RedPoint joined forces with the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau more than three years ago, when the organization approached us with a challenge. It needed to promote Greater Palm Springs in an authentic, authoritative way, show a fresh perspective on the region, and get its message to a wider audience. Says RedPoint account executive Lindy Neustaedter: “The CVB asked us to create a fresh, enticing supplement that looked and read like a beautiful editorial piece.”
Greater Palm Springs is an easy place to like. It’s a sunny, recreation-rich region in California comprised of nine distinct communities including Coachella, home to the ultra-hip annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The relaxed lifestyle and great golf courses in Greater Palm Springs have long attracted Canadian retirees, but this time the Convention and Visitors Bureau wanted to target a younger demographic. The supplement needed to make Greater Palm Springs a go-to destination to rival U.S. sun getaways like Las Vegas and Scottsdale.
Miles Durrie, RedPoint’s managing editor of custom publishing and special projects, says there’s a wealth of information to work with in creating the supplement.
“We work very closely with the Greater Palm Springs tourism and marketing team on this project, and we always try to focus on the lesser-known places and opportunities,” he says. “There’s a whole range of day trips and adventures in that region, so we have plenty of family attractions and rugged outdoor activities to write about. We’ve done stories on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the region’s luxury spas, the arts and dining scenes — all subjects that appeal to an active young demographic.”
The supplement runs annually in the February, March and November issues of up!, the in-flight magazine RedPoint makes for WestJet, which is the Greater Palm Springs region’s primary Canadian airline provider. The supplement is also featured on its own landing page during those months at upmagazine.com.
For the Convention & Visitors Bureau, this marketing project makes a wide range of travellers aware of the region’s possibilities — making them more likely to choose Greater Palm Springs as a vacation destination. Plus, it’s an elegant showcase for the region. For RedPoint, the project is a solid source of revenue, a creative project to be proud of and a truly collaborative client relationship. “It’s a fantastic relationship we have with the CVB,” Lindy adds. “They are enormously supportive. They love the work we do, and the feeling is mutual.”
See the Greater Palm Springs supplement in the February issue of up! and find more stories at upmagazine.com.