2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
EXPLORE
MURRIETA
2023 EOY RECAP
Received After Agenda Printed
12/5/23 - Regular Meeting
Presentation
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
2023 HIGHLIGHTS
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
3 2023 OVERVIEW
● Strategic Approach - Position Explore Murrieta as a hidden gem destination blessed with natural scenic beauty.
● Flexible Planning - Working with The Abbi Agency, we adopted a flexible plan for the year in light of unpredictable weather. ○ The rainy weather in Southern California benefited the destination, offering the opportunity for a Superbloom
campaign but slowing down road travel.
● Two Bandwango Campaigns - Restaurant Month and Summer Trails Pass.
○ Gamification approach - showcase local eateries and hiking trails
● Online Presence Enhancement and Community Building - Enhancing Explore Murrieta’s social media presence over time with quarterly content shoots; underwent website audit to identify opportunities for growth and improvement.
● 9M + Impressions and a 5.9%
average CTR from search ads,
surpassing the 2.18% industry
average
● 211% increase in website traffic
from new users
● 51% increase in total media
placements earned quarter over
quarter from PR outreach
● 135% increase in engagement
and 65% increase in followers
quarter over quarter from social
media efforts
● 1,400+ sign-ups and 700+ email
opt-ins from Bandwango passes
KEY RESULTS
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency ©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency 4 CREATIVE OVERVIEW
2023 Quarterly Content Shoot Themes:
● Golfing
● Family Fun
● Food & Dining
● Breweries & Bars
● Hiking
● Camping/Stargazing
● Motocross
Campaign Executions
● Keep It Super Campaign: Showcased the breathtaking phenomenon of the Super Bloom while promoting sustainable travel practices and positioning Murrieta as the central hub to stay, visit and experience the bloom. ● Relax, It’s Murrieta: This campaign positions Murrieta as a destination where you can “dial down the stress and dial up the adventure or relaxation.” In 2023, we used the newly gathered visual assets to update this evergreen campaign.
● Bandwango Campaigns: In addition to these efforts, we developed creative assets to accompany our mobile passports and social campaigns for Bandwango.
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
5 2023 SUPERBLOOM
CAMPAIGN
After receiving an abundance of rainfall over the past year, the gorgeous wildflower Superbloom returned to the
California hills for the first time since 2019. Even though it’s an amazing sight to see, the last Superbloom was cut short due to large crowds of visitors trampling the wildflowers and causing traffic congestions.
With this in mind, we set out to showcase the breathtaking phenomenon of the Superbloom, all while promoting
sustainable travel practices and positioning Murrieta as the central hub to stay, visit and experience the bloom.
● Position Murrieta as the central
hub to stay, visit and
experience the blooms
● Build awareness of Murrieta as
Bloom Central and as an
affordable getaway in SoCal’s
famous wine country
● Responsible and sustainable
messaging and practices while
enjoying the superbloom
GOAL
2023 Strategy & Planning
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SUPERBLOOM
SOCIAL CAMPAIGN
Explore Murrieta launched the superbloom social campaign that teased the event, educated users on how they can protect the landscape, and how Murrieta is the perfect basecamp to stay to experience the rare phenomenon.
Content included:
● “Influencers in Wild” messaging
● Video & static content
● Influencer activation with Delilah Isabel @delilah_isabel ● California Travel Story guide
● GIF Instagram/Facebook Story stickers
Social Metrics
● We saw a significant boost in overall engagements (17,854)* and impressions (159,440)*; and GIPHY views totaled over 90K.
Paid Media Metrics
● Landing Page Visits: 22,236 (at $0.20 each)
● Click-Through-Rate: 3.20%
Influencer Collaboration Results
● We garnered over 6,000 views through TikTok and over 1,000 views on YouTube *Facebook Reel data is not officially supported as an API integration of our social media management system. We have pulled Facebook reel metrics natively from the platform to help support this month’s data.
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
7 LANDING PAGE
Landing Page Content & Video
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency ©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency 8 SUPERBLOOM
TRAVEL STORIES
The Superbloom travel story brought a lot of new
impressions and engagements to Explore Murrieta.
