Sunshine Matters

Each year, VISIT FLORIDA conducts a Return on Investment Influencer Study which measures the collective impact of our marketing efforts on visitors’ decisions to come to the Sunshine State.  Results from the 2011 study show that, of the surveyed respondents who had been to Florida in the past year, 38.1 percent were significantly influenced in their decision to visit the state by one or more VISIT FLORIDA marketing initiatives.  This figure represents a 1.2 percentage point increase over 2010 and marks the third consecutive year of ROI increases, rising a total of 11.4 percentage points since 2008.

While all five of the top direct influencers increased over last year, the VISIT FLORIDA website scored the highest at 25.5 percent, followed by visiting a Welcome Center at 23.6 percent and advertising at 23 percent.  Overall, the two influencers having the most impact on visitors were “A previous visit to Florida” – up 7 percentage points from last year – and “Have family or friends to visit” – which was up 3 percentage points compared to 2010.

Continued optimization of paid advertising, as well as the integration of traditional, digital and social marketing with public relations, promotions and sales, have resulted in maximizing the impact of VISIT FLORIDA’s marketing efforts.

About the study:

Conducted via the Internet by Toluna USA, Inc., the Return on Investment Influencer Study surveyed 500 domestic visitors who had been to the state in the past year asking them what items influenced their decision to choose Florida as a destination.

The survey, comprised of 18 items, gauged the respondents’ level of importance when considering Florida as a destination location.  Each item was ranked on a scale of  1 – 5, with 5 representing a “very important” factor in the decision-making process.  Those respondents ranking VISIT FLORIDA efforts with a 4 or 5 were deemed “significantly influenced.”

The five factors directly attributable to VISIT FLORIDA include our website, Welcome Centers, advertising, print publications, and contests and sweepstakes.  In addition to these five factors, other items considered in the survey included non-direct influencers, such as brochures at trade shows, advertising by individual Florida locations and information found on the Internet outside VISITFLORIDA.com.  Several non-marketing influencers were also factored in, including visiting friends and family, reading travel articles and extending business trips into vacations.