Situation Analysis

The Delaware Tourism Office’s current slogan is “Endless Discoveries,” but what we’ve
discovered is an opportunity to attract more tourists. According to a Thrillist article published in
September 2015, Delaware is the least visited state in the U.S. (Meltzer, 2015). Delaware draws
7.3 million tourists annually - less than one-third as many tourists as North Dakota, the 10th least
visited state. Currently, the busiest month for tourism in Delaware is August, followed by
September and October. Fewer tourists visit during the summer months of May, June and July.
Another Thrillist article ranked Delaware the 49th worst state, only above Florida, and teased,
“Even people from Delaware don’t really fight back all that hard when you make fun of
Delaware” (Alexander and Lynch, 2017). An article by The Simplemost reporters that tourists
rated Delaware the 48th least favorite state to visit on vacation (Statz, 2017). And on top of bad
reviews, a study by Stratos Jets in 2016 reported that Delaware ranked third for highest rate of
“Go Home” tweets per 100,000 residents (Talking #Tourists 2, 2017).
Despite Delaware residents’ negative feelings toward tourists, visitors play a critical in
the state economy. In 2015, the Delaware Tourism Office released an updated report on the value
of tourism in the state. According to the report, tourism accounted for $3.1 billion, or about 5
percent of the state GDP, and 42,000 jobs. Tourists brought in $486 million in tax revenues in
2015. Without the tourism industry, each Delaware household would pay an additional $1,417 in
annual taxes.
In short, Delaware is not a popular tourism spot right now, but the state would benefit
from increased tourism. The challenge is to create a campaign that encourages people to visit
Delaware and effectively boosts the tourism industry.
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Strengths and Weaknesses
A campaign designed to attract tourists must be aware of what Delaware has that would
attract or deter tourists. First, as everyone knows, the petite state of Delaware has some quality
beaches. Each beach has its own personality - Rehoboth is the “vacation epicenter” of the state,
according to the LA Times, complete with a boardwalk and plenty of shops, while Fenwick
Island and offers a quieter beach town. Another thing Delaware is famous for? Tax-free
shopping. A Thrillist article proclaimed, “it’s like a statewide 8.5 percent-off sale EVERY
SINGLE DAY” (Meltzer, 2015). Besides sandy coastlines and money-saving opportunities,
Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, which makes it a state rich in history.
Tourists can visit the Court House Museum and head upstairs to the second floor Assembly
Room where citizens first decided to separate from Pennsylvania and, later, England (Hageman,
2017). For more American history, tourists can check out Ft. Delaware State Park and see where
thousands of Confederate soldiers were held prisoner during the Civil War (Hageman, 2017). For
those less interested in war history, Delaware also played a key role in the history of rock ’n’ roll
when Carl Perkins, the man behind “Blue Suede Shoes,” was in a car accident that eventually
propelled the song into the arms of Elvis Presley (Hageman, 2017). For those more interested in
fashion and textiles, Delaware is also the birthplace of nylon. Tourists can visit the industrial
county of New Castle, home to the Du Pont empire that gifted the world with nylon. See the
former estates of the Du Pont family members and stroll through impressive gardens, or visit old

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DuPont factories turned museums (Hageman, 2017). Beer connoisseurs can stop for a cold one at
one of Delaware’s many craft breweries. With 30 miles of coastline, Delaware is also home to
great seafood, like the 50-year-old Sambo’s restaurant, serving up fresh-caught crab and
delicious crab cakes (Hageman, 2017).
Despite all Delaware has to offer, it is struggling to attract tourists. I believe there are
several weaknesses that could be the cause of this. First, Delaware is quite small - only 96 miles
long and 9-35 miles wide (Hageman, 2017) and has many undeveloped areas, which is probably
why most people only come for the beaches. Another weakness working against Delaware is the
lack of airports. According to the Wikipedia list of airports in Delaware, “From 2008 to 2013,
Delaware was the only U.S state that had no airports in the FAA category known as commercial
service (2,500+ boardings per year). In 2013, scheduled commercial airline passenger service
became available at Wilmington Airport, but it ended again in 2015” (2017). It is also worth
noting that none of Delaware’s airports are hubs, so there is no opportunity to capitalize on
layover travelers the ways places like Iceland and Atlanta can.
