The Travellers Choice Marketing team provides a wide range of promotional posters to agents each year, but a recent edition celebrating members as ‘locally owned and operated’ small businesses has been a hit with agents and customers alike.
Coolum Cruise & Travel’s Cathy Hewett says the poster immediately resonated with people in her community.
“The fact that they promote our agency as locally-owned is something that people seem to love,” says Cathy. “We’ve had them come into the shop just to tell us how good it is to know that by supporting us they are putting money back into the local community.”
Travel and Cruise Ceduna’s Tullie Seneca says the poster is effective because it provides a gentle reminder of “how much it hurts local businesses when people jump online”.
“We are in a small, remote country town and our survival depends on locals, so when they purchase their travel outside of town that hurts us,” Tullie says. “I think sometimes that message gets lost and people forget the role we play in creating local employment and supporting the community through sponsorships of sporting teams and local events. Those things won’t happen if people just hop online.”
General Manager Marketing Robyn Mitchell says it’s no surprise the poster – which has also been turned into a Facebook tile following requests from members – has achieved cut through.
“You’ve only got to look at the growth of farmers markets, which enable local operators to sell fruit and vegetables direct to consumers, to see that the concept of local engagement and support is important to people,” Robyn says.
“These posters tell a story. They are saying ‘I live here, I have kids in local schools, I face the same local issues as you, and by supporting me you are supporting our entire community’.”