those cities.

    I get it.  There is a sense of civic pride in all of us.  But our perspective as residents or marketers of our destination will always be skewed by our own local bias.

    And it is a tough thing to admit.  No tourism marketer in their right mind would ever say 'we are not good at that.'  But there is a difference is simply not talking about a weak asset and running creative to highlight it.

    As for visiting Fargo, I have. Twice. And I went to a bar.

    And you are right, it is a nice, fun, welcoming, charming, town.

    But would I promote that experience to potential visitors via nightlife?  No.

    Great conversation, this type of comment is exactly why I write this blog.  I love hearing the perspectives of others.

    - Troy

  • Jim Brody

    You know, you see these, and it's just like watching a debate where the Rick Perry of that campaign gets to his "oops" moment.  But it's what happens after that really means something.  And as silly as this episode was, it unveils some serious questions for DMO's.

    First, embrace the negative and try to find a silver lining, or at least a way to help ease the crisis.  In more serious moments, this might be looking to fund-raise for disaster relief.  In this case, it might have been a follow up that says - yes, even in North Dakota we have nightlife...  let's face it, it gets really, really cold up here during the winter!

    Second, I have seen DMO's paralyzed by one person who was - for some reason (no matter how ridiculous) - offended by an ad or article.  Circling the wagons and running from the complaint does no good.  Defend your marketing and your sense of place!   There is no such thing as everybody in happiness and nirvana all day!

    Third, every DMO needs a social media crisis communication plan.  And it needs to be applicable even if the reason isn't a true calamity.  Because the worst thing you can do in this day and age is cede the public conversation and its agenda to everybody else but you.

    Nice article, Troy!

  • http://twitter.com/timbrechlin Tim Brechlin

    Advertising is, by its very nature, superficial to some level, but you can still achieve authenticity.

    This ... this is something else. Holy cats.

    From a design perspective, it's insane; I count four unique fonts (the "drinks, dinner" one, the "arrive a guest" font (same as the "legendary" type) below "North Dakota" (itself its own font), then the "Start your journey" type at the bottom left, which in and of itself is a mortal sin of design. 

    The image itself, especially with the woman knocking on the window and the leering faces of the males, lends itself to a vaguely predatory reading, too (and I don't think I need to go any farther than that in order to make my point, especially since I'm sure it's been said before by others). 

    But most importantly, from a tourism and DMO perspective, beyond all that, there is absolutely NOTHING that screams "North Dakota." Honestly, were it not for the street signs, that could be 16th Street, Blake Street or Arapahoe in downtown Denver, or it could be Rush Street in Chicago, or State Street in Madison, or ... well, you get the point.

    The whole point of a tourism campaign is to differentiate your destination from others, not throw up a hilariously generic message that could apply to every other place in the country.

  • http://twitter.com/timbrechlin Tim Brechlin

    Brian, I spent eight years living in Dubuque, Iowa, and if I had a buck for every time I had to combat someone's -- be it a friend, business associate, client, etc. -- assertion that Iowa was a state of flat land, corn and morons, I'd ... well, I'd be able to afford my rent for the next several months, anyway. I loved Dubuque and I still miss it, despite living in and helping to market a city about four times its size, now.

    Troy didn't say that North Dakota had no nightlife, nor did he say that the destination wasn't a lot of fun. What he DID say, however, was that trying to differentiate your destination because it has nightlife is pretty moronic, because even podunk towns of 153 people have at least one bar and probably two. 

    The whole point of destination marketing is to angle your city in a way that presents it as different from anyone else. New York City is just as good a place for a convention as Chicago, so you need to accentuate the differences, the unique selling propositions. 

    There's nothing unique about this ad. It could be a (horrible) stock photo, for all anyone can tell. Being generic will not help -- in fact, it will prevent -- a DMO to win.

  • http://donnieclapp.com Donnie Clapp

    When something like this happens, it could actually be considered a good opportunity to capitalize on a moment of greater visibility to put one's client/destination in the spotlight. Make fun of yourself, turn it into an even bigger joke, agree that it was ridiculous and try to get as much play outside the advertising industry as possible. And make no mistake: that is definitely possible. 

    In fact, the opportunity to coordinate a coup like that plays out like a sort of fantasy in my head. 

    But I suppose if I were in charge, that ad wouldn't have been posted in the first place, so perhaps I'll never have the opportunity. 

    Are those of us that read Travel 2.0 (clearly the brightest minds in the business) denying ourselves a chance at greatness every time we neglect to make a big mistake?

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Thanks Jim, appreciate the comments.

    As Betsy pointed out as well, this would not be a story if they followed (your) point #1.

    And I completely agree about the paralyzing impact of a single person.  Unfortunately, it seems this was more than one person.  But, if you thought this ad, your ad, that idea, whatever, was a good idea, then tell people why.

    Had North Dakota simply said 'this is why we created this ad / here is what we are going to do next', there would likely be much less conversation about it.

    Good stuff.

    - Troy

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Tim, I found this comment from the BoingBoing story ( http://ow.ly/8sS3b ) summed it up nicely:

    There's a lot about this ad that's worse, but something that bugs me about it is the fact that it's making North Dakota look like, well, a lot of other places. One of the things I enjoy about traveling is being able to see and experience things I won't find anywhere else, or that at least I won't find at home. If I want to see a couple of guys sitting in a bar drinking beer and ogling women like idiots I only have to go about fifty feet from my office.

    And, odds are, this just does not even work in tourism.

    - Troy

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Thanks Donnie, I can see the pitch now:

    'Ladies and gentlemen, our new campaign strategy is to f*ck up on purpose and then fix it.'

    Honestly Donnie, I wonder the same thing.

