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Commission weighs paid social proposal, in-house ad training and clarifies Placer AI funding
Summary
Staff reviewed a paid social proposal and commissioners discussed options to pursue alternative ad platforms or in-house training to manage social media advertising for Route 66 promotion.
Staff briefed the commission on a proposed paid social campaign through a company that would run a USA Parks-focused Facebook and Instagram campaign to promote Route 66. Staff said state reviewers felt the proposed package might not deliver sufficient impressions for the price and recommended exploring alternatives such as TripAdvisor or Reddit and seeking better value for the budget.
One commissioner suggested training an in-house staff member to manage social ads: “Why not just pay that fee one time upfront, have somebody trained on it, then we don't have to keep paying that if we wanted to do it in the future?” Staff noted an existing employee is undergoing training on analytics and that in-house management would allow the tourism office to ramp ads up or down for specific events.
The tourism director also corrected reporting surrounding Placer AI, saying a recent article misstated the funding source. “I just wanted to make sure folks know that $16,000 is not coming from tourism,” the director said. She explained economic development or the Board of Aldermen would be the funding route, and that businesses and other city departments could use Placer AI data if the city pursues it.
The director closed by summarizing upcoming events — Christmas on 66, barn quilt trail, Oktoberfest outreach — and announced that Brian McKenna is resigning from the tourism board; the vacancy will be announced to the Board of Aldermen.
