Money is on roofs

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   In October an advertising campaign was launched in Moscow by Jordan travel authorities. The campaign is carried out under the slogan ‘Jordan-Petra: past and present’. Large 4x8 meter sky boards placed on the roofs of vestibules of 13 Metropolitan stations in the central Moscow are used as a media. In November the number of advertising boards is to be increased, but, according to Natalia Kosichkina, the campaign budget has not been confirmed yet. ‘We were told a yearlong budget on Russia is around $1 million. The amount allocated for outdoor advertising will be determined every month, although it is still unclear how much money, on what scale and which forms will be trigged for November.’
   Tour operators specializing in the destination reacted skeptically to the Jordanian initiative. According to some experts, Jordan cannot be considered a massive destination. Therefore, advertising aimed at mass public is unlikely to be effective: holiday-makers who decide to go to Jordan do not do so at the drop of a hat. The price factor is also working against the chosen advertising format. ‘A regular tour to Jordan costs from $1,000’, says Georgiy Leonov, marketing and sales director of ‘Collage-service’. ‘Hotel accommodation base is quite limited, Petra is a single one-day excursion which is usually an addition to the tour.’ Svetlana Kovaleva, a Jordan destination manager of ‘Specter-ideal-tour’, mentions another negative factor: ‘An adverting campaign should have been launched at least in August. Besides, there is not any information about the country. A common tourist has no idea what kind of holidays to expect in Jordan,’ concludes Ms Kovaleva. Tour operators believe that targeted PR-campaigns and advertising support of travel firms would make a more efficient alternative to promotion.