BTA Report On International Media Coverage
Media outlets around the world are highlighting Bermuda’s prominence in the world of perfume and dive tourism, the Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] said.
“Bermuda is on the map in two high-end categories that set us apart from our competitors,” said BTA CEO Bill Hanbury. “Celebrity journalist Peter Greenberg says in his famous book about the world’s best places: The Bermuda Perfumery is the best place on the planet for perfume. Not Grasse or Paris, but St. George, Bermuda.
“And in wreck diving Bermuda’s shipwrecks are at the top of the list in dive publications around the world. Now, with the launch of the Mary Celestia, the mainstream media are suddenly talking about diving Bermuda shipwrecks just like the dive press has been doing for years.
“Our third quarter visit to New York City was very successful. I’m extremely pleased with the media exposure we generated for our retail and dive tourism stakeholders and for destination Bermuda in general,” added Mr. Hanbury.
The BTA said, “Both luxury lifestyle lures were elements in the launch of the Bermuda-inspired Mary Celestia fragrance at a September event in New York City and the media coverage has been extensive.
“The BTA was one of four partners in the September 23 event coordinated by The Bermuda Perfumery. The BTA also participated in its own dedicated media engagement in New York City the next day. New York City is the number one media market in the United States.
“The Globe and Mail and Elle in Canada, Fox News, Forbes, InStyle and OK TV in the United States, Der Spiegel in Germany and The Independent in the United Kingdom as well as a collection of industry blogs are among the media that have written glowingly about the Mary Celestia perfume and a new charitable foundation to protect and promote Bermuda’s shipwreck heritage for residents and visitors.
“More than three-dozen media organizations attended the fragrance launch, about 140 people in total. The Globe and Mail is among the prominent media organizations to write about the Mary Celestia and Bermuda’s shipwreck heritage. It has a circulation of 348,000 and receives 7.9 million unique users on its website every month.
“OK TV USA, an American entertainment channel on cable, also covered the story showing video of Bermuda shipwrecks to its average nightly household audience of 400,000.”
“In Germany, Der Spiegel has the country’s most read news and information website with 30 million visits each month and the weekly print version reaches more than six million readers per issue. A French television program and a PBS educational special featuring Bermuda’s Mary Celestia story are also in production.
Mark Diel, owner of Dive Bermuda, said: “The type of exposure that this offers for Bermuda – marketing matters as diverse as perfume and diving – can only be for the better of our tourism industry and thought needs to be given as to how this type of cross marketing approach can be expanded or replicated.”
The main coordinator of the launch event in New York was The Bermuda Perfumery with partner support from drom Fragrances, Gosling’s and the BTA. The day after the perfume launch the BTA hosted a breakfast.
Mr. Hanbury and senior Bermuda Government officials talked with U.S. media about the country as a leisure and business travel destination. The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today were among the media organizations participating.
The BTA’s cost for partnering in the fragrance launch, media breakfast and was $9,563.65
The BTA said that Mr. Hanbury was the only person to travel to the Mary Celestia Perfume Launch in New York using BTA funds.
He said: “We’re glad to have been a small, yet strong, partner in the launch of an authentic Bermuda fragrance and we’re grateful to The Bermuda Perfumery for inviting the Tourism Authority to use the event as a platform to engage the travel and beauty industry press.
“The media coverage received thus far for our back-to-back events in New York has exceeded our expectations and provided the BTA with an incredible return on investment. We look forward to additional investment returns as the media coverage continues to grow, benefiting destination Bermuda.”
Looks like good value to me. How much did Global Hue cost us again?
How much is he being paid? At least we know what hue was paid!
None of your business. I’d rather this scenario where we know he’s doing a good job and not know his salary vs KNOWING we wasted MILLIONS on Global Hue. At least this man lives and works in Bermuda so he is actually spending some of his salary in Bermuda. How much did Global Hue spend in Bermuda? Probably not even a dime!
And the numbers are. ?……… drum roll. ?.., in the negative column.
Hater.
Do you actually think that the cost to promote this perfume to the international media outweighs the value to host that event to pitch our bid for the America’s Cup to the international media?
So, this vast media interest that has been generated for a retail sales product and new foundation outweighs what the government seeks to achieve by securing the America’s Cup?
These two initiatives have nothing in common that I see, one is a retail sales product or a BUSINESS initiative, whilst the other is a sporting event and a TOURISM initiative. Yet the former rather than the latter was chosen to promote by BTA, a squandered opportunity for both the bid and tourism.
Succinctly, one has prominence in the Throne Speech and will enact new legislation, if our bid is successful whilst the other makes money for the company and funds a new shipwreck foundation.
But the poignancy of why this opportunity was wasted on this retail product is clear, concise and realistically stated in the Throne Speech itself:
“In the event Bermuda has the privilege of hosting the Cup Finals, experience from former host venues indicates it will have a powerful impact on our economy over the next three years, attracting worldwide attention and generating jobs, investment and revenue across multiple sectors including, hospitality, construction, transport, security, retail, wholesale, real estate and telecommunications.
The ultimate success of this perfume is down to the individual’s personal sense of smell, and that has nothing to do with tourism.
Hanbury wasn’t there to promote the perfume! He was there to take advantage of the opportunity to promote Bermuda to the various media outlets that were there anyway for the launch of the perfume! At a cost of $10k that was a bargain!
@Justin
So, conversely, the cost to host this event to introduce our new tourism products (Hamilton Princess redevelopment, etc) in time for the America’s Cup and before the international media would have cost us less than $10,000? Now that would have been great value for money.
Yet you place the cost to launch a perfume ahead of the America’s Cup bid in terms of priorities for our island? This truly boggles the mind.
And may I remind you that Hanbury works for BTA and BTA made this statement before the launch of the perfume:
‘The Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] will partner in the event to leverage the fascinating story of the Mary Celestia, showcasing Bermuda as a travel destination to some of the world’s foremost lifestyle media in New York, Bermuda’s top feeder market.
“This story embraces the Bermuda experience including the luxury, intrigue and exploration of travel,” said Bill Hanbury, Chief Executive Officer of the BTA.”‘
The BTA partnered with the perfumery to launch the perfume in New York and, your attempt to convince the Bermuda public otherwise is pure fiction.
I work in the industry abroad. Media exposure is Valuable! The coverage generated by both the America’s Cup initiative and the perfume launch would cost in the MILLIONS of we had to pay outright for it! Money MUCH better spent than what was spent under the “rule” of Global Hue!!
Hmmmm ? The $$$$$$ spent to promotion of Bermudian business , only two ,brings Question ! Yes we get positive exposure , But that’s a lot of money for one mans trip expense!! And didn’t the Same Other Tourism DEPARTMENT do the Same THINGS ! Hmmmm ? Whose money ? Your money ! My money ! ????
The only thing that’s changed ! Is Who Gets TheMONEY!!¿