Buzz Builder: Travel Oregon Website Builds State's Buzz Creatively

July 2009

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Travel Oregon Website Builds State's Buzz Creatively

I'm proud to be an Oregonian and I get a lump in my throat every time I return from a trip outside the state. Recently, my wife and I enjoyed a fantastic trip to Oaxaca, Mexico where we loved the people, delicious food (I still dream about the amazing mole sauces), amazing ruins (don't miss Monte Alban just outside Oaxaca), and beautiful arts & crafts (check out our visit to one of the most famous local rug merchants). Yet, when our Mexicana flight dipped below the cloud cover and we saw the tree-lined streets and parks of Portland, we felt incredibly lucky to live in such a green and friendly place.

Our neighbor, a Wieden+Kennedy employee, has been working on an an elaborate web project for the Oregon Tourism Commission. The Travel Oregon website is nearly complete and it has a lot of cool free features such as the ability to create a personal journal to plan and save trips as well as as a signup for a free electronic newsletter and interesting Travel Oregon Magazine which comes out twice a year. Of course, I'm incredibly biased but the most interesting feature of all is the 365 Days in Oregon calendar which features our dog Bella the Boxer. Just click on April 16 to see Bella and her boyfriend, the chocolate lab Norm from across the street, in action on the beach. Even before appearing on the calendar, Bella's blog generated more traffic than this one. Now, she will pull into an even larger lead that will be hard to overcome.

If you want to see why Oregon has been generating such great media buzz, check out the Travel Oregon website and I bet you'll be making plans to visit our state soon.

April 15, 2008 in Creating Buzz, Managing Buzz | Permalink

Comments

Hi Galvin - Thanks so much for the kind words...we really appreciate it.

Truly the Travel Oregon website is a collaborative effort involving a lot of OREGONIANS - both natives and transplants.

For more info on the site and the team involved, check out the following blog:
http://blog.traveloregon.com/2007/04/traveloregoncom_nominated_for.html

BTW - Love Bella's blog! The video of what she does when you guys are away is PRICELESS!

Posted by: Mo Sherifdeen | April 16, 2008 at 08:52 AM

Mo,

Thanks for your comment. Your team has done great work. With the economy getting slower, your efforts in attracting visitors to Oregon make a big difference to all those companies who depends on travelers to make money. Good luck!

Best,
Patrick

Posted by: Patrick | April 16, 2008 at 09:05 AM

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Websites

Galvin Communications
The website for my word of mouth marketing and PR firm. Sign up for The Buzz Bulletin, a free monthly eNewsletter, and receive a complimentary public relations handbook.
WOMMA: Word of Mouth Marketing Association
An outstanding resource for word of mouth marketing information. This respected organization also puts on a variety of well-organized and information-rich events and conferences which are worth attending.

Books

Al Ries: The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR
Credibility is the crucial ingredient in brand building. This book explains why PR should be used to launch a brand while advertising should be used only once major PR opportunities have been realized.
Malcolm Gladwell: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Why do major changes in our society so often happen suddenly and unexpectedly? Ideas, behaviour, messages, and products often spread like outbreaks of infectious disease. This book will help you understand how social epidemics take off and reach critical mass.
EMANUEL ROSEN: The Anatomy of Buzz : How to Create Word of Mouth Marketing
Rosen pinpoints the products and services that benefit the most from buzz and offers strategies for creating and sustaining effective word-of-marketing campaigns.
Mark Hughes: Buzzmarketing
This book contains some great stories from an experienced buzz marketer that illustrate the importance of finding angles that make you stand apart from the competition. I loved the story of how getting the town of Halfway, Oregon to change its name to Half.com generated a flood of publicity. You'll learn some great practical tips from this book.
Ben McConnell: Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force
An interesting look at how to develop evangelism marketing strategies and programs that will create communities of influencers who will drive sales for your company.
Fred Reichheld: The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth
Too many companies are addicted to bad profits. These corporate steroids boost short-term earnings but burn out employees and alienate customers. Learn why the answer to one simple question can determine your company's future: Would you recommend us to a friend?
Andy Sernovitz: Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking
This is the perfect book for an entrepreneur looking for a "how-to" on word of mouth marketing rather than a theoretical or academic overview. Andy Sernovitz built the Word of Mouth Marketing Association using many of the intriguing word of mouth marketing tactics he describes. His strategies are practical for both small and large businesses as his interesting case studies demonstrate. You may put this book down a few times while reading it so you can start implementing some of its excellent ideas.
T. J. Walker: Media Training A-Z
Walker, an accomplished media trainer, provides great practical insight into maximizing the value of the media spotlight. By following his simple suggestions, you'll go into interviews much more confident and come out of them with much better results for your business.
Chip Heath: Made to Stick
This is the best business book that I've read since The Tipping Point since it provides a new way at looking at how you try to tell people about your products or services. You'll have lots of new ideas for promoting your business when you've finished reading this book. And, you'll discover that the best way to promote yourself doesn't involve spending money on marketing rather its all about learning how to tell your business stories better.
Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz: Go for No!
A great parable about a salesman who learns that every "no" brings him closer to "yes" - an important lesson for anybody who wants to create buzz.