LITTLE ROCK — The state Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a $6.3 million spring and summer state tourism advertising campaign presented by the Little Rock advertising and marketing firm Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods.
The campaign includes $2.1 million in television advertising, $1.2 million in magazine advertising and $1.1 million in Internet advertising.
Cranford Johnson produced a 33-minute video highlighting plans to promote the state’s tourism next year.
“The presentation was very well thought out,” said Darin Gray, chief executive officer of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal and chairman of the commission, which met in Little Rock.
Tourism is one of the largest generators of revenue in the state, creating more than $5 billion annually, Gray said.
So an investment of $6.3 million is worthwhile when the return is considered, he said.
The state also will advertise in the Branson airport to attract travelers at that tourism destination to extend their trips into Arkansas. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville is one destination highlighted.
“The reason we thought it was a great opportunity in Branson was because these are people who are already on vacation,” said Karen Mullikin, senior vice president at Cranford Johnson. “We’re trying to pull them across the border.”
The Branson advertising was very affordable, unlike higher costs at other airports, which often also require longterm contracts, Mullikin said.
The focus of the advertising is to get the consumer to go to the state’s tourism website, Arkansas.com, Mullikin said.
From there, the consumer can decide which specific pieces of information to request.
A proposal to use social media as a form of advertising for the state reflects the way the advertising market is changing, said Joe David Rice, tourism director for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
“We are trying to make sure we are at the forefront,” Rice said.
Arkansas ranks second in market share behind Michigan in utilizing the Internet to promote tourism, Rice said.
Some of the advertising dollars will be used to promote the state on Hulu, a subscription website that offers on-demand video of television shows and movies.
Tourism in Arkansas was flat for the first six months of the year compared with the same period last year, Rice said.
Tourism was down for the first half of last year because of extensive rainfall, and it has been affected this summer by the drought, Rice said.
Business, Pages 27 on 09/21/2012. Note: A correction has been appended to this story since its original publication.