Publication Research Results

OTRD recently partnered with BrandIQ to conduct research to better understand consumers’ reactions to the 2007 and 2009 Oklahoma Travel Guide layouts (alphabetical city listings versus regional), as well as gauge opinions and uses of the Events Guide to help plan future publications.

The results were extremely informative and may have implications for your own guides and brochures. Below are some top line findings from this research.

The 2009 travel guide scored over 80% on all usability measures. It is preferred over and rated better than the 2007 travel guide.

• Regional organization works better, but all other measures of usability rate higher as well(grids, indexes, etc.)
• The guide makes most people feel better about Oklahoma, and over half would visit Oklahoma because of the travel and event guides
• After getting the guide, a very high percentage actually vacationed here. Three-fourths of those who requested the guide vacationed/took a getaway in the state. Oklahomans (88%) were more apt to use the guide to stay in state than out-of-staters (64%), but two-thirds is a very high percentage.
• The guide was highly regarded compared to guides from other states

Potential enhancements

• People liked some of the features in the 2007 guide, such as restaurant listings and details like "unique to Oklahoma restaurants" and more information about accommodations
• While the 2009 accommodation grid was well liked, people want more lodging detail

Online and offline content

• People generally have broadband access and ordered the guide after visiting TravelOK.com
• Even most of those who go online very infrequently have broadband access
• The Internet is now being widely used and needs to work synergistically with printed materials – it is not "either-or" for the traveler, they use and expect to use both
• Printed materials, including the maps, can be taken on the trip as a handy reference, and can play a role in the planning process

Event Guide

• Events and festivals are expected to be included in the travel guide instead of being listed in a separate events guide
• A detailed listing in the travel guide would be ideal, but many would be happy with major events listed in the travel guide and the rest on the website. Most would sign up for an email newsletter about upcoming events. Some expect detailed or current information online
• Designing interaction between the travel guide, the Web site, and email outreach might be the ideal way to cover events and festivals

Of course, these findings only scratch the surface of the research results. If you're a data lover like me, feel free to review the entire report here.

As for how this research will impact OTRD's travel publications, we've decided a few things.

• We'll keep the lodging grid in the Travel Guide instead of creating a separate accommodations guide like many states are doing
• We'll try to enhance the information listed on the lodging grid as space allows
• The demand for dining information unique to our state is high, so we're working with the Discover Oklahoma crew to develop a Destination Dining Guide which would be a companion piece to our Travel Guide. As always, the Travel Guide will still include dining highlights in lure and regional side bars, but a separate piece would allow for more detail.
• Since demand for a separate Events Guide is low, we are developing a plan that will transition our event marketing from a printed piece to instead focus on driving traffic to TravelOK.com for the latest event and festival information. We would compliment this with email alerts and possibly major event information in the Travel Guide. We will still produce an Events Guide for 2010, however this will likely be our last year to produce a separate guide specifically for events.

In addition to the planning and development implications of this research, there are also implications for you, our communities, attractions and advertisers.

• More than half of survey respondents thought the Travel Guide was better than expected and said they would visit Oklahoma BECAUSE of what they had discovered. Those that had requested an Oklahoma guide had requested one from another state, so this is a strong tool for helping "close the sale" for customers still undecided on a vacation destination. TAKE AWAY: The Travel Guide is a successful marketing tool so you need to ensure your information is accurate. If it's correct on TravelOK.com it should be correct in the next guide, so take time now to search the website for your info.


• More than half of survey respondents reacted positively to the Travel Guide and its ease of use -- 83% said it made them more interested in visiting Oklahoma. TAKE AWAY: If they see your attraction(s) in the guide, they will be more likely to visit. Send us updated high resolution images of your area for our photo library to increase your chances of being featured in an article or side bar.


• 84% said they would be likely to read the ads in the guide and they prefer them at the end of regional sections rather than scattered throughout. TAKE AWAY: You need to be advertising in the Travel Guide. Either through a regional marketing association or directly with OTRD, this is an important way to reach travelers. They are paying attention to the ads and even seek them out.

We realize this is a lot of information to process, but we share it in an effort to propel our department and industry efforts forward in a way that is research-based and meets the needs of today's travelers. Over the years, our publications have won many design and writing awards, but nothing is as satisfying as knowing we're on target with what our customers want and better understand how we can continue to make improvements in branding and marketing Oklahoma.