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The city of Gig Harbor may be a bit off mainstream with regards to spending its hotel/motel taxes. Instead of funneling those funds to another entity, the city decided to be in control of that money. As a result, it has its own marketing department, which has been growing since its inception. Marketing Director Laureen Lund has been in the position for eight years, working as an independent contractor in her first year and later becoming a city employee. Since the concept, and the job, were brand new, she practically wrote her own job description.
The job has greatly evolved since then, and the results of the in-house efforts have been quite notable: Gig Harbor is becoming a destination, noticed by regional and national media, with the number of overnight stays consistently growing. But Lund’s approach to promoting Gig Harbor has a bit of a twist. She strongly believes in marketing to local residents as much as to outsiders, because that not only means local residents spend their money in their back yards, but also helps create a vibrant town.
The efforts seem to be paying off. Lund said 2007 is shaping to be the best year since the city’s two hotels opened about 10 years ago. June 2007 (the last month for which the lodging report was available) was the best month of June since the two hotels’ opening. In fact, the tax-dependent marketing budget grew by $100,000 to $280,000, just from two hotels, an inn and a couple of B&Bs within city limits. Lund, too, has had a busy year. The Gig Harbor Visitor’s Center, owned and operated by the city, was recently expanded and remodeled, and a new coordinator added. The city also launched a comprehensive Web site this year, introduced several new promotional programs, and is working on relaunching its product line (which includes Ts, sweatshirts, vests and hats).
Lund grew up in Silverdale and graduated from Central Kitsap High School before obtaining a communications degree from Washington State University and two years later a political science degree from the University of Washington. The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal visited with Lund to try to find out her secret to success.
KPBJ: What exactly is your role and how do you measure success?
Lund: The bottom line for my job is to bring overnight visitors to Gig Harbor. My job is funded primarily by lodging taxes, as are the other two positions. We have a marketing budget, funded through the lodging tax, that includes advertising and printing, concerts management etc… The main way we measure our success is through the collection of our lodging tax. We get reports every month and the last report was the best report ever… Every month in 2007 broke previous records.
KPBJ: How do you explain that growth?
Lund: People are staying close to home. And in the area of public relations, we’re working hard to promote Gig Harbor. We’re getting phenomenal editorial coverage, with some recent examples being the Oregonian, Sea Magazine and WestSound Home & Garden. But it takes a while to realize the results of our efforts because of the lead time of many publications.
KPBJ: What is your promotional strategy?
Lund: Our goal is to build the local economy but while doing that, protecting the authentic maritime heritage of the community. We focus a lot on downtown because it draws people to Gig Harbor. Not only do we want visitors to be there, but we want residents to be there and be engaged in their community. That’s why as part of our strategy, we’ve built events and activities to draw locals. We’ve also placed heritage markers, created new signage, added concerts and this year brought the farmers market downtown. All of that has really added to the feeling of place.
KPBJ: How are you able to offer so many events?
Lund: We get sponsors to run the events. We’ve had some great success from community sponsors, and it goes back to us having a good track record. Our summer concerts are in their fifth year, and started out small with one a month. Last summer we had 10, and there were so many people down there this year, it was crazy… Our new event this summer in conjunction with YMCA, a Street Scramble, brought 600 people.
KPBJ: What are the biggest challenges?
Lund: Balancing growth and trying to preserve the downtown, and trying to make everyone happy. When I started working here, I never worked for government before. I’ve learned you have to take your time to do it right, and I’m very entrepreneurial and want to get it done fast. It’s been a good lesson.
KPBJ: Do you think Gig Harbor is on the map now?
Lund: Absolutely. As a small town DMO (destination marketing organization), we’re one of the best in the state. I recently presented at a state wildlife conference, and they were amazed at the things Gig Harbor is doing, and that’s very gratifying...
KPBJ: How do you come up with new ideas?
Lund: I steal them. Healthy Harbor, for example. I stole it from another community. It took me a year to think about how to make it our own. People really liked it, but I’d like to do it a little bit differently next year. These aren’t new ideas, I just like to make them “Gig Harbor” as much as possible.
KPBJ: You don’t promote just the city, which is where the money comes from, but also market nearby areas and their events. Why?
Lund: We collect only from city limits but promote everything on the Gig Harbor Peninsula. I think a regional approach is important because the visitor doesn’t see the yellow line. If you come to Gig Harbor, you’re going to see other things outside the city, which means we need to provide the best information so a visitor can have a full experience and tell others about it. Word of mouth is our best advertising.
KPBJ: What are some of the new things happening in the near future?
Lund: The city is having a lot of discussions about what we want to see downtown, and I’m 100 percent behind having a plan. I’m excited to be part of these discussions in the years ahead and seeing them to fruition before I retire. We’re at the cusp of a lot of great things happening.
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