New Mexico Tourism says new $1.2 million advertising campaign yielded a 3-to-1 return
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The state tourism department's $1.2 million "New Mexico True" campaign has brought taxpayers $3 for every dollar spent, a success that Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson said she will use to seek a doubling of her department's advertising budget.
A recent study by Longwoods International, a national research firm that specializes in measuring the effectiveness of tourism advertising campaigns, shows the effort launched in April brought back $3.6 million in state and local taxes. It also produced 264,000 additional trips and generated $35.1 million in additional visitor spending.
And for every dollar spent on advertising, visitors spent $30 in New Mexico, the report says.
"The results of this research demonstrate that our new campaign has been effective in motivating people to visit our state," Jacobson said in releasing the study on Wednesday. "Our investment is paying off — every visit results in jobs, tax revenue and a stronger economy for New Mexico."
She emphasized that the study used very conservative metrics, counting only trips that people said they planned after seeing the ads.