SMG Case Studies

Discover how SMG has assisted clients with strategic direction and services to successfully achieve their desired results.

Golf the High Sierra

Golf the High Sierra (GTHS), a cooperative marketing organization comprised of 20 golf courses and lodging properties throughout the Lake Tahoe/Reno region, was in need of a focused, integrated campaign to promote their redesigned website and to increase market share.

Posted On: January 8, 2005

City of Fairfield, CA

Fairfield, located between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, is a gateway to the world famous Napa/Sonoma wine region and has a number of tourist attractions including the Jelly Belly manufacturing facility, the Budweiser brewery, a variety of quality of shopping establishments and easy access to regional tourism attractions like Infineaom Raceway and Six Flags Amusement Park. In an effort to increase the competitiveness and demand for the community, the lodging properties located in the City of Fairfield formed a Hotel Business Improvement District (HBID) as a means to self asses themselves and develop a sustainable source of marketing funds to be used to promote the region. Additionally, one of the major initiatives was to develop a Welcome Center located adjacent to Interstate 80 to serve as a magnet to attract visitors and educate them about all the activities the area has to offer.
Posted On: January 8, 2005

Gemstone, CA

Gemstone, a national hotel management firm, needed to assess the supply and demand of one of its new properties located in a growing tourism destination in Northern California.
Posted On: January 8, 2005

Inyo County - Coalition of County Chambers of Commerce of Inyo County (Coalition) – Big Pine, Bishop, Death Valley, Independence and Lone Pine

After hiring SMG to develop a county-wide tourism marketing plan, the Coalition needed a brand to differentiate Inyo County from the competition and to use in all of its marketing programs to create one unifying theme for the entire destination.

Posted On: January 8, 2005

California Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns (CABBI)

Although highly regarded within the California lodging industry, CABBI wanted to improve its brand recognition, and that of its 320 member inns, among the traveling public. Additionally, the CABBI organization struggled with justifying and tracking the results of its marketing efforts in order to continually promote the organization’s value to its members.
Posted On: January 27, 2003

Ventura Visitors & Convention Bureau

Struggling with a variety of disjointed visitor amenities and a weekend orientation, the Ventura VCB needed to redefine its image and increase promotional efforts targeted at expanded segments.
Posted On: October 3, 2002

San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Convention Bureau

The SLOCVCB was at an impasse with its tourism promotional efforts. Although successful to date, some programs were outmoded and needed adjusting to suit the changing tourism industry and visitor expectations.
Posted On: December 22, 2000

Sonoma County, CA

In order to fine tune its long-term marketing program, the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau needed to better understand its competitive set.
Posted On: September 27, 1999

Placer Valley Tourism

As a new Business Improvement District for the South Placer County region, Placer Valley Tourism needed a long-term strategic marketing plan to guide and measure its overall efforts.
Posted On: September 27, 1999

Ski Lake Tahoe

Ski Lake Tahoe, a marketing consortium consisting of the seven largest resorts around Lake Tahoe, was created in 1975.  At its inception, Ski Lake Tahoe promoted its resorts with the goal to increase visits to the resorts as well as the destination. Despite early efforts, focused primarily on local and regional markets, Lake Tahoe was still missing from the consumer's top ski destination consideration set. Decaying market share made it clear that change was needed.

Posted On: September 27, 1999

Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority (LTVA), CA

In order to refine marketing efforts, the LTVA needed to identify visitor demographics and perceptions.
Posted On: September 26, 1999