Following a formal review, Travel Manitoba has selected Winnipeg-based advertising agency McKim Cringan George (MCG) to develop its 2014 tourism marketing campaign.
The provincial tourism organization had previously worked with DDB Vancouver, which caused some controversy as some criticized the decision to work with an agency outside Manitoba. The recent review focused on Manitoba advertising agencies alone.
According to Colin Ferguson, Travel Manitoba president and CEO, MCG proved to have the best combination of talent and experience to create an awe-inspiring brand, which is the organization’s goal.
Although MCG had previously worked with the client on a 2009-2010 annual report, winning creative and strategic duties for the 2014 marketing campaign was a particularly exciting opportunity, said agency president and CEO Peter George.
MCG’s involvement with Travel Manitoba begins immediately with researching the best potential target visitors and building a campaign around new customized travel experiences. The agency will draw their knowledge from a new body of research developed by the Canadian Tourism Commission called “The Explorer Quotient,” which assists tourism destinations and operators with profiling their customers. While the 2013 campaign will carry on with the “It’s Manitoba Time” theme, MCG’s main task will be to create a completely new creative strategy for 2014.
According to Linda Whitfield, vice-president of sales and marketing for Travel Manitoba, the campaign budgets will remain level for foreseeable future, with a larger portion of the budget being allocated towards online advertising in 2014.
