The Greater Morgantown Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) was awarded “Best Overall Marketing Campaign” for its “Mo” promotion at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism’s “Star of the Industry” Awards, held Sept. 23rd at the Charleston Town Center Marriott in Charleston, WV.
“We are so honored to be recognized once again by the tourism industry for our marketing efforts,” said Peggy Myers-Smith, GMCVB President/CEO. “The “Mo” promotion has been a huge success and the award for Best Overall Marketing Campaign shows how much of an impact “Mo” has made.”
The award-winning campaign enhanced the GMCVB’s brand recognition and broadened its appeal to all ages through the creation and introduction of the brand mascot, “Mo” the groundhog.
“Mo” was introduced in 2013 and a life-size character version of “Mo” was unveiled on Groundhog Day this past year; he invited people to “share his shadow in a selfie” by taking a photo and posting it to the GMCVB’s Facebook page for a chance to win a prize.
Since then, the small form of “Mo” debuted with “Where’s Mo Monday?” a Facebook promotional contest where users can guess the retailer, restaurant or attraction that “Mo” is visiting in an image on Facebook. A winner who correctly answers is selected at random. The promotion has received 2,245 guesses to date and increased the number of Facebook fans by 2,741.
Custom “Mo” coloring books that feature events, attractions and activities for children were produced and distributed at Kids’ Day in downtown Morgantown and are available at GMCVB locations. “Mo” heads were printed on fans, which were used at an exhibition softball game to help those in attendance cool down. Tour bus groups, area attractions, fairs and festivals now request the presence of “Mo” for their events.
The digital, social and print marketing efforts for the GMCVB are produced by BlaineTurner Advertising in Morgantown, WV (www.blaineturner.com).
”Stars of the Industry” awards honor tourism entities and the work they are doing in the state. The “Best Overall Marketing Campaign” award is given to the organization that uses the most imaginative and innovative marketing. The GMCVB won the same award in 2012.
The West Virginia Governor’s Conference on Tourism is an annual, three-day event that brings together partners in the state tourism industry and features speakers and workshops. Additional information on the West Virginia Division of Tourism is available at wvtourism.com.
Please visit the GMCVB at www.tourmorgantown.com or call 800.458.7373 for more information, such as a complete list of events, attractions, shopping and accommodations.
