CALIFORNIA RURAL TOURISM RESEARCH

Qualitative Study of Traveling Consumers

Summary of Research Findings

Research prepared for the California Travel & Tourism Commission by Destination Analysts, Inc.
Table of Contents

SECTION 1
Research Overview 2
Objectives 2
Methodology 3

SECTION 2
Executive Summary 5

SECTION 3
Key Findings 9

Perceptions of California 9

Top of Mind California Destinations 10

Interest in Rural California 11

What Rural California Represents as a

Travel Experience 11

Motivations for Rural Travel 13

Experiences of Interest in Rural California 14

Top of Mind Destinations in Rural California 15

Labels for Rural California 16

Marketing & Promoting Rural California to

Travelers 17

Rural California in Current CTTC Marketing &

Advertising 18

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 Section

1
Research Overview
This report summarizes the findings of a qualitative study of traveling consumers on Californias
rural tourism assets. This research was conducted May 12th through 20th, 2011 by Destination
Analysts, Inc. on behalf of the California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC). This study is part of
a larger research project being undertaken by the CTTC to evaluate its rural marketing program,
in order to maximize benefits to rural stakeholders and generate tourism to the states rural areas.

Note: For the sake of simplicity, the word rural is used in this report as an umbrella term to
describe areas of California outside its four major known metropolises (Los Angeles, San
Francisco, San Diego and Anaheim).

Objectives
The goal of this research project was to evaluate Californias rural tourism product from the
perspective of its consumers. The research was structured to build an understanding of:

How travelers approach their trip planning in terms of their exploration of California

How travelers generally distinguish rural areas and how they refer to these areas

How travelers perceive Californias geographic composition and their perception of the
states geographic divisions; what is the ideal regional breakout of the state for trip
planning

Interest levels in traveling within rural California, what would inspire interest in rural travel,
and what constitutes the most attractive experiences in rural California

What potential names for rural California and California regions derived from separate
industry research offer the most potential to drive tourism

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 The content structure and other means by which travelers want information presented to
them about rural California; how well these are addressed by CTTCs current rural
marketing assets, such as its guides and maps.

Travelers perceptions of what is being communicated in CTTC advertising, specifically in

terms of tourism products and experiencesand where these products and experiences
are located

Methodology
Because of the complexity and
extensiveness of the studys topic, a
qualitative methodologyin-depth
interviews of potential California travelers
was selected. Destination Analysts, with
CTTC input, developed a discussion guide
that addressed the research objectives.
Destination Analysts then recruited twenty-
four (24) travelers to each participate in a
60-minute in-depth interview conducted in
Destination Analysts online video
conference lab (shown right).

The online lab allowed for interactive engagement with participants, including a white board
exercise, use of the CTTC website to evaluate online content, and viewing of CTTC video and
print advertisements. The interviews were moderated by Destination Analysts staff and
interviewees participated from their home or office at a time of their convenience.

The demographic and behavioral profile of those interviewed is detailed following.

Respondent Profile

The 24-person panel for this study was comprised of five Californians (residing around the state in
both rural and urban areas), nine international residents (from the United Kingdom, Canada and
Australia), and ten domestic travelers (from top long and short-haul feeder markets, including
Seattle, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Tampa, Chicago, New York and
Washington DC).

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All participants had taken one or more leisure trips that included an overnight stay in the past
year, have interest in California as a travel destination and are likely or certain to travel within
California in the next two years (three years if non-U.S.). They regularly conduct traveling
planning researchincluding on destinations, attractions, accommodations and general things
to dofor their trips. In exhibiting attitudes such as seeking variety in life and being a buyer of
the best, participants also represent the Experience Collectors target traveler segment from
the CTTCs Five Year Strategic Plan.

Fifteen of the participants are female and nine are male. Seventeen are married or partnered
and nine have children in their household. Twenty participants have bachelors or graduate
degrees while the remaining four had at least some college education. All participants have an
annual household income of at least $50,000 USD. A variety of ages between 25 and 64 years
was represented, as were ethnicities including Asian/Pacific Islander, African-American and
Latina.

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 Section

2
Executive Summary
As travelers take an experiential approach to travel planningrather than a literal
geographical onefocusing on and characterizing a regional destination by the unique
experience(s) offered by its geography will be a successful means of positioning
Californias rural areas to traveling consumers. One of the key motivating factors for
considering a rural destination is an understanding of what is truly unique about the
areawhat I cant see or do anywhere else.

