Ever wonder what makes a destination enticing to fellow travelers? In this week’s episode, Katie Coats, Director of Marketing and Communications for Visit Mississippi, shares how storytelling, strategy, and cultural identity turn travel into transformation. As a Mississippi native, Katie reveals what it takes for a destination to be more than just a pin on a map. Whether you’re in tourism, PR, or just love a good journey, this is one you don’t want to miss.
imPRessions Season 3 Episode #7 Transcript
Kalli
Hi, Jenn.
Jenn
Hey, Kalli.
Kalli
So, we are in the vacation planning season. I was wondering, is there a place you want to go to that you haven’t been to before?
Jenn
Yeah, actually, it’s funny you asked that because I just moved from New York right outside Boston in Salem. And my husband and I were talking about how we’re really close to Maine. We are about an hour and a half from Portland, Maine and I’ve always wanted to go to Maine, and I couldn’t believe, like, how close we were living up here. So, definitely is on our bucket list, probably either in the summer or fall to head up there for like a nice weekend just because the weather’s so nice. So I you know, I love the northeast. I know there’s a lot of other really great places in the US that many people don’t think of, but for me, it would definitely be probably Maine.
Kalli
Oh, that’s awesome. I’m actually thinking the opposite way. Going South as we know a lot of the TV shows that I enjoy are based in the South and today actually joining us is Katie Coates, who is the Director of Marketing and Communications for Visit Mississippi, which is one of the destinations on my list. You know, it’s definitely an up-and-coming place and Katie’s been a big part of kind of planting that seeds in our mind. So, I’m happy to welcome her today to talk about, you know, how they’re creating that voice and breaking through the noise of so many different destinations, making it one of the hot ones to go to.
Jenn
That’s awesome. I would really love to hear her insights about how you market and promote a place like that.
Kalli
Awesome. Well, let’s get to it. Ever wonder what makes a destination truly unforgettable? In today’s noisy tourism industry, it takes more than just beautiful landscapes and historic landmarks. It’s all about storytelling, strategy and standing out. Joining us today is Katie Coates, Director of Marketing and Communications for Visit Mississippi. With a career dedicated to amplifying destination, Katie has helped shape how travelers experience Mississippi from international promotions to local campaigns. She’s passionate about the power of tourism to drive economic and cultural impact, and today she’s sharing her insights on what it takes to make a place not just seen but felt. Katie, welcome to the show.
Katie
Thank you for having me.
Jenn
Hi Katie. This is a fun topic. We… our agency actually worked with the Tourism Office of Louisiana and we did like the Macy’s Day parade float and you know, some, like, PR around that, which was really, really fun. Mississippi, I think is a little different. So, I would love to know your thoughts on how up-and-coming locations differentiate themselves in a crowded tourism market while still showcasing their unique history, culture, and attractions, because there is a lot of options, right for people out there to decide where they want to vacation or meet. Let’s pick a place we’ve never gone to before. So, how does Mississippi or other like kind of up-and-coming locations project themselves, so people would want to choose that destination.
Katie
Absolutely. So, Mississippi has a really unique tapestry of culture and history and natural beauty that kind of sets it apart in our southeastern tourism landscape. And we try to really focus on authentic experiences, whether it’s something like exploring the Mississippi Blues Trail or visiting historic landmarks like the Medgar and Myrlie Evers National Home Monument, or even just enjoying great restaurants and music events, we really try to show travelers what makes Mississippi special.
Jenn
Are you from Mississippi?
Katie
I am. I grew up on the coast in a little town called Long Beach.
Jenn
Nice.
Kalli
That’s so nice. And obviously it’s someone that you know that you’ve lived there and you’re familiar with it. It most likely helps you create the story and shape the brand in a way because you do know the ins and outs. So, you know, can you tell us a little bit about what roles the storytelling plays in shaping a tourism brand and how it can highlight you know some of the things that you talked about, the state’s music, the food, the heritage, like all those things like how does that come into play?
