Bandwagon wins two Platinum Awards as part of the 2020 Marcom Awards program. One for a destination crisis plan due to the impact of COVID-19, and the second for a brand impact study conducted for a destination as the result of a crisis.
December 8th, 2020 - New Orleans based Bandwagon, a full-service destination marketing firm has been awarded two Marcom Awards for destination crisis planning and research projects during the pandemic.
"No one wants to think about worst case scenario," said Cory Cart, APR, Bandwagon's chief client officer. "Behind every crisis statistic, such as the current pandemic, is a person needing assurance by destination leaders that their best interests matter to decision makers. You simply can't avoid planning for the worst if you want to maintain a connection with visitors."
Bandwagon notes a common misconception for tourism crisis communication strategies is managing it like a municipal crisis. Visitors may not understand safety protocols for earthquakes, hurricanes, or tornadoes because these could be uncommon where they live. To prevent panic and create a sense of empathy, Bandwagon believe that tourism management agencies must reach beyond standard municipal emergency information systems and reach visitors in their hotels, vacation rentals or other lodging sites.
"Comprehensive tourism crisis communication plans outline every audience impacted by an incident," said Boone Clemmons, Bandwagon's chief strategy officer. "Audiences include local industry stakeholders, visitors in the booking phase, visitors in the destination at the time of the incident, meeting and event planners, hospitality workers and more."
"We do not take a one-message-fits-all approach when crafting crisis communication response strategies," said Clemmons. "Using diversified data sources, we segment visitors and the area’s tourism industry into niche audiences with an explanation of how they consume emergency information."
Bandwagon is a full-service destination marketing firm offering services in tourism research, destination marketing, travel PR and destination crisis communication. Their services have been used by destinations and tourism leaders in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida, and more.
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