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Forbes
18-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Halo Effect: How Travel Marketing Shapes Economic Growth
Abbi Whitaker, Co-Founder of The Abbi Agency, marketing & PR expert for travel & tourism, public affairs and professional services clients getty Walk into any tourism office, and you'll find a team crafting campaigns to attract visitors. Down the hall—or sometimes even just a few desks away—another team is focused on economic development, working to position the region as an ideal place to live, work, play and invest. Yet too often, these efforts operate in isolation. These teams miss a critical opportunity to amplify their impact through a unified brand voice—one that speaks not only to potential visitors but also to prospective employers, new residents and students considering the region's colleges and universities. Research published in Economic Affairs in 2023 reinforces the power of a unified approach between branding and economic development. The key takeaway: Destination marketing has the power to shape broader perceptions of a particular place. Longwoods International, a market research consultancy, calls this the halo effect. A 2024 report from Destinations International highlights how destination marketing not only boosts tourism but also enhances a region's appeal for talent recruitment, business investment and overall economic growth. In fact, the report states that for every dollar invested in destination marketing, communities saw an average return of $85 in visitor spending and $9 in tax revenue. Let's take a look at the wider impact of travel marketing and how communities can leverage it to strengthen both the visitor economy and broader development strategies. The research published in Economic Affairs focused on the connection between economic growth and destination branding. Through a qualitative study, the researchers found that "a strong destination brand can have major implications on a nation's economic development including per capita income, GDP, new jobs and lifestyle of residents." This is the halo effect in action. It makes sense. A positive firsthand experience in a destination leaves a lasting impression, whether for vacationing families or corporate executives scouting for relocation opportunities. Nearly every economic development agency highlights quality of life as a selling point for attracting new businesses and talent. That message resonates even more when it reaches people who have already visited and experienced the destination for themselves. At a minimum, a corporate executive browsing a list of potential relocation sites might pause and think: 'I visited that city once, and it was great! Let's give it a closer look.' Having served on the board of a regional economic development agency, I've seen this play out time and again—major corporate relocations often come down to decision makers wanting to live in places that offer attractive lifestyle amenities. Destination marketing enhances more than just corporate relocation efforts. It also plays a role in attracting retirees, entrepreneurs, young professionals, university students and second-home buyers. Each of these audiences can be influenced by the positive impressions created through tourism campaigns. On the flip side, it's important to acknowledge that economic development marketing rarely drives visitation. A campaign touting low industrial energy costs may be crucial for attracting manufacturers, but it won't inspire travelers to book a weekend trip. That's why destination marketing plays such a critical role—it creates a halo effect that strengthens a region's overall brand appeal in ways traditional economic development marketing simply can't. So, how can destination marketing and economic development teams better align to maximize the halo effect? The first step is simple: collaboration. Too often, these teams work in silos, pursuing separate goals and budgets without a shared strategy. A destination marketing campaign that leans into its 24-hour party scene may conflict with an economic development pitch focused on a family-friendly lifestyle. Conversely, an industrial-heavy economic development push may not support a tourism brand built around outdoor recreation. Here are a few ways destination marketers and economic development teams can break down those silos and start making collaborative magic: Make sure your teams are on the same page about crucial overarching brand goals that will resonate across tourism, talent recruitment and business development. Develop a shared messaging framework so all campaigns speak in the same voice, even when targeting different audiences. Don't be shy—host frequent cross-departmental planning sessions to align on campaign and content calendars, shared priorities and any co-marketing opportunities. Share and collaborate on assets like video, photography, graphics, digital ads and websites that can serve both tourism and economic development needs. Create a working group with members from both teams to ensure a continuous line of communication and collaboration. Unified branding starts with unified leadership. Include executives from both teams in early brand planning sessions and goal-setting discussions, and keep them regularly updated on shared wins, upcoming campaigns and areas for further collaboration. Ultimately, the wisest, most forward-thinking communities will recognize the power of an integrated approach. By aligning messaging and developing a cohesive brand strategy, you can ensure that destination marketing efforts complement, not contradict, economic development initiatives. The logistical challenges of coordination are real, but the benefits are even greater. A strong, unified brand will attract visitors, but it can also fuel investment, strengthen community pride and support long-term economic growth. And more often than not, destination marketers are best positioned to lead the way. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Forbes
25-03-2025
- Business
- Forbes
20 Questions To Ensure The Quality Of AI-Generated Content