Katie
Yes. So, we really try to give visitors a deeper connection to our people and not just the places and that also really helps us, you know, stand apart. And so, we really want to make a memorable adventure for, you know, these modern travelers. And storytelling is the backbone of that and the backbone of our approach to our branding. Our stories in Mississippi are abundant and diverse and compelling, and they’re really best told by Mississippians themselves. So, we always try to say, you know, if we can just get them here once they understand it. But we try to give our tourism partners the platform to kind of share our story and you know in particular our state’s music history is iconic. So, we use the tagline “Birthplace of America’s Music” as a tool to engage those potential visitors. And then we share stories of legends like B.B. King and Muddy Waters and Elvis Presley. And, you know, our unique food culture and traditions like soul food and coastal seafood and then visitors can really kind of feel Mississippi’s heartbeat and get engaged that way. And you know, our brand ultimately tells the story of hospitality and creativity. And those qualities reflect in the visitor experience around every corner in Mississippi.
Jenn
Yeah, I had a friend that during, I believe it was during spring break, she would always — and I’m blanking on exactly where — but it was off the coast of Mississippi. And so, instead of like going to Cancun or Miami or any of those like popular spring break destinations, she would always go there and I didn’t meet her in college. I met her after. But I always thought that was really cool. Because I’m sure like it’s not only like a different way to kind of like celebrate spring break, but it’s not inundated with trashy, drunk people, you know, like in Cancun, like partying nonstop. And she said it was, like, really quiet. It was beautiful. The weather was great. It was right on the water. So, definitely is a location that most people don’t think about when they are trying to travel somewhere. And for those who do, definitely love, you know, going and visiting.
Katie
I love to hear that. We used to refer to the coast as like a secret coast or a hidden gem, and it’s really not the case anymore, even though it’s not oversaturated it still kind of like people are catching on to it, word of mouth, and so it’s just a really great community of people looking for that non really spring break destination. But still just beautiful area and great attractions.
Jenn
Yeah, absolutely. So, what, when you want to get the word out and we are trying to like build that tourism aspect, what kind of marketing strategies do you use to engage travelers and to get people who you know excited and wanting to visit Mississippi over other places.
Katie
So going back to kind of our approach to sharing our authentic Mississippi and authentic story, you know, we realized it might just take one digital ad promoting something like the Taylor Swift Exhibit at the Grammy Museum, Mississippi, or just one article announcing a new Amtrak service that’s going to come to the coast or even 1 blog highlighting things to do that month, those small things can spark interest and really set a conversion in motion. So we really strategize with all of our teams, whether that’s creative, advertising, and PR to ensure that the journey from the first interaction with whatever that is then to the website to learn more about it and ultimately to the “Book Now” button, whether that’s a flight or a hotel is seamless as possible. And so, we don’t want someone to get stuck along the way and not know what to do. We really just kind of want to lay out a tailored, you know, itinerary and experience and make it as easy as possible. So definitely strategizing altogether is a huge, you know, part of our efforts. And we also just provide a lot of different options as well for people to customize their itineraries as they’re kind of looking at destinations. We just, you know, share a lot of kind of preset ideas and inspirational kind of tours for people to explore.
Kalli
I think that definitely helps and I think you know it’s interesting that you mentioned, you know, the Taylor Swift Exhibit. You know, obviously she is always a big attraction So, curious, you know, how can if you’re doing partnerships, whether you know obviously that is a celebrity exhibit, but you know if you do partnerships with like different influencers, travel bloggers, you know, even local businesses, how can those types of things enhance the locations, visibility, and credibility?