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Opportunities and Threats
There are important external trends that could be used to attract tourists, or that might
prevent the campaign’s success. An important opportunity is an increased appetite for travel
among Americans in general, but especially millennials and Baby Boomers. AARP’s 2017 Travel
Trends reports that millennials plan to take more trips than Baby Boomers or GenXers in 2017
(Gelford, 2016). Another opportunity the campaign must take advantage of is Instagram. The
social media network has more than 500 million active users who share more than 80 million
photos on a daily basis, and it serves a source of travel inspiration for its users. Instagram is an
effective marketing tool and a critical part of any brand with 10x greater user engagement than
Facebook, which is why almost half of all brands in America maintain an Instagram account
(Miller, 2017). A final opportunity the Delaware Tourism Office’s campaign should take
advantage of is the increasing cost of airfare, limiting international travel. According to the
AARP 2017 Travel Trends, “Millennials and GenXers are more likely than Baby Boomers to set
a budget for their trips and are more likely to have been impacted by the cost of rising
airfares” (Gelford, 2017). Since Delaware is largely a “drive-to” destination, there is an
opportunity to capitalize on the increasing costs of airfare (Delaware Tourism Office, 2015).
That said, being a “drive-to” destination also poses a threat to the success of a tourism
campaign because it makes Delaware an unlikely destination for anyone traveling from too far
away. It also seems to prevent the Delaware Tourism Office from reaching international
travelers. If, in the future, Delaware was looking to recruit international visitors, I would suggest
marketing Delaware as the perfect extension on a traveler’s trip to D.C. or a great stop in a road
trip from New York to D.C. Another threat is the competition between travel destinations, even
domestically. Just within driving distance, Delaware is competing with Washington, D.C.,
Maryland, Virginia - all of which have just as much, if not more, historical points of interest and
have major airports. As far as other tourism campaigns, most states seem to be running one right
now. West Virginia is trying to sell “Wild and Wonderful” while California is marketing itself
with ads staring Anna Farris wearing a mustache dress. A campaign for the Delaware Tourism
Office has to be more enticing and more memorable than the others. More external factors that

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could harm Delaware’s tourism include the negative attitude of residents toward tourists and a
lack of awareness among target publics.
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Research Findings
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As indicated by the findings in the situation analysis, tourism is a critical part of the
economy that benefits Delaware and its residents. The Delaware Tourism Office, as previously
stated, reports that the tourism industry in Delaware accounts for $3.1 billion of the state’s GDP,
or 5 percent, and $486 million in tax revenues. The industry also accounts for 42,000 jobs in the
state. And that’s with Delaware currently ranking as the least visited state in America, drawing
only 7.3 million tourists annually (Meltzer, 2015). Although tourism provides a great economic
boost and even saves Delaware residents more than $1,400 in taxes, state residents are less than
welcoming of visitors. The state ranks third for highest ratio of “Go Home” tweets to resident
population (Talking #Tourists 2, 2017). The state has plenty to offer, including historical
sightseeing, national parks, breweries, seafood, hiking, tax-free shopping and beaches. Its most
popular months are August, September and October, but the state has plenty to offer year-round
and the beaches are just as beautiful the rest of the year, according to the Rehoboth Beach-
Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Carol Everhart (Hageman, 2017).
With so much, we can easily market Delaware as a versatile, convenient destination with
something for everyone, no matter the weather.
