Over 300 hotels look to use interactive marketing to capitalize on mini-vacation trend this fall

SAN DIEGO, CA – In an effort to bolster tourism in a struggling economy, San Diego North has chosen to partner with San Diego, California-based digital media firm, Mindgruve. “We were looking for someone who could maximize our dollars and stimulate hotel occupancy. We have one of the greatest vacation areas in the country, if not world, so we wanted to make sure people found us on the internet when they were searching for vacation deals,” explained San Diego North Director of Marketing, Barbara Bovee. She continued “Mindgruve has a great track record of creating results-driven campaigns and that is exactly what we’re looking for.”

Focusing on travelers within driving distance of San Diego, Mindgruve is rolling out a comprehensive internet marketing plan that targets areas such as Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and encourages their residents to get away to San Diego’s northern coastline. “We’ve already implemented rich media ads, behavioral targeting and retargeting, as well as instituted an aggressive email marketing plan – all based around the trend of mini-vacations. The average vacation stay for people right now is only 1.8 days, so we want to make sure visitors make the most of everything our area has to offer in that time,” stated Chad Robley, Mindgruve President.

Looking to further engage active travelers, Mindgruve has also developed a Facebook fan page and Twitter account, which allows would-be vacationers to get a first-hand look at everything that is available to them. Barbara Bovee elaborated, “to us, it made perfect sense. Travel is often a very social thing to do. Not just during a trip, but also while planning it and then telling everyone about it afterwards. Through our social media presence, we’ve created a forum specific to our area where consumers can get the latest deals as well as share or plan their next adventure.”

About San Diego North

The San Diego North Convention and Visitors Bureau represents approximately 300 hotels spanning from La Jolla to Oceanside. By combining the efforts of these hotels to offer a cohesive message, San Diego North engages and incites travelers to explore the northern San Diego coastline and all the amenities it offers. www.sandiegonorth.com