We saw a steady growth in impressions and views this
year. By adding in four different slides within the story, the click through rate (CTR) being above 4% shows solid
interaction.
Moving forward, we want to add more slides to travel
stories rather than just one singular slide. Our strategy will be to provide more details on events through series (or carousels) of slides.
16.5K
Total Story
Impressions
554
Total Story Views
4.69%
Click Through Rate
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency ©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency 9 PAID MEDIA OVERVIEW
Goals:
● Increase visitation during non-peak periods, targeting drive markets (Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas)
● Retain visitors through retargeting ads, email marketing and content marketing.
Platforms: Primarily digital marketing on foundational platforms, including:
● Google (SEM/Display)
● Meta (Facebook & Instagram)
● TikTok
● Pinterest
Targeting: Per the respective platforms, audience targeting honed in on users such as Gen X/Millennials interested in drivable getaways, families seeking fun-for-all activities and events, along with older professionals wanting to relax and recharge.
Performance highlights include:
● More than 30 million impressions across all digital channels, approximately 3x more than the previous year
● Average Google CPC significantly lower than platform standard, while Meta campaigns outperformed the industry average for CTR
● Short-term, event based campaigns such as Super Bloom, Summer Trails Pass and Restaurant Week displayed strong performance, illustrating audience interest and engagement for timely opportunities to visit Murrieta 2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
10 MEETINGS &
GROUPS
Throughout April and May, as part of our
overall goal to increase the meetings and
small groups vertical, The Abbi Agency
placed a buy with Small Market Meetings
targeting an audience of meeting planners:
● Dedicated Eblasts
● Display Banners
● Sponsored Articles
E-Blast
Sponsored Articles
Display Ad
Display Ad
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
CREATIVE ASSETS - Evergreen
Display
Facebook & Instagram Ad
SEM Ads
Evergreen, Top
SMM, Bottom
TikTok Ad
Display Ads
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
CREATIVE ASSETS - Super Bloom
Display
Facebook & Instagram Ad
Display Ads
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
SEM
CREATIVE ASSETS - Restaurant Month
Display
Facebook & Instagram
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
CREATIVE ASSETS - Summer Trails Pass
Display
Facebook & Instagram Ad
SEM Ads
Display Ads
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
15 Meta (Facebook and Instagram)
Performance Overview
Meta
Clicks CPC Impressions CPM CTR Cost
MUR-Evergreen 43,854 $0.31 3,276,531 $4.12 1.34% $13,483.05 MUR-Restaurant Month-23 5,190 $0.29 225,620 $6.65 2.30% $1,500.00 MUR - Fan Acquisition - 22/23 2,952 $3.04 609,343 $14.75 0.48% $8,987.38 MUR-Summer Trails Pass 4,290 $1.00 724,226 $5.49 0.58.% $1,938.64 Total Clicks Total CPC Total Impressions Total CPM Total CTR Total Cost 56,286 $0.46 4,835,720 $5.36 1.16% $25,909.07
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
16 Google SEM Performance Overview
Google SEM
Clicks CPC Impressions CPM CTR Cost
MUR-SEM-Evergreen 25,084 $0.58 282,651 $51.83 8.87%% $14,649.69 MUR-SEM-Summer Trails
Pass 1,623 $2.38 235,304 $16.38 0.69% $3,855.23
MUR-SEM-SMM 2,138 $2.21 148,274 $31.87 1.44% $4,725.36
MUR-SEM-Restaurant
Month-23 653 $2.25 12,825 $114.75 5.09% $1,471.69
Total
Clicks
Average
CPC
Total
Impressions
Average
CPM
Average
CTR Total Cost
29,498 $0.84 679,054 $36.38 4.02% $24,701.97
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
17 Google Display Performance Overview
Google Display
Clicks CPC Impressions CPM CTR Cost
MUR-Dis-Evergreen 37,919 $0.34 14,880,235 $0.87 0.25% $12,984.42 MUR-DIS-Summer Trails Pass 7,413 $0.55 3,422,186 $1.19 0.22% $4,058.98 MUR-Display-Restaurant
Month-23 1,196 $1.25 2,201,600 $0.68 0.05 $1,499.03
MUR-Dis-CBW-22 213 $2.99 370,426 $2.04 0.07% $627.13
Total
Clicks
Average
CPC
Total
Impressions
Average
CPM
Average
CTR Total Cost
