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Best Practice - Promotion Project
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INTERREG IIIC – SUSTAINING SMALL EXPANDING TOWNS (SusSET)
: PROJECT ‘BEST PRACTICE’ proforma
Theme: Town & Country: Stonehaven, Scotland
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Project Title: Stonehaven it’s Special Tourism Group Promotion Project
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Description: The project was undertaken by members of Stonehaven it’s Special Tourism Group in order to promote Stonehaven & District to potential visitors from across Scotland and from other countries. It included provision for the professional distribution of the promotional leaflets to selected locations across Scotland over a period of 5 months. The total cost of the project was £4,544 with 44% awarded from Interreg IIIC SusSET , 22% from the Support for Aberdeenshire Business Fund and 34% from SiS’s funds.
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Objectives:
- To increase the number of visitors by creating greater awareness of Stonehaven and its attractions and businesses
- To support the Stonehaven economy by promoting the area and its wide range of activities and facilities and by encouraging visitors to spend more locally.
- To ensure Stonehaven is recognised as a good place to visit for all age groups.
- To reach UK and overseas visiting other tourism destinations and raise awareness amongst longer distance visitors.
- To promote the existing web portal and encourage visitors to access more detailed information about the town and area including its many attractions and events.
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Process/Stages:
- February 2006 – Discussions about taking part in VisitScotland Expo in Glasgow. The tourism group felt this should be followed by a more wide ranging tourism promotion programme over the summer of 2006.
- March 2006 – The group reviewed existing marketing information using the skills of its members. A format for an enhanced leaflet promoting the town and its attractions.
- March/April 2006 – quotations taken for printing of 50,000 leaflets and terms agreed. Quotations taken, also, for national distribution of leaflets over 5-month period to 267 outlets. Funding applications completed. Printing completed.
- May – September 2006 – Leaflets distributed by professional company to chosen outlets including National trust for Scotland, historic Scotland, regional airports, Little Chef restaurants, Northlink Ferries, and similar, private sector visitor attractions and similar locations across Scotland.
- October 2006 – Feedback on project and consider next steps, including evaluation.
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Outcomes/Results:
- Promotional leaflet produced to promote the town with residual stocks available for use in 2007.
- Additional supplies of leaflets made available to tourism businesses.
- 50,000 copies distributed across Scotland (key locations).
- Leaflet also distributed at VisitScotland Expo in Glasgow (April 2006).
- Anecdotal evidence that the leaflet has raised awareness of the town and that leaflets have been moving at locations used (however see below).
- Increase in confidence of Tourism Group members through completing the project.
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Learning Points:
- That a group can make a difference by taking forward a detailed project and bringing together different funding streams.
- That it is possible to promote the town in different ways, however, leaflets can perform different functions and content needs to be focused accordingly. The current work is becoming more tightly focused because as a result.
- Leaflets only represent one form of promotion and other steps have to be taken, as well.
- The difficulty of ensuring a proper evaluation due to the costs involved and lack of other resources (it is hoped to include some form of evaluation in the next tourism survey assuming there is not a large gap in time).
- Local businesses welcome having promotional material to hand to potential visitors.
- Businesses need to contribute if future promotional events are to be run, as there is a limit to the contributions that can come from the private sector.
- The tourism group is now considering a more detailed promotional project that will include an application to VisitScotland’s Challenge Fund.
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Contact Information: Robert Armstrong, Senior Business Development Executive, Aberdeenshire Council, Stonehaven (Tel: 01569 768294/ Email: Robert.Armstrong@aberdeenshire.gov.uk).
The leaflet can be viewed Here
2007 Leaflet1 can be downloaded here
Marketing & Promotional Plan 2007 - 2010 can be downloaded here
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