Marketing and Sales Programs

Our marketing and sales programs invite Australian travellers to see and experience Canada in a whole new way. Our integrated advertising partnership programs—focusing on ski travel, fully independent travel (FIT) and group travel—are the cornerstones of all major activities in Australia. These programs focus on raising awareness of Canada as a desirable destination, driving the consumer to book Canada now.

Whether we launch an integrated marketing campaign, conduct travel-trade shows or bring media and destination partners together to exchange stories and tourism experiences, our initiatives target three key audiences:  

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Australia’s 2013 consumer direct strategy is focused on integrated advertising campaigns over various media channels (such as print, cinema, online, SEO and social media) in partnerships with key provincial/territorial, city and small/medium-size tourism enterprises. Campaigns target Australia’s priority Explorer Quotient^®(EQ^®) segments, Free Spirits and Social Samplers, who pose the best potential for conversion.

 

Our consumer direct strategy is aligned with our travel-trade and PR/media relations channels to optimize our influence across the various stages of the path to purchase. This strategy utilizes the latest research findings such as Global Tourism Watch and the 2012 conversion study. Insights from both CTC in-market teams and key industry partners aid media and channel planning to ensure we optimize our conversion prospects.

 

Our February campaign was tactical, making use of print and online ads to drive consumers to the tour operator website to book a holiday to Canada. We used dynamic, bespoke online content to inspire travellers that focused on Canadian Signature Experiences(CSE) partners. Social-media cultivation brought additional traffic through Facebook and other social networks.

 

CTC-Australia’s main 2013 campaign will run September/October and feature products aimed at stimulating 2014 summer traffic. We will use CTC’s global marketing platform for print, online and cinema ads, supported by our social-media channels. The campaign will drive consumers to our partnered tour operator via our consumer website. The summer campaign will have partner buy-in opportunities and key media partnerships to further CSE partner exposure.

 

E-newsletters: Throughout 2013, CTC-Australia is deploying quarterly e-newsletters to maintain, grow and engage our consumer database. E-newsletters content consists of recent media stories, upcoming promotions and where appropriate, partner offers. Content is selected based on its appeal to our priority target segments.

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CTC-Australia's trade development focuses on the wholesale aspects of selling travel. Our team in Australia organizes trade shows, makes sales calls, coordinates tour operator and partner familiarization (FAM) tours and conducts training under the Canada Specialist Program. We ensure travel agents—from elite Canada Specialist agents to agents with a general interest in Canada—have access to the training tools they need to learn about and share all that Canada has to offer.

Additional work is done to educate the local fully independent travel (FIT) wholesalers and group tour operators to ensure that the reservation teams and outside sales staff are up to date on Canada's products, regions and experiences. The Canadian Signature Experiences(CSE) program has been introduced to key wholesaler partners with excellent early feedback and enthusiasm. We are working with these partners to include CSE members in co-op marketing campaigns.

We plan to run a product managers’ FAM to Canada this year with a CSE focus. It will target four key accounts.

Ski wholesalers are an independent segment and contribute a large number of visitors to Canada. Work with this group of dedicated operators goes on all year, ensuring a steady flow of relevant information, contacts and advertising support that results in growing traffic to Canada.

 

Canada Specialist Program

The Canada Specialist Program(CSP) helps educate travel agents and wholesale reservation staff on the unique range of Canada's experiential products available to the Australian consumer.

 

Participating travel agents are offered a range of information and support, including:

·       Webinars (online Canada presentations)

·       Canada Specialist websites and e-updates

·       Consumer leads through agency details listed on CTC websites

·       Canada window displays

·       CSP members-only incentives

·       Chance to be selected for group FAM trips

·       Independent FAM rates

·       Assistance with Canadian seminars for Canadian partners as well as sales calls upon request

·       Regular e-newsletters

·       Certified web-based training program

·       Exclusive travel-agent rates for Canadian partners such as hotels and attractions

·       CSP logo for use in e-mail auto signature for certified Canada Specialists

·       Publication of contact details on CTC’s consumer site.

 

CTC-Australia also collaborates with tour operators to develop promotions exclusive to Canada Specialists.

 

Trade Shows

·       Canada Corroboree

·       Rendez-vous Canada

·       Canada's West Marketplace

 

Go to our Trade shows & eventspage for more information on the Canada Corroboree.

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CTC-Australia's public relations and media activities showcase Canada as a compelling, four-season destination to Australian journalists. We invite media reps to attend events at the beginning of each year to hear about new Canadian products, destinations and experiences. Alongside these events, familiarization (FAM) tours are organized for media to experience Canada's products firsthand.

The focus of CTC-Australia's public relations and media activity is to build strong and lasting relationships with media nationally in Australia and to grow awareness of Canada as a must-visit destinationfor consumers.

This year focus will include media visits to Canadian Signature Experiences(CSE) businesses to ensure that Canada remains top of mind for travelling Australians.   

Independent FAMs

We are focusing on CSE in 2013, approaching journalists and editors with story ideas and angles to consider. We anticipate sending between 40 to 50 individual journalists to Canada in 2013.

Five television shows shot their programs in Canada in 2012 and we are looking to host three film crews in Canada in 2013. This medium is a key sales tool for creating awareness for a destination.

Bloggers have travelled to Canada to participate in and write about Canada’s varied themed experiences, including food, adventure and city experiences. Part of the CTC Bloggers FAM trip in May includes sending Australian bloggers to TBEX, a worldwide bloggers conference, in Toronto, ON.

GoMedia Canada Marketplace

GoMedia is held annually in Canada and is hosted by a different destination each year. This year’s GoMedia Canada Marketplace will take place Sept. 8-12 in Charlottetown, PEI. We are looking to send eight media from Australia to this event.

Australian media website and newsletter

Australian media gather Canada information from CTC’s Media Centre. The site offers a huge variety of story ideas, itineraries, celebrity spots, media releases and news from all over Canada. CTC-Australia sends an e-newsletter to key Australian media highlighting significant products, seasons and events in Canada.

Media events

In February of each year, the CTC hosts two media events during Corroboree in Sydney and Melbourne to share our stories and focus for the coming year and to determine which media are keen to travel to Canada over the next 10 months.