Given AI's ability to churn out content quickly, it's crucial for brands and their agency partners to ensure AI-generated content meets their quality standards. While using AI for writing can be efficient, it often requires human intervention to ensure it sounds authentic to a brand, resonates with readers and provides real value. With careful review and intentional refinement, AI can be a powerful ally in creating meaningful, engaging content. Below, members of Forbes Agency Council share key questions they recommend content writers ask before publishing any piece of AI-generated content to ensure it hits all the right notes. AI speeds the path to publication, but it's only as effective as the human mind reviewing it. Make sure it feels authentic and sounds like the person, brand or business it reflects. Tailor it so that it resonates with the audiences it is intended for. With a critical eye and a human touch, GenAI tools can be a content writer's best friend. - Mary Ann O'Brien, OBI Creative AI can generate text, but it's up to writers to ensure it provides real value, feels human and meets the reader's needs. Content should inform, engage and connect—not just exist for the sake of publishing. - Abbi Whitaker, The Abbi Agency Content writers should ask, 'If I changed the brand name in this content, would it still apply without requiring edits?' If the answer is 'yes,' the content should be reworked. Does it sound like your client's brand in tone, voice and style? Do the data points or examples apply specifically to the client's brand? If the answer is 'no,' the content should be refined to ensure alignment. - Bernard May, National Positions AI is still learning, and it is only as good as the information it's been fed, so humans need to ensure content is true to the spirit of its purpose and has enough humanity to be meaningful. Further, a real person is required to fact-check the content produced by AI, as AI is able to parrot information but isn't currently able to distinguish if that information is accurate. - Chintan Shah, KNB Communications Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify? Too many times, writers publish content that doesn't align with—or even worse, contradicts—previous opinions they've shared as individuals and/or as a brand. It is fine to evolve and change your mind, but it's important to note that you changed your mind, not AI. - Vix Reitano, Agency 6B Asking if it's worth reading—and sharing—is the best way to address the user experience of your content. Considering it from the audience perspective gives you an opportunity to look beyond accuracy and branding so that you can use written content to position yourself as an expert and build loyalty. - Marc Hardgrove, The HOTH Focusing on providing unique value ensures the piece includes human insight, expertise and originality, making it more engaging, credible and useful to readers. AI should enhance content, not replace critical thinking or authenticity, helping brands maintain trust and authority in their industry. - Scott Keever, Keever SEO It's important to have a checklist of items to review before publishing an AI-generated piece, including checks for accuracy, tone, alignment with the brand and so on. The key question to ask that is often forgotten is: Has the majority of this information been published before? - Susan Thomas, 10Fold Communications One question to ask is: 'Does this align with our brand's voice, guidelines and accuracy standards and our audience's needs?' Content writers should always fact-check, refine and personalize AI-generated content before hitting 'Publish.' - David Ispiryan, Effeect AI engines can occasionally have issues with properly including links and quality sources in content, which are extremely important for SEO. Additionally, having proper keyword density in articles can sometimes be a challenge for AI engines, so this is crucial for content marketers to double-check. - William Gasner, Stack Influence Would this be embarrassing if I said it out loud? Would I proudly defend it to a national audience? Does it sound like something that anyone else in my industry could say, or is it unique to me? If it's not valuable, unique and worth standing behind, it's not worth publishing. - Curtis Priest, Pixelcarve Inc. AI has changed how we produce content, but it's not always accurate or up to date. Sometimes, AI will provide a list of closed restaurants or decade-old facts. Human review ensures credibility, relevance and expert insight, helping to maintain trust and authority in your content. - Jonathan Schwartz, Bullseye Strategy One question writers should ask is if the AI-generated content will resonate with the target audience and meet their expectations. AI can certainly generate compelling content, but it ultimately falls short when compared to human-written content. - Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC Would you say this? If the answer to this fundamental question is 'no' for any reason, then you should be stepping in as the 'human in the loop' and figuring out how to make it a 'yes.' Fact-checking, doing more research and adding nuance to a point of view will likely flip a generic, not useful or hallucinated piece of AI-generated content into something you'd put your name behind. - Starr Million Baker, INK Communications Co. AI-generated content often recycles overused anecdotes and generic data that won't set you apart. Including personal insights and original ideas adds a fresh perspective and makes the content authentic, which is far more relatable. It's your unique signature that turns a piece of AI-generated content into something worthy of reading. - Ayelet Noff, SlicedBrand AI often hallucinates, producing outputs that seem believable but may not reflect reality. It's essential to ensure the content aligns with what's true for regular people in the real world, as AI can create convincing but false narratives, even in legal or factual contexts. - Austin Irabor, NETFLY If you strictly want to add more keywords to a site or increase your client's digital footprint with content for the sake of having content, AI-generated pieces can be effective. However, if your goal is to create meaty, compelling content that consumers engage with on a more meaningful level, it's worth taking the time to write it yourself. - Evan Nison, NisonCo AI can churn out words, but if it reads like a robot wrote it, you've already lost. Before hitting 'Publish,' writers should check for authenticity, nuance and a real, engaging voice. If it feels stiff, generic or soulless, tweak it. Readers connect with personality, not predictability—so make sure it passes the human vibe check. - Justin Belmont, Prose Content writers need to ask themselves, 'How does this AI-generated content help to achieve my marketing goals?' All too often, AI-generated content is used because it's easy to generate, rather than because it helps move customers along their buying journey. - Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited AI can generate words, but real insights make people stop and think. If content doesn't challenge assumptions, offer a unique perspective or provide genuinely useful information, it's just noise. Would this content grab your attention if you stumbled across it? If not, refine it until it sparks curiosity and delivers real value. - Dmitrii Kustov, Regex SEO
