San Francisco Travel Association Evolves the Citywide Brand Identity

Introduction

The San Francisco Travel Association is an independent team of over 1,500 members who are passionate about promoting the Bay Area. At just 49 square miles, San Francisco is packed with iconic architecture, world-renowned dining, leading businesses, vibrant culture, and breathtaking views of the surrounding sea. As the Bay Area continued to bloom, we partnered with the San Francisco Travel Association to help set the city apart and attract a global audience.

Approach

Together, we explored the story of San Francisco from the ground up. Our research ultimately took the shape of five studies—interviews with stakeholders in the city’s tourism industry, a survey and focus group of domestic and international travelers, and a survey and focus group of meeting planners.

We began by visiting the San Francisco Travel Association’s offices and speaking with a wide range of the organization’s employees in a small group setting. Next, we interviewed key stakeholders throughout the city, including hoteliers, government officials, attractions managers, and other leading voices in San Francisco’s thriving tourism industry. These insights deeply informed our approach to the rest of our research.

Next, we initiated a robust investigation of domestic and international travelers in order to gain a better understanding of their motivations and behaviors. We specifically targeted leisurely visitors—adults who have traveled more than 50 miles away for an overnight trip within the past 12 months for entirely recreational purposes. Our survey captured the thoughts of 400 leisurely visitors from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. In addition, we studied 18 metropolitan areas across the United States to collect a total of 8,582 surveys. An initiative of this size provided our team with an expansive degree of data worthy of the Golden City.

Impact

Our feedback led the San Francisco Travel Association to evolve the city’s brand identity in accordance with a new era. We organized our research into geographic segments in order to emphasize the nuances between countries and assess their interest in the city. We did this by using the San Francisco Conversion Potential Index (CPI), a metric that draws on our findings to guide the San Francisco Travel Association toward success. Our CPI found that travelers from India and China are most closely aligned with San Francisco’s brand identity and thus carry the highest potential to visit the city when exposed to marketing.