Katie
Well, you said it. They definitely can. Partnerships with digital influencers and travel bloggers are incredibly important in today’s tourism marketing. You know we’ve seen more and more people turning to short form video platforms for inspiration and to really research their travel plans more so than, you know, other traditional mediums. And so, we like to partner with them because you know, creators to share their experiences with really engaged audiences and that kind of aligns with our strategy of connecting with the right travelers for Mississippi. And so, it’s a great, you know, resource and tool for us and we also try to collaborate with our local businesses and our statewide tourism partners. So, when we do host a creator, we kind of collect this network of ambassadors for tourism and Mississippi. So, for cross promoting this content and sharing it and tagging and interacting, we can kind of share that Mississippi story and that voice before a visitor even comes, can kind of see it happening online and want to be a part of it
Jenn
Can you talk a little bit more about that because I know in today’s world you know user generated content is key. So, whether that is an influencer or just somebody having a great time on vacation, you know, and wanting to kind of share their experiences. How do you and the state of Mississippi sort of encourage travelers to do that and to really, I think that’s a great way to sort of shape the story that you want to tell about Mississippi is through the eyes of the travelers themselves. So how do you get them to kind of share their experiences?
Katie
We really try to make it as easy and as possible and even rewarding sometimes. So, you know, we try to incentivize through giveaway contests and you know, cross promotion. But last year we hosted a photo contest for National Travel and Tourism Week, several concert ticket giveaways and even a getaway to see the Taylor Swift Exhibit that we talked about. So, we really just wanted to collect user generated content to repurpose for our efforts, but also encourage both locals and visitors to revisit these memories and share their favorite parts and pocket to Mississippi and engage and post. And so in turn, they become the storytellers. And those brand ambassadors. And then we can also, you know, repurpose and use that as well. So, we really just try to kind of post seasonal and event specific ways for people to get involved and interact online.
Kalli
That’s really interesting and you know it also, one of the questions I have cause you know everything sounds like you know you all work together and very positive and I’m sure that there there’s gotta be some challenges that especially you know a place like Mississippi that’s not necessarily known as the hottest of spots. You know, how do you face those different challenges when you’re really trying to define your brand and not only have a voice, but create that voice?
Katie
Yes, you’re right. You know, we do try to, you know, create these partnerships and stay positive, but those challenges are definitely there. And one of the biggest challenges we face is overcoming misconceptions about our state. Mississippi is, it really has a rich culture, but it also has like modern attractions, and sometimes it can be overshadowed by, like, some outdated stereotypes. So, we just try to reshape that narrative by highlighting our evolving cultural scene, our music history, but also our modern music venues and events. Our beautiful landscapes and we really just work to share those stories and share kind of our offerings today and let potential visitors know that Mississippi is not just about one thing. It’s a place with diverse experiences that appeal to people with all sorts of different interests.
Jenn
Yeah, absolutely. And I think that’s really important because you know all states kind of fall into some type of stereotype, right? New York does, you know, where Kalli and I are from. And I, I’d love here for you to take the opportunity right now for our listeners and all to really talk about what are some of the great things about Mississippi? I mean, can you talk a little bit more about the music culture and things like that for our listeners?
Katie
Yeah. So, another kind of challenge that we face in Mississippi is it is so diverse that it’s kind of hard to balance all those aspects to kind of own Mississippi’s identity. And so, you know, we’ve got great modern attractions you could come and have a wonderful, you know, high end dining experience, spa experience and then you could also have a really historic tour of historic venues and like, go to juke joints in the Mississippi Delta or you come to like a really large scale festival, whether that’s food or music. And so, we really just try to craft it into a cohesive and appealing brand. And so, we really have, you know, several main pillars in Mississippi that we focus on. Some of those are music, arts, and culture. History. We have some cultural trails like the Mississippi Blues, Mississippi Freedom and Mississippi Country Music Trails. We kind of just want to focus on telling that authentic but also multifaceted story. That reflects both the history and that kind of vibrant, innovative spirit of our state.
Jenn
Are there different ways you market each of those? Because yeah, it’s pretty diverse. I mean, in talking to you, all the different things that people can come and visit Mississippi and do. So, how do you market each one of those things?