46,741 $0.41 20,874,447 $0.92 0.22% $19,169.56
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
18 Pinterest Performance Overview
Pinterest
Clicks CPC Impressions CPM CTR Cost
MUR-Evergreen-Awareness 1,084 $4.61 1,702,626 $2.94 0.06% $5,000.00 MUR-Evergreen-Consideration 2,729 $0.92 506,682 $4.93 0.54% $2,500.00 Total Clicks
Average
CPC Total Impressions
Average
CPM
Average
CPC Total Cost
3,813 $2.77 2,209,308 $3.94 0.30% $7,500.00
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
19 TikTok Performance Overview
TikTok
Clicks CPC Impressions CPM CTR Cost
MUR
Evergreen 20,574 $0.54 2,379,602 $4.63 0.86% $11,015.72 2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency ©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency 20 WEBSITE
2023 OVERVIEW
Website Performance Highlights
● Surge in website traffic and engagement from
November 30, 2022 to November 30, 2023, compared to
the prior campaign period (November 30, 2021 to
November 30, 2022)
● 82.2% of website users and sessions were driven by
Paid & Social Media efforts, with Google Search and
Facebook driving the biggest impact
● Landing pages that garnered the highest performance
include:
○ Home page
○ Meet in Murrieta page
○ Blog post featuring holiday events.
● Website metrics strongly suggest that specific paid
initiatives with Small Market Meetings, facilitated by The Abbi Agency, effectively piqued interest among groups
and meeting planners, thereby generating considerable
online traction for Explore Murrieta.
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency ©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency 21 SOCIAL MEDIA
2023 OVERVIEW
Explore Murrieta’s social media channels saw an impressive increase in all metrics and engagement for 2023.
Content Performance: Our content performed above average in 2023 as compared to 2022, and there was an significant rise in all social channel engagement throughout this past year.
Since November 2022, platform performance increases include:
● 70% Audience Increase: 25,304 followers gained
● 86% Increase in Engagements: 174,331 total
● 34% Increase in Impressions: 6,388,229 total
● 87% Increase in Post Link Clicks: 58,557 total
Social Media Audiences
● Audiences on Facebook and Instagram are still mainly
comprised of women between the ages of 35-44
● Top cities for those platforms include Los Angeles, Murrieta, San Diego, Temecula, Menifee, Phoenix, and Wildomar
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency ©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency 22 CALIFORNIA
TRAVEL STORIES
As a part of our monthly content, we launched and
produced California Travel Stories as a Visit California Partner on Localhood.
We saw a steady growth in impressions and views this
year. Even better, there were 2,225 interactions total in 2023.
Our strategy is to continue highlighting state holidays, monthly celebrations, and Murrieta focused events moving forward into 2024.
91,297
Total Story
Impressions
4,041
Total Story Views
6 Stories Created
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
23 TOP PERFORMING POSTS OF THE YEAR
FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM TWITTER & TIKTOK
Engagement: 7,114
Impressions: 42,531
Engagement: 6,929
Impressions: 84,446
Engagement: 5,231
Impressions: 598,707
Engagement: 1,532
Impressions: 10,372
Engagement: 881
Impressions: 7,334
Engagement: 725
Impressions: 5,670
Engagement: 8
Impressions: 47
Engagement: 7
Impressions: 99
Engagement: 6
Impressions: 100
Engagement: 129
Impressions: 574,118
Engagement: 51
Impressions: 2,280
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency ©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency 24 PUBLIC RELATIONS
2023 OVERVIEW
Press Releases
● Long-form seasonal press release
● Super bloom seasonal press release
● Restaurant Month press release - in conjunction with City of Murrieta, City of Wildomar and Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce
● Distributed to media outlets in Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego and surrounding neighborhoods, Las Vegas, and more Visit California Content Submissions: TAA drafted multiple entries for Visit California content requests.
