Job opportunities and income investment in Marysville and Triangle Development Group

Tourism

Marketing a town to spur job creation and income investment is different in many ways from marketing to consumers or even B-2-B. Kotler et al. (1993) outlined the four basic target markets for places marketing. The most relevant of these for Marysville given the objectives above, is business and industry. This target market has substantial freedom of movement with regards to its capital, so the town is competing against virtually all other towns and regions in the world. The marketing, therefore, must be highly targeted and highly effective. Moreover, in order to stand out in a global marketplace, Marysville must differentiate itself in a number of ways, from the investment climate that it presents to the nature and quality of the destination itself (Buhalis, 2000).

Marysville was devastated by a brush fire in February 2009. This current circumstance places Marysville in a unique situation -- the town has long survived on tourism both as a honeymoon location and as a ski resort -- but at present this industry has been devastated. To find the best approach to marketing for investment, a corollary can be found in the areas around the Indian Ocean that were devastated by the 2004 tsunami. The area suffers in the short-term from a stigma attached to the disaster, owing to the assumption on the part of tourists that the area has not yet recovered. Investors are also wary, in part because the end customer is wary of the area. In Phuket, for example, hotels were quickly rebuilt, but the tourists stayed away for many months following the rebuilding of the area, in part because they expected the area to still be devastated (Ichinosawa, 2006).

Carlsen & Hughes (2008) studied this type of tourism marketing using data from the Maldives, which were also affected by the tsunami. They found that it was important for the Maldives to communicate the success of the recovery efforts, a plan for continued rebuilding of the tourism industry, and the commitment of government to long-term growth despite the obstacles. Those authors also found that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this problem, only guidepoints that can be used to develop a strategy. Some of these guidepoints are used in the strategy to help attract investment and jobs to the Marysville Triangle.

It is important that the Marysville and Triangle Development Group apply not only the theories about disaster recovery marketing but also basic investment marketing. The disaster recovery element adds a unique twist to the situation, an obstacle that must be overcome. However, the MATDG must understand that they are still competing in broad marketplace, and cannot expect investors to give them preferential treatment out of pity for their situation. They must attract investment by beating out other areas that do not have the same obstacles.

Part 2. The market situation is poor for the Marysville Triangle. Although tourism has long been a major part of the economy, the town is not a major tourism destination. The current investment climate is not favorable, given the current poor state of the industry. Consumer demand in luxury and major events tourism -- two of the most important sectors for Marysville to attract -- is very low (eTurboNews, 2009) and this will affect company's decisions to invest.

The target customer, therefore, is the smaller investor. The segments of tourism that are showing signs of recovery are also those with shorter turnaround times on projects and those that suit a small hill town such as Marysville. The investors the MATDG should focus on attracting are the small guesthouse and independent restaurant/cafe owners. Backpacking and small-scale car tourism are recovering faster than other types of tourism (eTurboNews, 2009).

In order to attract this market, the marketing should focus on the price advantage of Marysville. Land in the town is at a very low value due to the impact of the brushfires, yet the natural attractions remain as potent as ever. The product -- the nature and the ski hill -- are in the process of being restored. Marysville has long had a compelling product to offer Victorians.

The promotion should be focused largely on the message that the region is on the path to recovery, and is ready to once again assume its position as a strong destination for tourism in the region. The placement of the promotions needs to be in tourism and entrepreneur publications, online through an attractive website, and through contacts in the state and national government trade organizations. Such organizations are likely to be involved during the recovery process and can help to direct investment to Marysville.