Destination On The Left Episode 204: Modern Marketing in Travel and Tourism, with Ginna Royce
While owning an ad agency was never in her dreams, Ginna Royce can’t think of a better way to spend her life–with the exception of being the next Food Network star! The opportunity to experience different industries, personalities, and technology through her clients is an amazing part of every day; the chance to share this with her husband–my partner–is a blessing.
She has deep West Virginia roots but was raised in northern Virginia. WVU provided a phenomenal Journalism education and she landed at the Dominion Post right after graduation. A short stint with an ad agency had her hooked on the culture but it was a client that forced her hand…he canceled his contract with the firm and told her to call him when she got her own office. She never looked back.
They cut their teeth on 18 hour days and lots of retail for the first 15 years, the last eight have included service and manufacturing industries along with international marketing. Delbert and Ginna developed a wanderlust recently that has taken them to Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Africa. And there’s still a lot to see. With three dogs and a cat, time at home is complete.
Ginna has a passion for this business…better yet, she has lifelong friends that entered her life disguised as clients and employees. It doesn’t get better than that.
Destination on the Left is joined by Ginna Royce, the CEO and Creative Director at BlaineTurner Advertising. BTA focuses on providing an honest, eye-opening approach to marketing, where research, strategy, and creative work in perfect unison. When we learned about Ginna’s work with the CVB in her region of West Virginia, we knew she would bring a ton of value to the table. On our podcast, Ginna shares her journey into the travel and tourism industry, and her unique approach to marketing in this niche.
The Evolution of Tourism MarketingGinna Royce is the CEO and Creative Director at BlaineTurner Advertising. BTA focuses on providing an honest, eye-opening approach to marketing, where research, strategy, and creative work in perfect unison. When we learned about Ginna’s work with the CVB in her region of West Virginia, we knew she would bring a ton of value to the table. On our podcast, Ginna shares her journey into the travel and tourism industry, and her unique approach to marketing in this niche. She explains what DMOs can do to generate more leads and maximize the results of their campaigns. And she also talks about how her agency is using collaboration to serve a CVB that now includes three counties.
No Experience WastedBlaineTurner was founded in 1986, and as you can imagine, a lot has changed in advertising/marketing in the last thirty-four years. Having that perspective enables Ginna to think critically about every business problem that her clients and prospects bring through BTA’s doors. In addition to that, her agency has served many industries outside of tourism like healthcare and manufacturing. Their broad spectrum of work means they can adapt quickly in the ever-changing market place as new channels, consumer behaviors, and industry trends arise. In travel and tourism, that is an important agency trait now more than ever.
Brand Positioning in Travel and TourismWhen your agency can navigate the challenges of a changing advertising landscape, you build trust that leads to long term relationships. A great example of this is BlaineTurner’s relationship with the Visit Mountaineer Country CVB. The organization has been working with BTA since its inception in 1986, and together they have worked through an expansion to three counties, as well as a complete rebranding of the CVB in 2019. Brand positioning is a major topic of discussion in travel and tourism. And Ginna’s ability to cater to visitors and stakeholders alike has enabled her clients to speak to multiple audiences while remaining effective. From giveaways to creative campaigns, BTA continues to find new ways to generate interest among different demographics.
- Website: www.blaineturner.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginna-royce-9067b25/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginna.royce
- Twitter: @GinnaBTA