    - Troy

  • http://donnieclapp.com Donnie Clapp

    I like it.

    Just to flesh it out a bit, North Dakota's new thing could be: "Hate Advertising? Come check out North Dakota. We're horrible at it."

    It's almost a riff on the "We're too busy enjoying nature to do Twitter" Twitter profile you talked about a while back.

    dc

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Oh god Donnie, that is the funny thing I have read all week.  I love it.

    - Troy

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    A selected portion of the AP story ( http://ow.ly/8tfKJ ):

    ...Diane Shober, Wyoming's tourism director, said the state does not normally emphasize nightlife in its own campaigns. Wyoming's main attraction to tourists is its parks and outdoors, Shober said Friday.

    "It all depends on what your product is. We can't sell anything with shopping or nightlife because we just don't have it available," Shober said. "What draws people here for a vacation is to see Yellowstone National Park."

    Ingrid Schneider, a University of Minnesota professor and director of the school's tourism center, said the ad "is definitely not North Dakota's current image, and this is probably what they're trying to change."

    "I personally would not think of this as a tourism ad. I think this could be anywhere," Schneider said. "I'm not sure this conveys nightlife. I think there are many other ways to convey nightlife."...

    Exactly.

    - Troy

  • http://twitter.com/DeepDishCreates Lara Dickson

    Having never visited ND I wouldn't be offended by the copy or even the positioning. What does strike me is that scene could have been shot in any city or one-horse town anywhere in North America. Doesn't really say 'Now THIS is North Dakota.' Surprised this made made the final cut of the campaign, but also surprised by all the hoopla generated locally and otherwise. I wouldn't have looked twice at this one.

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Hey Lara,

    Thanks for the comment.  As you say, the copy is really not that offensive.  Perhaps people are just not use to seeing this type of tone with a tourism ad.

    But you do touch upon an underlying issue, the ad does not make a strong connection with North Dakota.  Call it positioning or creative, but it is an unfortunately common trait among destination advertising.

    Focus on the unique strengths of the destination, not a tourism asset that every other destination also has.

    - Troy

  • Cole Carley (FM CVB)

    The issue in addressing an advertising target is relevancy.  Is what you’re saying true and is it the type of thing to which they will respond positively?

    In the case of the North Dakota city ad, the target was not Minneapolis, or Milwaukee,
    or any other large US destination.  It was targeted toward our Canadian visitors who come to Fargo-Moorhead (and other ND cities) for a city experience.  That includes Winnipeg, BTW.  Winnipeg is a much larger, thriving, vibrant, international city but its residents still come here to shop and enjoy themselves after-hours. And we have research to back that up.

    As a print ad, it would have run in Canadian publications and a few selected Midwestern
    US markets.  And it was for those markets the ad was targeted.  It would also have
    run in a series of ads that have a non-metro focus, not just stand alone.  I think that picking one ad out of a series ignores context.

    And some of the large metro folks are completely unaware of the fact that this isn’t a
    cow town with gravel streets.  We need to remind them occasionally that cities in North Dakota can also be fun in the evening.  And we have research to back that up also.

    (Editor's Note: Comment moderated to adjust formatting.)

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Hey Cole,

    Thanks for the comment and the perspective, greatly appreciated.  And I certainly agree with the idea of relevancy.

    I have no doubt that this campaign was based around research.  And I am also confident that 'nightlife' appears in the top 5/10 of things to do...as it does for nearly every DMO and CVB.  Personally, I view the selection of 'nightlife' in a survey as an indicator of who the visitor aspires to be, rather than a true reflection of who they are and what they do.

    But, I digress.

    As for the ad, I really have no issue with showing nighttime activities in North Dakota.

    What I am asking for, and hoping bringing awareness to, is for more DMOs and CVBs to advertise with their strengths.

    I know Fargo has bars, and as mentioned previously, as does nearly every town in North America.  But if I am coming to North Dakota, show me what is unique about your bars, nightlife, downtowns.

    A specific bar with history?  Unique downtown festival?  Unmatched experience in Fargo?

    That is what I am asking for.

    I don't want North Dakota to be like every other state, because it is not like every other state.

    It is unique, and that should be apparent from the advertising.

    Good stuff, again, thanks for the comment and adding to the conversation.

    - Troy

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Thanks Rich, appreciate the comment.

    Frankly, I would have loved to seen the research, but I am simply not privy to that info.  And as I told Cole, I am sure there was research that said visitors to North Dakota enjoy 'nightlife' on a vacation.

    They also enjoying breathing and not getting pickpocketed.

    But I don't need a survey to tell me that.

    The trouble with research is that some of our peers use it as a crutch to defend poor marketing decisions.  And no, not saying that was the case here, or that is something you have done in the past Rich.

    But, I have seen it happen.

    What I am saying is that destinations need to stop being all things to all people.  Why does a destination need 10 different print ads to convey their message?  Especially if they don't have 10 unique tourism assets to promote.

    I would rather see 2 or 3 really strong, really unique creative executions.

    I know, or rather hope, you have restaurants and bars, tell me why else I should come to your destination?

    Good stuff.

    - Troy

  • http://www.travel2dot0.com/ Troy Thompson

    Thanks Rich.

    I suspect the pickpocket campaign would be short-lived. Heh.

    Completely agree on the unnecessary criticism around the creative of this ad.  And yes, far too often, laptop critics are quick to explain what is wrong with nothing more than a glance at the story.

    For me, the focus of this post should not be solely on North Dakota.  Plenty of other DMOs and CVBs run the same, poor ad.

    This is a challenge to every tourism marketing organization, named or nameless, to consider positioning in their creative executions.

    Now that everyone can write there own travel guide book, a DMO must carefully consider their public perception.

    - Troy

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