Buncombe County to spend $5.8 million on ad campaign targeting HGTV, Travel Channel

ASHEVILLE — Buncombe County tourism officials will spend $5.8 million in a spring advertising push, an investment they say could generate millions of dollars in local spending and additional sales tax revenue.

The Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, a quasi-governmental body that markets the county as a tourist destination, said this week the effort is its most "substantial" campaign to date. It includes purchasing advertising space on major cable TV networks including HGTV, The Weather Channel and Travel Channel.

Its advertising campaign is expected to deliver about $250 million in community return on investment, TDA said, citing an ad-effectiveness study by Indiana-based SMARI.

"For every advertising dollar we spend on tourism, $43 are returned in visitor spending in the Asheville area," BCTDA Chair Jim Muth was quoted as saying in a news release.

"These are dollars that support and sustain local business," he said.

Advertising targets

Campaign information provided by the BCTDA shows the organization targeting cable and broadcast partnerships, broadcast and streaming television, radio, print news, digital displays and Facebook. It is expected to generate more than 414 million total impressions on consumers — more than 100 million of which are from digital efforts — from when it began in March to when it concludes in June.

Markets being targeted by the campaign are largely located in the South — Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and parts of Florida — along with Washington.

On HGTV, BCTDA advertising will be seen more than 90 times, often attached to some of the network's top shows including "Property Brothers," "House Hunters" and "Fixer Upper." Additionally, it will have more than 200 total spots on the Weather Channel with Asheville listed as a "Great Weekend Destination" several times through mid-June.

BCTDA also is an advertiser for USA Today's GET Creative branded content studio, which, like the Citizen Times, is owned by Gannett Co. Inc.

How does the TDA work?

The TDA is funded through the Buncombe County room tax generated by overnight visitors staying in hotels in the county. The tax last was raised in 2015 from 4 to 6 percent, with 1.5 percent set aside for its Tourism Product Development Fund.

Explore Asheville President and CEO Stephanie Brown said this week BCTDA is "working to seed and support projects and events that activate and enhance local culture in this place that we love."

"From the creative sector to the climate sector, tourism is an agent for building community and moving the destination forward," she said.

Potential return on investment

Chris Cavanaugh, president of strategic insight company Magellan Strategy Group, said the $250 million return on investment figure cited by the BCTDA appears "realistic."

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Cavanaugh, who has done work with Explore Asheville and the BCTDA in the past, said the usual methodology for such a study takes samples of leisure travelers in markets to determine the overall effectiveness of the campaign.

"Did those audiences see or remember seeing an ad for Asheville and if so did they visit as a result of that advertising and to understand when that visit actually took place?" he asks, add adding the idea is to take a projected research sample the consists of people to whom you're advertising and to whom "are actually visiting Asheville."

Explore Asheville data show the county has 3.8 million overnight guests each year, generating an economic impact in the region of about $3 billion.