Marketing team reports flight and visitor gains; new agencies to take over advertising

Director of Marketing and Tourism Rima (last name in transcript) and partners briefed the council Aug. 25 on summer paid‑media campaigns, data from a destination analytics partner (Datafy), and transitions to a new PR and creative team.

Paid media and air service: The marketing consultant IdeaPeddler presented campaign results supporting direct flights to Taos Regional Airport. Consultant Sarah Martin said a June campaign that combined paid search and display to targeted origin markets produced strong impressions and clicks; the town’s flight partners, including JSX and Contour/JSX, reported higher bookings this summer. Marketing staff relayed an airline‑reported figure that JSX bookings were up roughly 250% year‑over‑year for the summer‑fall season, a metric the town attributed to combined marketing and carrier scheduling changes.

Data and audience insights: The town used Datafy to target and measure campaigns. Datafy reported the campaign audience made an estimated 739 trips during the campaign window and attributed about 588 of those trips to campaign exposure, estimating $196,000–$197,000 in direct spend from influenced trips. Marketing staff noted Albuquerque, Denver and Dallas as top origin markets and said longer average stays and steady visitor days were encouraging compared with recent declines.

Staffing, new agencies and creative plans: Rima announced that Abbey Agency (PR/marketing) and Bent House Creative (social/creative) were contracted on Aug. 11 to handle the next phase of the town’s branding and advertising work; IdeaPeddler will phase out later in August. Staff also hired a marketing assistant and planned to recruit an information specialist for the visitor center. A branding workshop with stakeholders was planned for Sept. 17, with a council introduction to the new agencies scheduled for Sept. 9.

Why it matters: Marketing staff emphasized the economic role of tourism in Taos County and noted continued work to promote stewardship and sustainable visitation. They said campaigns seek to attract higher‑value visitors, lengthen stays and support local businesses while integrating Destination Stewardship Program values into creative assets.

Next steps: Staff will continue paid media and collaborative flight‑marketing work, roll out a refreshed brand package in October, and present park/shop‑focused creative assets to boost local retail and events. The marketing director said budgets for advertising and contractual services are roughly $400,000 and $600,000 respectively (numbers provided as approximate and to be confirmed in department budget documents). Staff will present more detailed campaign metrics and updated branding timeline in coming meetings.

Ending: Council asked for a formal presentation by the new agency in September and for continued merchant outreach; staff said they would share finalized budgets and campaign schedules as the agencies complete audits and work plans.