California is seen as having particularly attractive rural experiences because of its

diverse geography, and there is significant interest in visiting these areas of the state. Not
only do travelers feel that Californias varied geography offers a spectrum of rural-
associated experiences, these experiences are often seen as (or expected to be) truly
unique and/or world-class. Many of these experiences are also perceived to be
reasonably accessible from one another.

Travelers are seeking profound emotional benefits from rural travelsuch as peace and
rejuvenationand such messages should be communicated in marketing rural
California.

As rural California represents an outdoors experience to travelers, this thematic

approach to planning travel in California is especially appealing. Simply getting to
spend time in nature surrounded by unique scenic beauty is a key benefit both
perceived about and sought in rural California travel. Thus travelers understand outdoor
experiences to include a wide range of activities, from picnicking in a bucolic field to
hiking Half Dome. In contrast, urban California is seen as largely an indoors experience
with a plethora of external, synthetic stimuli such as a restaurant scene and art museums.
As such, these types of activities may be best left for marketing urban destinations rather

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 than rural. However, urban California also represents crowds and constraint. Rural
California may be well served by focusing on those attributes and assets which are the
antithesis of the negative associations with urban.

Because of the similar engagement of the senses, wine and food are also particularly
attractive thematic approaches to travel planning in California. The widespread
awareness of Californias wine industry and overall agricultural strength positions the
state well as a provider of wine country and authentic rural food experiences.

Accessibility is a critical factorand can be a key motivatorwhen travelers consider

rural Californian destinations. Distance and/or how long it will take to reach the
destination is an immediate informational need. Travelers also want to be made to feel
confident that the journey will be a safe and relatively stress-free one (i.e. drivable road
conditions, not overly remote).

The typical California traveler will be motivated to visit rural destinations that offer the
expected securities of urbanactivity options, comfortable accommodations, paved
roads, mobile reception, WiFiwhile maintaining the benefits of rural traveloutdoors
experiences focused, unique experiences, peaceful, scenic natural beauty. Wine
country destinations and other resort rural destinations were praised for this balance.

There is generally an inverse relationship between travelers residential distance from

California and their degree of interest in rural California and the length of time they
desired to spend there. As one might expect, those who reside closer to California (short-
haul) are typically more familiar withand thus more comfortable and interested inthe
states rural assets. They also tend to visit California more frequently and are more likely to
travel into the state by car, diminishing angst about trip time allocation or accessibility.
These key factors make this group much more open to rural-dominated or rural-only
California travel experiences. While those who reside further away (long-haul markets or
abroad) certainly can be familiar with and have tremendous interest in rural California,
they are inevitably much more strongly challenged by time, access, cost, and
competition from urban destinations. Because those in longer haul markets are apt to
require more convincing to allocate their time and travel budget to rural California,
positioning these destinations as must-see and communicating key marketing
information about access become even more crucial.

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 Due to the greater association and familiarity with Northern California rural experiences
and the strong draw of the iconic Southern California experiences (such as LA, beaches,
theme parks) there is lesser awareness and familiarity withand therefore lower overall
degrees of interest inthe tourism assets and the experiences offered in the Central
Valley, Deserts and Inland Empire. These areas would benefit from greater consumer
consciousness and clarity about what they have to offer travelers.

An umbrella term that refers to all of rural California is not necessary from a consumer
perspective, however, of the descriptive phrases to label rural California explored in the
research Off the Beaten Path and Hidden Gems were the most universally appealing
in terms of motivating a desire to learn more. Study participants were attracted to these
phrases for their implication of adventure and excitement. Several also found Inside
California intriguing for its duplicity of meaning and understanding. The CTTC may want
to consider avoiding Gateway, Town & Country and California Outback in
messaging.

Research participants made a point to emphasize that a rural destination needs to be

marketed well immediately or their interest will dissipate. In addition to images (the more
the better), the key information about a rural destination that travelers want presented
right away include: what is unique to the area that they cant experience elsewhere,
how they can access the destination, and what scenic beauty is offered (which images
can be used to demonstrate).

Search engine marketing is critical to connecting travelers with information about rural
California and is how travelers would approach looking for information about rural
California. The CTTC website is also important, particularly for those less familiar with
California who said they would use the site to orient themselves to the state and begin
deciding where to go and what to see.