Katie
Yes. So, they are, our spreadsheets are layered for our marketing plans and that all kind of goes into what I mentioned earlier about strategizing with our marketing team, our creative team, PR, and advertising. And so, seasonal times bring different strategies and then also different themes have different kind of means of delivery. And so, you know we found that our audience ranges in age and so some of the some of our audience really you know appreciates more of like the short form video and the digital and some are kind of still in that print and they want a printed tour guide or you know, guide to our outdoor attractions and outfitters and things like that. So, each market really has its own specific marketing plan within our overall strategy.
Kalli
That makes a lot of sense and you really do have to hit people at, you know, in so many different angles with so many different types of strategies and tools. And you know, in marketing materials like you said. So, you know with all that going on, you know, in addition to having partnerships, exhibits, the art, the music, like figuring out how to put all that together and making it all work. You know, how do you measure the success of Mississippi’s tourism branding efforts? And you know, once you’ve measured that, how do you adapt to those, those, you know, changes in the industry to make it better, to make it, you know, to let everyone know, really what, why Mississippi actually is a hotspot?
Katie
Yes, we measure success through several metrics and that’s easier to do nowadays with all of the different data streams and online kind of forms of measurement. We have some KPIs, but the main ones are visitor volume and spending and then the revenue that we collect and the economic impact figures. And, you know, even things like engagement on digital platforms and traditional media coverage. So, we kind of put that all together once a year in a big report to share the impact and you know that’s shared with our state legislators and our tourism community and anyone that we can kind of share about how you know we’re growing this past year. We were really proud to announce record-breaking visitation and spending in our state in 2023. And so, we are on the rise and I think the more that we can share that with news outlets, whether it’s local kind of for advocacy, but also, you know, nationally, I think people will kind of start to consider Mississippi more as a destination and see that it is in demand and want to come, you know, explore it and check it out for themselves.
Jenn
I feel like I know the answer to this, but when’s the best time to visit?
Katie
Well, you know, we really have mild temperatures year-round. It gets a little hot around like August. So, I might, you know, avoid that time. But all throughout the winter we have, you know, we’ve had Christmases where it’s 70° and sunny. So, I prefer spring and fall just for the, you know, the flowers and the fall foliage. But, and yeah, I think you really can’t go wrong.
Kalli
You know, Jenn, it’s funny that you say that cause I’m actually in the middle of trying to figure out what our next destination is and you’re making Mississippi sound really good. So I’m just kind of wondering and I know that this is something like I have two, you know, young kids, but there’s also like, you know, I’m actually also going away like some of my friends, what do you or what group do you see as like a key demographic or, like, would get the most out of going to Mississippi? Like, is it, is it a more family friendly destination, is it, you know, like Nashville, I know is you know very popular right now for like, bachelor, bachelorette parties, like, more for their, you know, obviously known more for their music scene. I mean so like kind of where do you see Mississippi being like in if somebody’s gonna come and look there like, who is the perfect group that is going to find so much like all the joy of Mississippi and really be able to experience everything?
Katie
We used to say you know a few years ago it would be 50+ affluent retirees. But now we’ve really seen that demographic in these markets skew lower and a little more diverse and so, families are definitely kind of coming to our family friendly attractions all over the state. We’re a really road trip friendly state, so you know a lot of our drive markets come and we’ll visit the Mississippi Aquarium on the coast or the Hattiesburg Zoo or you know, I could go on and on about all the family friendly, you know, things to do in our state. And so going back to those packaged itineraries. We’ve really kind of shaped that for, you know, families with young children, multi-generational groups. You know, girlfriend getaways. We just did a campaign about that and also guys getaway. We have a lot of great golf destinations in Mississippi. And so, there’s really, I know everyone says it, but there really is something for everyone in Mississippi.
Jenn
It sounds like it and doing the PR and marketing and just overall communication for the state of Mississippi, sounds really fun. Like it must be really cool to put these campaigns together and if you know pitching out to like people to come visit your great state.