Through additional research, I learned about America’s growing appetite for travel,
especially the increasing number of Americans are looking to take domestic trips. Millennials,
GenXers and Baby Boomers will reportedly take more than five trips on average in 2017, of
which more than three will be domestic (Gelford, 2017). So who is the average tourist? The
Delaware Tourism Office reported in 2015 that the average tourist visiting Delaware is nearly the
same as the average tourist in the United States - about 47 years old, earning roughly $85,000,
spending just over $100 daily for an average two-night vacation. The Delaware Tourism Office
found that the average tourist visiting Delaware arrives by car, which makes sense because the
state has no major airports (List of airports in Delaware, 2017). The majority of Delaware’s
visitors come from less than 200 miles away and stay for an average of 1.97 nights (The Value of
Tourism 2015). AARP’s study found that “Domestic travel motivations also differ somewhat by
age, [and] Millennials and GenXers are more open to Weekend Getaways than are
Boomers” (Gelford, 2017). Based on the current average duration of stays in Delaware and the
fact that most travelers come from nearby states, Delaware could easily become the perfect year-
round weekend getaway.
After looking somewhat broadly at American travel habits and trends, I looked into the
the Delaware Tourism Office’s chosen public, the elusive millennial population. Millennials will
travel the most of any generation in 2017 and seem to be spending more on travel every year (10
Things, 2016). Millennials differ from GenXers and Baby Boomers in that millennials feel that
travel is an entitlement and a necessity (Bair and Wright, 2017). According to AARP’s 2017
Travel Trends, millennials will reportedly take an average of 6.5 trips in 2017 (Gelford, 2017).
Millennials are not “content to spend their vacation days lounging with friends on a all-known
beach with the rest of the hordes” (Bair and Wright, 2017). Millennials are seeking new, off-the-

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radar experiences and want to immerse themselves in culture and eat like locals for purposes of
social media showboating (10 Things, 2016). As the least visited state in America, Delaware
should offer a great experience for millennials who want something different than what their
friends just posted, right? The First State is the perfect destination to visit first. Despite the
importance of bragging on social media, millennials travel to connect with loved ones and relax
(Bair and Wright, 2017). Something else working in favor of the drive-to destination of Delaware
is that 35 percent of millennials reported that their 2017 domestic travels would be weekend
getaways and 54 percent of millennials’ travel plans were impacted by the increasing cost of
airfare (Gelford, 2017). The campaign design should also be influenced by the growing power of
Instagram (Miller, 2017) and millennials’ preference for native ads and branded content (10
Things, 2016). Instagram and social media influencers, as mentioned previously, will be a critical
marketing tool for the tourism campaign. One example featured in a story by National
Geographic was when “the tourism board of the small alpine town of Wanaka, New Zealand,
began inviting and hosting “influencers”—social media trendsetters with large followings—to
post about their adventures. The result was the fastest tourism growth in the country: a 14 percent
increase” (Miller, 2017). A successful travel campaign targeting millennials will be more
successful using influencers than ads.
Revisiting America’s growing desire to travel, Delaware is not going to be the only state
running a campaign in 2018. Other states and destinations are looking to boost their own
economies by taking advantage of the tourism industry. In short, this campaign will have plenty
of competition, which means it must be memorable, persuasive and good. Which states will
Delaware’s campaign be competing with? California launched an ad campaign in 2011 and
continues to run ads today. In 2017, there are several California ads on TV, including one starring
Anna Farris and another focused on family travel in California. Last year, Rhode Island launched
a terrible tourism campaign with the slogan “Rhode Island: Cooler & Warmer,” an ad called “We
Are Rhode Island” with footage of Iceland, and a website that recommended restaurants in
Massachusetts (Brooke, 2016). Illinois is also running a campaign to boost tourism, especially
focusing on “adventurous millennials and GenXers.” The state launched four television ads in
March, including one that focused on gay couples (Noel, 2017). Michigan, the 12th most beloved
vacation spot in America and Thrillist’s “Best State in America,” is also running ads to boost
tourism, with the slogan “Pure Michigan” and ads featuring pristine lakes (Statz, 2017;
Alexander and Lynch, 2017). To reduce the risk of a campaign that flops like the one designed by
Rhode Island, I would conduct additional secondary research, including more in-depth case
studies, and primary research, including focus groups.