The California Road Trips guide hits the key information travelers want about rural
destinations: a brief but informative synopsis of why they should visit the area and the
experiences offered, maps and travel distances/times, scenic images. Given how well
the Road Trips guide was received and how important online content is for reaching
travelers, CTTC may want to consider turning the Road Trips content into actual web
pages (with links to more information) and not merely offering a digitized format of the

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 printed guide (especially since there appeared to be a number of usability issues with
navigating the digital guide).

These current television spots ads inspire interest in rural California. Misconceptions was
praised for cleverly showcasing how extensive Californias offerings are in terms of things
to see and do, and the spots inclusion of both urban and rural was identified as a key
contributor to this notion. The ad was generally perceived as being inclusionary of all
traveler types. Friends in High Places was praised as a cheerful, upbeat reminder that
California is more than beach and warm weather, and that there is a diversity of
experiences to be had in the state. However, participants who do not participate in
winter sports felt that the spot was not intended for them, and the message thus may not
affect them as strongly. Interviewees perceived The Good Life as almost entirely focused
on rural California. They felt this ad had a strong emphasis on wine country; interestingly,
the food message was less of a takeaway. Some participants felt it was targeted to an
older, affluent audience and therefore less inclusionary than Misconceptions.

The current print ads were perceived to be promoting rural (rather than urban) California.
However, perhaps due to study participants not knowing the people featured in the ads,
they felt unclear and less able to articulate the message they were intended to take
away from these advertisements.

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 Section

3
Key Findings
An Experience-Based Approach
A key finding of this research is that travelers take an experiential approach to travel planning in
Californiarather than a literal geographical one. Focusing on and characterizing a regional
destination by the unique experience(s) offered by its geography will likely be a successful
means of positioning Californias rural areas to traveling consumers. An umbrella term that refers
to all of rural California is not necessary from a consumer perspective; travelers will be more
focused on what benefits they will receive from visiting these areas.

Perceptions of California
At the beginning of each interview, study participants were asked to share their perceptions
about California, specifically regarding its major industries, transportation infrastructure, and
geographical elements. This was done to explore if these perceptions offered any obstacles
and/or benefits to promoting rural travel within the state.

While tourism and entertainment are what this group most widely considered as Californias top
industries (followed by technology), there is a high degree of awareness of agricultures place in
the states economy. One participant even surmised that the country, if not the world,
probably wouldnt be able to eat without California. This understanding of Californias
agricultural strength positions the state well as a provider of authentic rural and food
experiences.

When asked about Californias transportation infrastructure, participants rarely thought beyond
highways and cars as the primary way to access the state. While there were mixed sentiments
about Californias public transportation and airports, no concerns about access arose about the

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states road system, and participants appeared to expect there to be some road to take them
wherever they wanted to go in California. This perception generally bodes well for rural
California in which access is a critical factor in travelers consideration. However, the perceived
and real lack of other transit options presents a challenge in marketing to those who do not or
had planned not to drive (i.e. those that arrive by air but do not rent a car, international travelers
who cannot or are uncomfortable driving).

The top associations with Californias geography, by far, are beaches and mountains.
Redwoods and forests, followed to a lesser degree by deserts, are also what travelers think of
when picturing the state. Amongst many of those interviewed, there appeared to be a near
reverence for the dichotomy of the states geographic elements. What became clear was that
Californias diverse geography is an important driver of desire to visit the state.

Top of Mind California Destinations (Unaided)

As a way to gauge existing notions
about Californias geographic
landmarks and how these align with the
CTTCs current regional structure, study
participants were asked about what
destinations come to mind when they
think of California and if they divide the
state by any geographic or other type
of designation. While there were
varying degrees of knowledge about
California (see sample map exercises
right), the majority of participants had an awareness of a Northern and Southern California,
although there appeared to be generally more familiarity with Southern California overall
(concentrated on Los Angeles).The next level of knowledge was an awareness of Central
California and/or the Central Valley. Few beyond those who had extensive knowledge of
California designated anywhere in the Eastern part of the state as a region.

When asked to name Californias major cities and destinations, Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Santa Barbara, San Diego and Sacramento were the most commonly cited. Disneyland was a
destination that was certainly top of mind, and several participants thought of wine/wine

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country (although many were unsure of where exactly this wine region(s) was located).
Yosemite received some mentions, as well.

Interest in Rural California

To initiate discussion about rural California as a travel destination, study participants were asked
about their general interest in visiting areas outside of the states major cities. Even amongst
those with lesser degrees of familiarity with California, strong interest in traveling to these areas
was expressed. Not only do travelers feel that Californias varied geography offers a spectrum of
rural-associated experiences, these experiences are often seen as (or expected to be) truly
unique and/or world-class. On top of that, many of these experiences are perceived to be
reasonably accessible from one another (You can ski in the morning and take a walk on a
beach in the afternoon).

