1. Why Idlewild? Rosalyn J. Jones, MBA

2. Positive Image: SWOT Analysis “Idlewild community members believe they must move forward with what they have and leverage it where they can identify resources.”

3. Questions to Consider • Why would someone spend money to visit Idlewild today? • What am I coming to see and do? • Resort areas: Florida, Jamaica, Virginia Beach, St. Simons Island • Black Heritage Tours: DC, Baltimore • Festivals: Traverse City Film Festival • Golf at Arcadia Bluffs or Bay Harbor • Boating,fishing in the Lake Huron area

4. Today’s Discussion • Marketing Objectives:Build momentum for 2012 Centennial celebration • 4 P’s of Marketing

5. Marketing: 4 P’s • Product – Programming tracks, e.g. History & Heritage, Nature, Arts & Culture • Place • Promotion – How can I reach my target audience? How do I tell them about the offer? • Price

6. Target Marketing The ultimate goal: match the right product or service with the right market or audience

7. Target Audiences • Specific groups or clientele most interested in your product • Specific marketing objectives for each segment

8. WHOare my customers? • “Baby Boomers” (45-64), Millennials (18-24), Gen Xers (30-44), Youth, Children, “Matures” (65+) • Which segment am I trying to reach? • Leisure • “Academia”, e.g. Writers Conference

9. Inventory existing resources • Youth & Children • Work with DNR and US Forest Service • Work with Lomas Brown’s group • Young Adults – Engage key people to create and deliver quality programming • Housing – Work with Positive Image to inventory lodging options

10. African American Travelers • Likely to visit family and friends (41%) • Likely to take kids (21%) • More likely than other Americans to take group tours (10% vs 4%) • On average stayed 3.1 nights on their most recent trip • Most often stayed in hotels, motels or bed-and-breakfast lodges (45%) • About 32% stayed at private homes Black Enterprise, Dec. 1996 by Marjorie Whigham-Desir

11. WHAT are they like? • Demographic Information2009: Work with local business owners and event sponsors to collect zip code information • Lifestyle Profiles

12. Recommendations (Ranked in Priority Order) • Trademark the name “Black Eden” • Engage highly regarded historians to record oral histories for use on the Web

13. Recommendations • Feed content to michigan.org: Places to Stay; Things to Do • Prioritize new programming based on ROI, e.g. disposable income, availability of public sector funding, university relationships, etc.

14. Recommendations • Marketing Budget: How much do you have to spend? • Create a pool of marketing and communications talent, e.g. graphic artists, Web designers, copy writers, event planners, media relations, public relations

15. Recommendations • Create a “host committee” to help plan and prepare the region for hosting local welcoming events • Invite Lomas Brown to participate