RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota and its Department of Tourism is once again hiring out-of-state marketing agencies to create, produce and distribute campaigns to entice visitors to the state.
Four ad agencies, all from outside South Dakota, have been selected to collaborate on promoting the state’s tourism industry.
Karsh Hagan, Love Communications, Lou Hammond Group and Two by Four were picked after only one South Dakota agency bid for the partnership.
The four out of state companies were selected because of what the Department of Tourism sees as new and fresh ideas to give South Dakota tourism a broader appeal, said state tourism spokeswoman Katlyn Svendsen.
“When it came down to it, these folks inspired us, and they really encouraged us to think differently about our state and how consumers are looking at it, and that’s what’s important to us because we’re advertising to millions of people across the country and internationally,” Svendsen said.
Tourism officials say just one South Dakota agency bid for the work.
Robert Sharp with Rapid City-based marketing group Sharp & Associates, told KOTA-TV that it’s baffling that the state can’t find marketing talent in its own borders to promote what South Dakota has to offer.
Svendsen says the new campaigns in recent years have been able to better spread the word.
“Where we have gone in the last few years, we’ve taken our brand nationally, we’ve been able to place our first national TV spot in the last few years, and we’ve really continued to elevate our brand and be on the rise,” she said.
The branding referred to by Svendsen comes from the state’s own Global Marketing Brand Strategy Team. The team is responsible for working to develop, execute and manage a year-round domestic and international marketing campaigns in key strategic markets.
The out-of-state companies have signed three-year contracts with the state and are tasked with working with the department to develop comprehensive marketing strategies.