Given the appropriate positioning and marketing, there is significant opportunity to develop or
generate further tourism to Californias rural regions.

What Rural California Represents as a Travel Experience

The research explored what rural California means to travelers. The most important elements of
how travelers perceive rural areas are:

An absence of traffic and Abundant outdoor recreational

overwhelming crowds opportunities
Intimate bed and breakfast inns Simple roads
A place where agriculture is the Historic sites
primary industry A safe environment
A scenic panorama of unique, More affordable prices
natural beauty A comforting ambiance
Friendly locals Tasty locally-owned restaurants

Participants also articulated deeply satisfying emotional benefits offered by a rural California
travel experience, including:

Peace Freedom
Relaxation Movement

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 Escapefrom crowds, traffic, Internal reflection
everyday annoyances and Immersing oneself with natures
obligations beauty
Quiet Rejuvenation

Showcasing these much desired emotional benefits will be important in marketing Californias
rural experiences.

What Urban California Represents

Urban California is seen as largely an indoors experiencewith a plethora of external, synthetic

stimulias opposed to rural California, which is largely an outdoors experience in which oneself
and nature provide the primary sources of stimulation.

In contrast to rural, urban California means:

First-rate arts exhibits, theater and
A dining scene and great restaurants
shows
Vibrancy
Nightlife
Never without something exciting to
Sophisticated creature comforts
see and do
Shopping
Culture
Celebrities

However, urban California also means:

Crowded Constraint
Dirty Noise
Traffic Cement wall after cement wall

Rural California may be well served by focusing on those attributes and assets which are the
antithesis of the negative associations with urban. Things like formal or trendy restaurants and
sophisticated arts & cultural activities may be best left for marketing urban destinations. This
could be clearly seen in research participants responses to the Central Valley description on
VisitCalifornia.coms Regions map, in which the areas museums and symphony are touted. This
elicited little interest from travelers, who felt this was a hard sell given the proximity of San
Francisco (which is perceived to be a place where one can get the top-notch of these and
other arts & cultural offerings).

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Challenges

Although participants expressed significant interest in the experiences offered in rural California,
objections were also expressed about travel to these areas. Perceived concerns about rural
travel include having a lack of things to do (boredom), accessibility (travel time and distance,
safe roads) and losing the technology to connect to everyday life. While study participants like
that rural travel offers the environment to tune out emails and calls, too much isolation may be a
turn-off. Thus, wine country destinations and other resort rural destinations were praised for
offering the expected comforts of urbansuch as interesting activities, paved roads, mobile
reception, WiFiwith the benefits of rural. Because the experiences offered in rural California
are not currently as familiar and thus less predictable, there is some anxiety around delving into
the unknown. Amongst those on first-time trips or who cannot travel to California often, there is
also a fear about missing out on what is offered in more famous destinations.

Motivations for Rural Travel

The first response study participants had to the question about what would motivate them to
consider traveling in a rural part of California was always some iteration of what can I do
there? Expounding on their response, this is a request to be informed about what is truly unique
about the areawhat I cant see or do anywhere else. In considering a rural
destination/region, travelers will be inspired by learning about the unique aspects of its physical
geographywhat differentiates it from anywhere else in the state (or country or world)and
how this translates into distinctive experiences to be had there.

In addition to unique experiences, accessibility is also a critical factor when travelers consider
rural Californian destinations. Distance and/or how long it will take to reach the destination is an
immediate informational need; especially for those on shorter trips looking to maximize their time
usage or those who cannot visit California often. Travelers also want to be made to feel
confident that the journey will be a safe and relatively stress-free one (i.e. drivable road
conditions, not overly remote).

Likely due to how the rural travel experience is idealized in travelers minds, scenic beauty is of
particular importance to motivating visitation to these areas of California. And travelers will be
especially occupied with what unique scenery they can surround themselves with during their
visit.

