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Taos rolls out 'Fly Taos' marketing push, partners with IdeaPeddler and youth media program
Summary
Town marketing staff and contractor IdeaPeddler presented a spring marketing update including a new Fly Taos brand, a video spot paid from a roughly $21,000 production budget, a $136,428 matching grant from the New Mexico Tourism Department, and a youth-focused Instagram campaign produced with nonprofit True Kids 1.
Town marketing officials on May 27 presented a multi-pronged tourism and air-service marketing campaign aimed at boosting visits to Taos and usage of the Taos Regional Airport.
Pamela Christie, Taos marketing and tourism director, and contractors from IdeaPeddler described a new Fly Taos brand and a set of paid-media campaigns targeted to markets including Austin, Burbank, Carlsbad, Denver and Dallas. Christie said the town’s investment of roughly $63,000 drew a 2-to-1 matching collaborative marketing grant from the New Mexico Tourism Department, resulting in a $136,428 award for the campaign.
Micah Hamilton of IdeaPeddler said the office’s March campaign produced “huge awareness,” delivering “over 8,000,000 impressions,” and that Californians accounted for about 89% of impressions and clicks during that flight-focused push. IdeaPeddler described paid social, paid search, and digital display and video placements for the Fly Taos campaign.
Christie and IdeaPeddler also showed a new television commercial produced by local videographer Bill Curry and said the primary production budget for that spot was “somewhere around $21,000.” Christie said a 30-second version of the spot will be used for television buys.
The marketing presentation included a branding package for the Taos Regional Airport and acknowledgement of collaboration with JSX and Taos Ski Valley. IdeaPeddler said it has convened a Fly Taos working group that meets biweekly and includes representatives from the town, IdeaPeddler, Taos Ski Valley and JSX.
Town staff described separate creative work with True Kids 1, a local youth-media nonprofit, to produce Instagram-focused short videos featuring local youth and elders. Sandy Campbell, executive director of True Kids 1, said the videos are “designed for Instagram” and intended to capture local authenticity and culture; participants are paid a small stipend. Campbell described plans to feature subjects such as ranching, river activities and community events.
Council members praised the local focus and the inclusion of youth voices; Councilor Fernandez Mayer noted the videos could build pathways for young people into tourism careers. Christie said the effort aligns with the town’s Destination Stewardship Plan and that staff are working with the plan’s manager to incorporate stewardship goals into marketing materials.
The presenters invited merchants to work with the marketing agency and with Gizmo (the town’s web/creative vendor) to update town pages for shopping and events, and to provide corrections when needed.
The presentation closed with an invitation to the public to view additional True Kids 1 work at a community screening scheduled for May 28 at TCA titled Where We Gather.
