Marketing Initiatives Discussed At GSOBT Tourism Summit

As part of the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism (GSOBT) annual Tourism Summit, GSOBT Vice President of Marketing Crystal Hinds revealed “Coastal Code,” a marketing campaign intended to showcase creative ways visitors can best enjoy the destination. Stepping out of the tourism industry focus, Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism unveiled two new initiatives. The first is a new resident-focused destination stewardship program called “By Locals, For Locals,” which includes a dedicated website as a go-to resource for those who call Alabama’s beaches home. The site includes information on community events, local resources, locals’ favorites, special locals’ discounts, job listings and peak occupancy times to help residents navigate the destination’s busier seasons. The second is a new online store, Shoreline Supply, with branded Alabama’s Beaches merchandise, including T-shirts for infants through adults, sweatshirts and hats. “From a destination marketing perspective, merchandising is more strategic than it looks on the surface,” Hinds explained. “For us, it is not about selling T-shirts. It is about brand reinforcement, demand generation, advocacy and economic impact. When someone wears an Alabama’s Beaches T-shirt, it becomes a walking billboard, it sparks conversation, reinforces memory recall, creates peer-to-peer recommendation and triggers repeat visitation.”