2023 Public Relations Performance
● 281 Media Placements
● 86.9M Estimated Outlet Readership/Viewership
● 8.3M Estimated Coverage Views
Click here to view all coverage and metrics to date.
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
25 Story Title: Murrieta, California: ‘Southern
California’s Playground’
Est. Reach: 557
Market: National
Key Message: Murrieta’s meeting spaces
NOTE: Includes backlink to
exploremurrieta.com
PUBLIC RELATIONS PLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
26 Story Title: Explore Murrieta Encourages
Superbloom Visitors to Keep it Super
Monthly Visits: 12,400,000
Market: National
Key Message: Murrieta Superbloom
NOTE: Includes backlink to
exploremurrieta.com
PUBLIC RELATIONS PLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
27 Story Title: Summer 2023 Events Are Heating
Up in Murrieta, California
Monthly Visits: 57,028
Market: National
Key Message: Murrieta Summer Events and
Activities
NOTE: Includes backlink to
exploremurrieta.com
PUBLIC RELATIONS PLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
2024
TRAVEL TRENDS
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency ©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency 29 2024 TRAVEL TRENDS
Set-jetting: For 2023, Expedia predicted travelers would turn to television sets and movie screens for travel inspiration. They did, and the trend shows no signs of stopping in 2024.
● What does this mean for you? If your destination has any relation to a TV show, movie, or even celebrity, this is the time to include that in our PR messaging.
Destination Dupes: The “dupe” trend — affordable alternatives to popular products — that has flooded TikTok feeds is now taking over travel. Travelers are looking for similar, more affordable destinations to the tried-and-true destinations travelers love.
● What does this mean for you? TAA can research comparative destinations of a more expensive magnitude so we can offer your destination as a destination dupe in our 2024 PR messaging.
Dry Tripping: From observing Dry January to Sober October, it’s clear that living a low- or alcohol-free lifestyle is becoming more common. ● What does this mean for you? Ensure that your partners are offering non-alcoholic options like stocking minibars with zero-proof options, or offering mocktail-making experiences.
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency ©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency 30 2024 TRAVEL TRENDS
Vibe Check-in: Beyond searching for specific amenities or star ratings, a hotel’s overall “vibe” is becoming a strong indicator of travelers’ hotel choices. What contributes to a hotel’s overall vibe? Travelers say the top element is customer service, which surpassed the music, interior or lighting of the hotel. ● What does this mean for you? This is a great opportunity to share insight with hotel partners to encourage them going into the New Year.
Go-ccasions: Puppymoons, First-date-iversaries, and Plate Dates are in the cards for travelers in 2024. One in 4 say they are looking for ‘any excuse’ to get away with their loved ones.
● What does this mean for you? TAA will continue to think outside the box for more unique, niche opportunities to drive visitation.
Gen Gen AI: While generative AI tools like ChatGPT took center stage in 2023, only 6% of travelers used it to plan their trip.
● What does this mean for you? TAA will continue to leverage itinerary examples and sneak peeks in their PR messaging as ChatGPT is still not the most used source for travel planning.
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
2024
PLANNING
& STRATEGY
2023 Strategy & Planning
©2023 The Abbi Agencytheabbiagency.com @theabbiagency
32 2024 -
STRATEGIC
PLANNING
OPPORTUNITY
As we kick off this year, we want to pause and take the time for intensive strategic planning.
● 2024 is Explore Murrieta’s sixth year as a
destination in the tourism marketplace.
● We will take a look at performance to-date, trends
shaping the tourism/DMO space and the future of
Murrieta, as well as the Board’s direction on the
vision for the destination’s future.
January Board Planning Workshop - will result in:
● Strategic Destination Plan
● Destination Vision
● 2024-25 Marketing Plan
● Board Workshop and
Strategic Planning
● Murrieta Hot Springs
Grand Opening
● Website Redesign
and Redevelopment
● Evolved Creative
Campaign
● Expanded Paid
Media Channels and
Targets
KEY AREAS OF
FOCUS FOR 2024
2023 Strategy & Planning
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