JTB Goes After US Market Using Facebook, Instagram

Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook, says the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has launched a strategic summer advertising campaign, targeting several cities in the United States (US), particularly those with direct flights into Jamaica.

The campaign, he said, includes buys on Facebook and Instagram where “we are now reaching markets that have eluded us in the past”.

Mr. Pennicook, who was addressing the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association’s  (JHTA) 55^th annual general meeting in Ocho Rios recently, said the campaign is aimed at promoting the island as a first-choice destination.

“What we are selling is an experience you will not and cannot find anywhere else in the world,” the Tourism Director pointed out.

“We are the home of ‘all right’. It can be found in the spirit of the people, the sound of reggae, the vision of green hills peering down on blue waters and the aroma of our food. It is a feeling that no matter what, all is right in the world and nobody does it better. That is what we are selling,” he said.

Mr. Pennicook noted that the JTB is also taking advantage of online advertising to sustain a presence in the expensive US market.

“Why we are so confident about our future prospects is that we are now able to have a longer presence and able to reach a lot more people because of the global penetration of the Internet,” he pointed out.

“When we consider the basic average advertising cost per thousand in these markets, we see that it is now generally less expensive to advertise online versus advertising in traditional media such as print, television, out-of-home and radio,” Mr. Pennicook added.

He pointed to the recent Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice recognition, naming Jamaica as one of the world’s best islands, as a powerful marketing tool.

Mr. Pennicook said the popular reality television franchise ‘the Bachelor’ filmed some episodes in Jamaica, reaching more than nine million television audience inside the US.

He noted that Jamaica also received a “big boost” on Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar, which is Germany’s version of the very popular American Idol franchise.

Mr. Pennicook said that five episodes were filmed in Jamaica last year and aired in March/April, which is traditionally a strong booking period for summer travel out of Germany.

The five episodes, he said, generated significant interest in the market and reached over 13 million viewers.

Mr. Pennicook noted that the island was featured on the cover of the New York Times Travel section on April 3, 2016, reaching over 2.1 million print readers and 96 million more online.

“We are also proud of the mileage we got from an opportunity we got with online clothing retailer, Revolve,” Mr. Pennicook added.

“The shoot achieved over 2.1 billion impressions as a result of a one-week photo shoot with six social media influencers. The Revolve story was carried seven times in the British press,” he said.