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Planning
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Let’s find the most photogenic spot in Delaware. Is it a shot outside one of Delaware’s
craft breweries, looking down over the state during a hot air balloon ride, or a deserted spot on
one of the state’s many beaches? Where will tourists line up to get the perfect square shot for
their Instagram? What image will inspire them to rethink Delaware? My campaign will use
influencers as the spokespersons, reaching the key audiences directly and authentically, and
powerful imagery to capitalize on the power of Instagram to inspire millennial travelers to visit

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Delaware and find their own picture perfect spot. The goal is to inspire millennial travelers to
rethink Delaware and make Delaware the go-to weekend getaway for millennials on the East
Coast.
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Objectives
To quantify the goal of this campaign, the campaign will look at specific, measurable
benchmarks throughout the year:
• (Outcome) Increase visitors to Delaware by 3 percent by the end of the year.
• (Outcome) Increase millennial visitors to Delaware by 5 percent by the end of the
year.
• (Output) Increase social media mentions about Delaware by 5 percent by the end
of April.
• (Output) Earn 2-3 media or influencer placements in the first three months.
• (Output) Increase searches for “things to do in Delaware” and Delaware tourism
by 10 percent by the end of April.
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Publics
The Delaware Tourism Office declared that they wanted to attract millennials, which is
who this campaign will target. American millennials living within a 200-mile radius of the state
will be the campaign’s primary public. It has been established that Delaware is a “drive-to”
destination, with the majority of visitors coming from less than 200 miles away. Millennials in
particular reported that many of their domestic vacations would be weekend getaways and that
the increasing cost of airfare affected their travel plans (Gelford, 2017), which is why this
campaign will be more effective if it focuses on millennials within driving distance. Millennials
may be the focus of the campaign, but the campaign should not in anyway isolate or deter other
tourists, including GenXers and Baby Boomers. GenXers and Baby Boomers will be considered
secondary publics in this campaign. Social media, especially Instagram, influencers will be
something of an intervening/ moderating public critical for the success of the campaign. The
media is an intervening public. Traditional media, like television and print news, have greater
potential to reach GenXers and Baby Boomers. Instead, this campaign should target media
outlets like Thrillist and Insider, which are social media intensive outlets.
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Messages
This campaign is focused on inspiring publics to rethink and rediscover Delaware, and to
find beauty and adventure in the state. People should know that Delaware is an underrated,
convenient destination with much more to offer than beach weekends in August and September.
Key messages could include “Be the First,” which would play on Delaware’s proud status as the
First States, or “Rethink the Del,” which is catchy and uses confusion and plays off of the Hotel
Del Coronado in California. Secondary messages could include:
• “It is what it looks like,” which could use humor and showcase the images from
the influencers.

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 • “Delaware is the easiest getaway when you can’t afford to go farther,” which
allows Delaware to make fun of itself and would be better than having other
people hijack the campaign.
Proof points for this campaign will be better developed after working with influencers to
create the kind of imagery, stories and vacations millennials care about. It would be worth
sharing, however, facts about the state millennials didn’t learn in U.S. History classes, like the
number of craft breweries and beaches in the state.
It is critical that the messages seem genuine in their delivery. I would use influencers and
Delaware’s residents and business owners to reach the target audiences. The state governor or a
representative from the Delaware Tourism Office might work with older audiences, but
millennials respond better to less expected spokespersons who seem more authentic. An official
spokesperson should only be used with media or as a point of contact for influencers.
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Strategies
To attract more millennial visitors and accomplish the objectives listed above, my
campaign will:
• Partner with travel influencers to reach and inspire potential visitors.
• Work with groups on college campuses to target college students at universities
within a 200-mile radius of Delaware.