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Motivation and Interest Differences by MarketThe Distance Factor

The in-depth interviews of those in the states short-haul, long-haul and international markets
highlighted the inverse relationship between travelers residential distance from California and
their degree of interest in rural California and the length of time they desired to spend there. As
one might expect, those who reside closer to California (short-haul) are typically more familiar
withand thus more comfortable and interested inthe states rural assets. They also tend to
visit California more frequently and are more likely to travel into the state by car, diminishing
angst about trip time allocation or accessibility. These key factors make this group much more
open to rural-dominated or rural-only California travel experiences. While those who reside
further away (long-haul markets or abroad) certainly can be familiar with and have tremendous
interest in rural California, they are inevitably much more strongly challenged by time, access,
cost, and competition from urban destinations. Urban areas are typically where these visitors
arrive into California (by air), the draws of these cities offer significant competition for time and
attention. As aforementioned, those who cannot or do not travel to California often are much
more conscious of maximizing their trip time, and contemplating rural experiences can
introduce an anxiety about missing out on something in an urban/more well known
environment. Access also becomes a much more critical issue (how long it takes to travel to a
rural destination, the means of how to travel there), as well as introduces further costs (for
example, renting a car or taking a tour bus). Because those in longer haul markets are apt to
require more convincing to allocate their time and travel budget to rural California, positioning
these destinations as must-see and communicating key marketing information about access
become even more crucial. (It should be noted that those travelers coming to California solely
to pursue a niche interest such as wine or winter sports will likely not have any objection to a rural
only vacation, despite their residential distance from California).

As further explained in the Top of Mind Destinations in Rural California section following,
because of the awareness of and interest in the regions urban attractions, it may be more
challenging marketing rural destination add-ons to long-haul travelers visiting Southern California
than those visiting Northern California, which appears to have a stronger association withand
thus expectation ofrural experiences.

Experiences of Interest in Rural California

Study participants discussed what rural experiences would be most appealing and the themes
around these. To further their thinking, a list of possible experience-based approaches to

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California were presented. Outdoors and Wine/Food & Wine clearly generated the most
enthusiasm, as these were seen as those that most wholly engage the senses.

Outdoors

Being outdoorsgetting to spend time in nature surrounded by unique scenic beautyis a key
benefit both perceived about and sought in rural California travel.

It is critical to note that Outdoor Experiences has a diverse interpretation and a wide range of
applications, from picnicking in a bucolic field to hiking Half Dome. Activities and experiences
that require less specialized skill and are thus more egalitariansuch as a scenic walk,
horseback rides, etc.will, of course, have appeal across a broader segment of travelers (and,
thus, were brought up as examples of outdoor activities of interest by more study participants).
However, if an area is known for somewhat more niche activities such as fishing, surfing, skiing,
etc., travelers will be motivated by information pertaining to these activities.

Wine Country/Wine & Food

There appears to be a significant level of awareness that California offers wine-related tourism
experiences, and a number of travelers enthusiastic to consume them. Food (in combination
with wine or on its own) was also popular amongst study participants as a way to approach
travel planning and destination selection in California.

While the research showed these two experiential approaches to be the most broadly
appealing, again, what is unique to the destination/region will be what will inspire interest in the
area.

Top of Mind Destinations in Rural California

In terms of top of mind destinations/regions, there is a strong association with rural California
being concentrated in the Northern part of the state. As such, travelers demonstrated more
familiarity (and comfort) with this area as offering interesting rural travel experiences (i.e. scenic
beauty, outdoor recreation, wine). Coastal California, particularly the area between San
Francisco and Los Angeles (i.e. along Highway 1), was also top of mind as representing rural
California.

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Because of the greater familiarity with Northern California rural experiences and the strong draw
of the iconic Southern California experiences (such as LA, beaches, theme parks) there is lesser
awareness and familiarity withand therefore lower overall degrees of interest inthe tourism
assets and the experiences offered in the Central Valley, Deserts and Inland Empire. These
areas would most benefit from greater consumer consciousness and clarity about what they
have to offer travelers.

Labels for Rural California

The term rural frequently came up organically when study participants begin to discuss
California outside of its urban centers, though the sentiment that this term was not universally
applicable was often expressed. Nevertheless, study participants struggled to find alternative
descriptors. Some labeled areas like Santa Barbara and Palm Springs as resort destinations or
semi-urban, featuring both aspects of rural and urban. Often citing Californias diversity, study
participants found it challenging to single out a word or phrase that optimally described
Californias non-city areas.

A number of ideas about how to label and thus position rural California emerged from separate
research conducted of industry stakeholders. This study was used as an opportunity to test these
in terms of their ability to inspiring interest in rural California amongst actual travelers. Of the
descriptive phrases to label rural California explored in the research Off the Beaten Path and
Hidden Gems were the most universally appealing in terms of motivating a desire to learn
more. Study participants were attracted to these phrases for their implication of adventure and
excitement. Several also found Inside California intriguing for its duplicity of meaning and
understanding.