Katie
I love my job and I, you know, I’m lucky to have grown up here. And so I, you know, purposefully came back out, or I went to college in Mississippi, and I wanted to stay and kind of fell into the tourism industry, on the marketing and PR side, which many of us in the industry do kind of accidentally find our way. But, you know, all along our work, I come in contact with people that are not from Mississippi, and they’ve chosen to come, you know, start their business here, their restaurant, their attraction and just have completely fallen in love with it. And so, you know, it definitely is fun and it’s fun to just see visitors have these great experiences in your destination and make memories, but also see it impact the communities and our community as well.
Jenn
Right. I think that’s great.
Kalli
Yeah, I think that’s really special. And it’s funny because, and Jenn’s gonna laugh, but I’m actually going to reference not Vampire Diaries.
Jenn
Wow, that’s a first.
Kalli
Yeah, I know it’s a different show. So Katie, in case you haven’t listened to probably every single one of our episodes, I have a tendency to go back to either Vampire Diaries or whatever show I’m watching, but it’s funny, one of the, one show that, or actually a couple of shows that I watch that I, that are like my, I always go back to are set more in, again I’m in New York, so more in the South you know it’s like the Heart of Dixie even like True Blood like they’re all set kind of in that area like where Mississippi is and I can definitely see like what you’re saying people go there and it’s, the one show in Heart of Dixie, the girl goes from New York to I think it’s like Alabama and it’s you see, like it’s such a different culture, but the quality of life and the lifestyle is so different and so charming. And I think especially in today’s world where things are so chaotic, are so crazy, to be able to go somewhere or that even whether it’s for a vacation or you’re moving there, it’s so nice to have that, you know, change of pace and that peace and even and be able to be somewhere that’s just beautiful. But you know, if there are places where you wouldn’t necessarily think are, you know these amazing places to be, the whole mindset shifts and it is a place that you want to be and that you’re going to enjoy and I think that the work that you’re doing is really speaking to that and building those things. You know, building that mindset for so many people, myself included.
Katie
Yeah, you know, we talk about being the hospitality state and it really is true and it’s special and, you know, we saw a lot, I guess, coming out of the pandemic of people that normally took their annual trip, you know, to an international destination or an island and they were kind of considering new places that maybe they hadn’t before. And so earlier I mentioned, you know, if we can just get them here once and they get it. That happened a lot and a lot of people were like, let’s take a road trip to through the South, you know, let’s explore something different and they absolutely just fell in love with the people and I think that really is what makes it special, and the more that we can kind of share that story and get it as an option in front of people, the more people will experience it and kind of find their own, their own story in Mississippi.
Jenn
Definitely. And you’ve had such success. You know, really getting the message out there. Do you have any advice for maybe some of our listeners that might do tourism in other states that are also trying to get an increase of tourism? Any advice from like a marketing or PR perspective of what they should do to kind of increase the awareness of what would make their state a great place to visit?
Katie
Yes, you know, I think my biggest piece of advice would be to embrace what makes your destination unique. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to mirror other destinations and kind of keep up with the Joneses. But our authenticity is our strongest asset and no destination can be everything to everyone. But just as importantly, no other destination can offer the same experiences as Mississippi. So, you know, focus on specific interests and needs of your visitors and create meaningful and lasting experiences that, like I mentioned earlier, not only enrich their travels but also uplift local communities and benefit the state as a whole.
Kalli
Yeah, that’s definitely great advice. And Katie, thank you so much for really taking us behind the scenes of destination marketing and sharing how you were bringing Mississippi stories to life. It’s been really great and I’m sure after this listening to this episode, our listeners will be planning their trips. So again, to our listeners, if you need somewhere to go, Mississippi should be on top of your list. But also thank you so much for tuning in. If you have any questions, guest ideas or just want to share your favorite travel experience, we’d love to hear from you. You could drop us a line at impressions@pollockgroup.com until next time, keep exploring and we will see you soon.