• Design and share suggested itineraries online to give travelers inspiration for their
trips.
• Host a contest challenging visitors to find the most photogenic spot in Delaware.
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Tactics
My campaign has a heavy focus on influencers, since influencers offer a proven way to
increase tourism (Miller, 2017). To fulfill the first strategy, it will be important to choose the
right influencers who can reach the target public and whose posts will read as authentic and an
appropriate fit for the brand. For example, National Geographic is a great travel brand whose
posts certainly inspires travelers of all ages, but it would probably be too much to look for
coverage from Nat Geo. Instead, this campaign will pitch influencers and bloggers like Jennifer
from Discover Historical, whose followers would be interested in learning about the history of
Delaware as the First State. Another good match would be the team behind Good Beer Hunting
(blog and Instagram with more than 50,000 followers), whose followers would be interested in
the numerous breweries that call Delaware home, or Beans and Beers, who writes about
affordable travel. Instagram influencer @chelseakauai, based in Hawaii but always exploring the
great American outdoors, would be another good fit for the campaign to reach millennials
looking for an off-the-beaten-trail kind of beach experience. The campaign should directly pitch
to or invite at least 20 influencers in January and again in June.
To fulfill the second strategy, I would start with Greek life. Fraternities and sororities
regularly host formals, away-weekends and retreats. I would reach out to the Panhellenic
Associations at the University of Maryland, the University of Delaware, Temple University,
Towson University, and the other 122 colleges within 200 miles of Rehoboth Beach with Greek
life available according to College Board. We should reach out to specific chapter presidents or

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social chairs with information, materials, or maybe offers from local businesses and persuade
them that Delaware offers an affordable, convenient escape. Over the course of the campaign, I
would recommend widening our campus connections to reach more students.
According to Jack Ezon, President of Ovation Vacations, millennials “love to DIY until
they don’t” and will turn to professional travel agents to create the best experience (Bair and
Wright, 2017). My third strategy seeks to make it as easy as possible for millennials to create the
perfect weekend away in Delaware. We will design at least one sample travel itinerary for every
month, based on the seasons and upcoming events. For example, June’s itinerary should be one
designed around spending the weekend at Firefly Music Festival. The Delaware Tourism Office
should share each new itinerary and monthly lists of events on their social media account every
month. We’ll also invite influencers to test out some of our itineraries, or share with us their own
perfect Delaware itinerary, so that followers can copy the exact trip. These itineraries, and others
based on seasonality and varied lengths or themes, should also be available on the Delaware
tourism website.
Finally, the Delaware Tourism Office will invite influencers and tourists to find the most
photogenic spot in Delaware, to turn the state from forgotten former territory of Pennsylvania to
Instagram icon. Influencers should be contacted in the first month of the campaign and should be
hosted from February through May, with potentially a second round of pitches in June and hosted
from September through December to rebuild enthusiasm as the peak tourism season ends. The
first phase of the campaign should focus on influencers finding the best photo opportunities in
the state and the second phase should open as a contest, inviting the publics to vote for the most
iconic spot in Delaware for the perfect Instagram.
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Evaluation
Evaluation of this campaign should look at outputs: did we pitch to at least 20
influencers? Was each tactic completed? Did we complete the campaign without going over
budget? Additionally, evaluation should also consider outtakes. For example, how many
influencers accepted the invitation and wrote posts? How many views and likes did each
influencer post receive? How many people viewed the sample itineraries or monthly event
listings? How many internet users searched for “things to do in Delaware” over the course of the
campaign? The most critical determinants of this campaign’s success will be based on outcomes:
did more travelers visit Delaware during and after the campaign launched? How many more
millennials visited Delaware in 2018? How many more plan to visit the state in 2019? How
many would recommend visiting Delaware? Another outcome to measure the success of the
campaign would be the number of photos posted on social media of people’s travels to Delaware.


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