How We Helped Visit Carlsbad, CA Define Its Multicultural and Inclusivity Destination Strategy.
Seeking to prepare to Visit Carlsbad leadership and staff, as well as its marketing and communications agencies of record, Visit Carlsbad engaged The Culturist Group, a multicultural and inclusive marketing and communications agency in 2022 to develop a Multicultural and Inclusive Destination Marketing Roadmap, and to extend counsel on key destination brand-building elements as the destination marketing organization enters a significant period of growth.
“Any destination seeking to mobilize its diversity and inclusivity positioning must take a step back to assess how its current infrastructure is equipped to build awareness and trust with multicultural consumers. The Culturist Group provided us with important perspectives, tools, and a literal checklist that was custom to us and helped us to prioritize this work within our team and our community as we set out with a new destination brand. This roadmap is an invaluable destination marketing tool.”
Kim Sidoriak, President and CEO, Visit Carlsbad.
The Case - Why A Multicultural and Inclusive Roadmap?
Under new leadership Visit Carlsbad focused on elements of its Strategic Plan to help further its reputation as an inclusive destination and work to elevate its destination brand by appealing to emerging multicultural and diverse travelers. With most of its target audience residing in culturally-diverse California, population and demographic shifts within its core market represent an opportunity for the destination and its partners to grow its brand and visitation from multicultural and diverse travelers.
The Work
Visit Carlsbad’s Multicultural and Inclusive Destination Marketing Roadmap is a 16-page custom strategy document that articulates specific and detailed recommendations that work to reinforce the destination’s Strategic Plan and Visit Carlsbad’s brand marketing program. Our approach relied on reviewing existing brand research and methodologies, positioning documents, owned channel marketing, and communications, as well as conversations with Visit Carlsbad leadership to help understand opportunities to improve multicultural infrastructure and consumer perception compared to the destination’s competitors.
The Culturist Group developed a strategic roadmap document and process that:
Provided a real-time assessment of the destination’s current strategic plan and marketing strategy and details recommendations for improving its appeal to diverse travelers;
Revealed supplementary data and intelligence to highlight multicultural audience and new traveler segments for Visit Carlsbad;
Provided omnichannel brand marketing and communications recommendations that reinforce Visit Carlsbad’s ability to connect with and convert visitation from multicultural and diverse consumers.
The Result
The roadmap provides the mechanisms to help Visit Carlsbad increase its understanding of what motivates multicultural consumers, and the role that communicating a safe, inclusive, and truly welcoming destination experience plays, including within its own resident population. The roadmap outlined nine action steps that help Visit Carlsbad and its team and agencies define future improvements to process, research, and community and audience development along all brand marketing channels.
Nine action steps were identified to provide Visit Carlsbad with short-term and long-term strategies. Shortly after the roadmap was delivered, Visit Carlsbad implemented changes in its research methodologies, business outreach, and owned channel content to advance the efforts identified in the roadmap.
