Co-Op Marketing Guide for Destinations by Sojern

What’s in the Report

Digital-first, co-op marketing strategies represent a dramatic step forward for destinations. In Co-op Marketing for Destinations, we interview destination leaders around the world about:

How destination marketing has been impacted by COVID-19
Predictions for recovery
Exploration of how tourism marketing budgets are adapting
Reviewing co-op marketing as a tourism recovery strategy

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Learn From Destination Marketing Leaders

COVID-19 has left destinations around the world searching for potential solutions to speed their tourism recovery. They are facing incredible challenges, including shrinking budgets due to lost tourism revenue and an urgent need to assist local tourism partners.

At the same time, these challenges present an opportunity to adjust marketing strategies to target new audiences and new travel habits, whether that’s locals staying close to home or domestic road trippers, among others.

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The interviews in this report explore how different destinations are rising to the challenge, along with their thoughts on how co-op marketing campaigns can help support their plans for recovery.

“I think co-op programs are instrumental, vital at the core. And right now, more than ever, our hotel partners and our community stakeholders are hurting more than ever. So [it’s important] that we find creative ways to deliver real value in terms of co-op. That’s where dollar-for-dollar you can drive [the most] real-time value and real-time bookings to your partners.”

Leroy Bridges

Vice President of Digital and Communications

“The nature of our DMO is strongly rooted in co-op, as we have different stakeholders from both private industry and the institutional side. We operate on a daily basis through co-op, both in terms of defining common goals, finding a common strategy, and investing in common tools. We believe strongly that the products offered by Sojern fit with the way we think a city should promote itself.”

Luca Martinazzoli

General Manager

“Post-COVID-19, when we start returning to ‘normal’ international travel, there’s going to be a lot of emphasis on rebuilding that desire and demand for New Zealand. Therefore co-op is going to be critical for us. So we will still have some money set aside to build brand, absolutely. It’s really about how you balance the long and the short.”

Venessa Chen

Regional Consumer Marketing Manager

“Co-op marketing is all based on data. Forget about the crisis for a second: it’s so important to understand who, at any given time, your audience is. And how you [then] market to your audience. The concept of co-op marketing is based on aggregating all that data and understanding where your customers are, and where your future customers are. How do you effectively market to them to ensure that you get in front of that audience with that message? And I believe it’s really critical at this time.”

Dr. Mario Hardy

CEO

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really free?

Yes! We hope this information is useful for you, and you'll think of us when you're ready to take the next step with your digital marketing.

How does a marketing co-op work?

When a DMO creates a marketing co-op, it combines funds, messaging and marketing with local tourism stakeholders—hotels and attractions. By working with local businesses, you can bring tourists to your destination and direct bookings to your partners. This report will provide insights from destination leaders who leverage co-op marketing in their DMOs, so you can learn how to do the same.

Why co-op marketing?

You need to demonstrate a return on your investment. Our co-op marketing program helps you efficiently manage budgets across all hotel, attraction, and destination partners. We also provide detailed campaign performance reports showing economic impact.

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