Tourism Authority Hopes ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling’ Starts Winning Season

WILDWOOD — Tourism officials on Five Mile Beach will target female decision makers, 25-49, and children with this year’s “Can’t Stop This Feeling” advertising campaign. They hope the largely TV, radio and web-based advertising will attract tourists to the island’s beaches and Boardwalk by recalling pleasant memories. The message will also be spread on DVDs that potential tourists may view at their leisure then make reservations on their computers or portable devices.
In short, officials are hoping to reap some benefits from previous campaigns, like the one in 2004 “Love Those Wildwood Days,” or in 2009 when they asked, “Are you free this summer?” They’re betting past happy times of vacations in the sun and sand will linger with young mothers, hearkening to youthful days, who often are key players in planning family vacations.
Two of three 30-second TV commercials feature females, one with a mother and daughter reminiscing over Wildwood vacation memories. The third features a father recollecting fun times.
Officials even revamped the iconic “Wildwood Days” tune into a more modern version, and played it at a media conference in Wildwoods Convention Center April 1.
Skipped last year, the promotional roll-out of this season’s advertising campaign was open to merchants and media. Some of them asked why the campaign didn’t begin in March, since Ocean City, Md. was marketing itself soon after the New Year on television on Philadelphia stations.
Another asked why the emphasis was on free beaches and other free attractions. Since tourists find high prices to park, for example, when they go to the free beach and boardwalk.
A motel owner voiced the opinion print advertising should not be abandoned, since other media messages are fleeting, but the written word remains.
John Siciliano, executive director, Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority, told the group he wishes he had the $5 million Ocean City, Md. had to seek vacationers, but the authority does the best it can targeting strategic areas and times when most vacation planning is done.
The publicity program, apart from the paid advertising campaign, expands the message to newspaper and magazines, such as New Jersey Monthly, which will extensively feature the Wildwoods in its June edition.
Ben Rose, director of marketing, Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority, said such publications in 2013 provided $5.7 million “in advertising equivalency.” Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt, president of Suasion Communications, the public relations agency hired by GWTIDA for the task, said that New Jersey Monthly will be the result of its editor and staff being shown the island’s highlights last year.
Before the session closed, Siciliano cited the worth of tourism to the island’s municipalities. Taxes collected from a 1.85 percent levy, from 2003 to 2013, totaled $17,433,323.
Over the past 11 years, Siciliano said Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood each received beach maintenance offset payments totaling $222,856, Tourism Development Collection fees of $30,000, and, over two years, contributions for municipal services of $97,330, and $2.9 million each over 11 years. Total of tourism funds provided to the three municipalities totaled $8,950,215, Siciliano said.
John Lynch jokingly dubbed himself “director of fun” as he tossed out small replica Wildwood beach balls to the crowd. Then he took levity to a serious level as he compared years before the Convention Center was built, and began to seriously market itself, and thus the island to tourists.
In 2001, the last year of the former convention hall, 49 groups brought 129,000 people to the island which generated 51,000 hotel stays in 119 event days and 25 weekends. In comparison, in 2013, there were 134 groups booked. There were 230,000 who walked through the center’s doors, “That doesn’t county multi-day events, giving them an opportunity to come to the boardwalk,” Lynch said.
Room nights were 133,380 last year and 218 event days. Lynch said those days are ones in which the center is paid to be open. “This year, 47 weekends are booked.
As Lynch cited the 134 groups booked, he said they generated over 1,200 meetings and room setups, which keeps the center’s 20-member staff busy, often calling in part-timers to assist in setting up or changing rooms.
American Legion convention used nine rooms, the exhibit hall and every other room available.
Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of United Methodists, which held its four-day convention in the center in 2013 for the first time, brought 2,500 to the center, and used every available room. They also plan to return in May, and will hold a youth conference at the center in October. Lynch said he is working on a long-term agreement with the religious organizations.
New Jersey State Firemen, “use every piece of real estate as well as the parking lot and across the street” said Lynch.
Last year, Lynch said the building was open and occupied 59 percent of the year. “That is a number I am proud of.”
Also in 2013, “we had 49 days of multiple bookings in the hall, cheerleading, gymnastics,” he said. Through the year there were 39 youth events, including wrestling, gymnastics and cheerleading.
“The season starts with the (January) Polar Bear Plunge (for Special Olympics.),” he said. That season continues “Until the Boardwalk Basketball Classic in December. There are very few weekends when nothing is going on.”