Words and phrases the CTTC may want to consider avoiding include:

GatewayThe findings from the research would caution use of the word gateway in
messaging, as it does not appear to be a term that has any significant agreement on its
meaning (even being a source of confusion). Interpretations of gateway varied from a place
thats between rural and urban to a place that you just pass through on your to get to where
you really want to go. Some people thought it to be referencing the Golden Gate Bridge,
others commercial ports and a few felt it referred to San Francisco and Los Angeles exclusively.
Participants had to think about its meaning.

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Town and CountryThere appear to a number of pre-existing associations with this term that
would compete for understanding, including a car, a store, and a magazine.

California OutbackWhile there were a number of respondents who found use of the word
outback appealing to their interest in rural California experiences, there were several who
didnt. The most significant issue is that there is too strong of an association with Australia. As one
respondent said California is too unique and great to have to take on another countrys
marketing slogan. Outback also suggests roughing it, which is not applicable to many
destinations in rural California nor is it an appealing concept to many would-be rural travelers.

Marketing & Promoting Rural California to Travelers

It is clear from the research findings that search engine marketing is critical to connecting
travelers to information about rural California, as search engines are the first resource they would
approach looking for information about these areas. When asked how they would want to
receive information about rural California and how they would go about finding it on their own,
a universal response was going online to find websites that contained relevant information
about what they were seeking to experience and using search engines to locate them.

The CTTC website is also important, especially for those less familiar with California. Several study
participants mentioned using the state website to orient themselves to the state and begin
deciding where to go and what to see in California. Thus, there is opportunity for the CTTC to
use VisitCalifornia.com to further promote rural California.

A critical point that research participants emphasized was that a destination needs to be
marketed well immediately or their interest will dissipate. Imagesthe more the betterare
essential to selling travelers on a rural destination. Because the rural experience is centered on
the outdoors, these images should focus on scenery and less directly on people. Again, the key
information about a rural destination that travelers want presented right away include: what is
unique to the area that they cant experience elsewhere, how they can access the destination,
and what scenic beauty is offered (which images can be used to demonstrate).

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Rural California in Current CTTC Marketing & Advertising
California Road Trips Guide
Study participants reviewed the
California Road Trips guide as example
of how information about rural areas
could be presented. This format was
widely praised for hitting the key
information travelers wanted about
destinations: a brief but informative
synopsis of why they should visit the area
and the experiences offered, travel
distances/time, maps.
Given how well the Road Trips was received and how important online content is for reaching
travelers, CTTC may want to consider actually turning the Road Trips content into actual web
pages (with links to more information) and not merely offering a digitized format of the printed
guide (especially since there appeared to be a number of usability issues with navigating the
digital guide).

Current TV Spots

To examine how rural travel was being understood as part of CTTCs advertising messaging,
study participants reviewed three of the CTTCs recent video advertisements. Response to each
individual spot is detailed below. While the primary purpose of this exercise was not to evaluate
the creative itself, it should be noted that these ads were very well received and inspired desire
to visit California.

MisconceptionsThis spot was praised for cleverly showcasing how extensive Californias
offerings are in terms of things to see and do, and the spots inclusion of both urban and rural
was identified as a key contributor to this notion. The ad was generally perceived as being
inclusionary of all traveler types. Many respondents recalled having seen this ad independently.

Friends in High PlacesThis spot was praised as a cheerful, upbeat reminder that California is
more than beach and warm weather, and that there is a diversity of experiences to be had in
the state. However, participants who do not participate in winter sports felt that the spot was
not intended for them, and the message thus may not affect them as strongly.

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The Good LifeInterviewees perceived this spot as being almost entirely focused on rural
California. They felt this ad had a strong emphasis on wine country; interestingly, the food
message was less of a takeaway. Some participants felt it was targeted to an older, affluent
audience and therefore less inclusionary than Misconceptions.

Print Ads
As with the TV spots, study participants reviewed the current print advertisement campaign as a
means of examining how rural travel was being understood as part of CTTCs advertising
messaging. This series of advertisements was perceived to be promoting rural (rather than urban)
California. However, perhaps due to study participants not knowing the people featured in the
ads, they felt unclear and less able to articulate the message they were intended to take away
from these advertisements.

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