Discover

the Catskills
From: Celestial Public Relations
Theresa VanWormer, Jess D'Amico, Ali Short
& Michaela Meleca

Prepared for
About Us
Celestial Public Relations is inherently knowledgeable of upcoming trends and the ever-
changing technology of the next generation. We are eager to assist I Love NY in their
campaign to increase tourism in the Catskills Region with our accredited research abilities,
extensive knowledge of communication outlets, creative thinking, and young (but capable)
professionals. At Celestial Public Relations, we pride ourselves in our connections within the NY
community and our desire to authentically portray our client’s brand messages to reach the
right audience.

Founded in 2021, Celestial Public Relations specializes in enhancing brand reputation through
earned media and communications. As a new agency, we are dedicated to clients who are
ready to take a fresh approach toward brand awareness.

Our Team
ALI SHORT Founder and President

THERESA VANWORMER Chief Operating Officer

JESSICA D'AMICO Chief Marketing Officer

MICHAELA MELECA Chief Strategizing Officer

Situation
Analysis
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism in the Hudson
Valley region increased significantly. In fact, visitor spending
within the region increased by roughly 49.5% (I Love NY, 2022. By
taking advantage of this trend, implementing a PR campaign in
the Catskills region would be a wise investment.

The Catskills is a unique region that appeals to travelers looking

for either a relaxing getaway or an adventurous experience. Its
tourist offerings include hiking, sporting, dining, relaxation,
entertainment, and more. With 18-25-year-olds growing more
interested in wellness, the Catskills have the opportunity to
capitalize on the wellness-tourism market.

After completing extensive research on tourism, the Catskills

region, and the target audience of young adults, Celestial Public
Relations is prepared to create a PR campaign that highlights the
region’s vast offerings. Our creative ideas would be strategized
based on data-driven findings that have the greatest potential to
meet our objectives.

This proposal presents a variety of public relations strategies and

tactics that can be adjusted and layered upon to overcome
obstacles and best meet the Catskills’ public relations goals. From
a brief initial analysis, the Catskills’ PR goals appear to be:

a. Build on the existing awareness of the region through numerous

media relations tactics with an emphasis on third-party credibility
b. Increase interest among young adults to choose the Catskills as
their summer vacation destination and showcase all the region has
to offer to them
Discover
the
Catskills
Campaign
Details

The name of our campaign is "Discover the Catskills". The region

has a wide array of offerings from vigorous outdoor activities to
relaxing spa services, along with a rather large hospitality
industry. Our campaign will be broken up into three segments as
we choose to market to our audience. The segments will be as
follows:

a. Discover your rest - Based upon the numerous vacation homes

tucked away in the mountains as well as the resort and spas that
the region offers.
b. Discover your adventure - Based upon the countless outdoor
activities such as hiking, zip-lining, white water rafting, kayaking,
etc, the region is known for its adventure around every corner.
c. Discover your recharge - Based upon its large selection of
restaurants, wineries, breweries, etc, the region offers meals and
memorable experiences for many visitors to recharge from.

We will be able to specifically market the region to a greater

number of our target audience based specifically on their
individual interests. Discover the Catskills is created for people
to find their desires in a region that simultaneously has it all.
Campaign
Strategies
& Tactics Media Relations
a. Within our media relations strategy, we plan to draft press
releases, fact sheets, and other written promotional materials that
will help garner significant attention for our “Discover the Catskills”
campaign. Attracting earned media coverage will convince
potential travelers that the Catskills are a region worth visiting and
should not be overlooked.
b. We will write press releases that detail the trips of prominent
social media influencers to the Catskills. We intend to find
influencers relevant to the Catskills/New York region in order to
appeal to the 18-25-year-old demographic. As a result, this will
influence our target audience to more seriously consider traveling to
the Catskills region. Fact sheets will help prep media outlets with
the information about the Catskills that we intend to highlight, and
we will draft written pitches to influencers asking them to
participate in our “Discover the Catskills” campaign.

Social Media
a. For our social media strategy, we plan to create our own
Discover the Catskills platform on social platforms such as
Instagram and TikTok. Our handle will be @discoverthecatskills, and
on it we will post engaging content that aligns with our campaign
messages and objectives. Having a social media presence is
critical to reach our target audience of 18-25-year-olds, as most
people within this demographic rely on social media to help them
form opinions about a particular vacation destination.
Campaign b.We plan to post individual content as well as partnered
content in collaboration with @iloveny on Instagram and TikTok.
Strategies Using the @iloveny platform as a springboard, we will be able
& Tactics to reach @iloveny’s current audience and alert them of our
Catskills campaign. Posting content that features popular
destinations within the Catskills, such as restaurants, trails,
activity spots, and lodging will help inform our audience about
all of the amenities the Catskills have to offer and influence
them to book their next trip here.

Influencer Strategy
a. As briefly mentioned above, our Discover the Catskills
campaign involves reaching out to popular social media
influencers on Instagram and TikTok and asking them to create
content on their own trip to the Catskills. Similarly to our social
media tactic, recruiting influencers to post content online will
be a surefire way to reach our target demographic of 18-25-
year-olds. In an era where one’s social media presence and
aesthetic are highly valued, having potential travelers see other
online personalities post high-quality content in the Catskills
will help entice them to take a trip to the same place and
capture similar content for their own platforms.
b. The influencers we select will have a significant following on
Instagram and/or TikTok, be in the travel/lifestyle sphere, and
ideally live within a day's drive of the Catskill region. We will
invite these influencers to go on an all-expenses-paid weekend
trip to the Catskills where they will be required to post about
their experiences and tag our platform, @discoverthecatskills.
As a result, all of those who follow these influencers will see
the Catskill region’s features in a new light and hopefully be
influenced to take a similar trip to the Catskills for themselves.
This strategy also intends to help us gain a larger social media
following as well.
 Conclusion

“Discover the Catskills” is a strategically developed public relations

campaign that is created to attract young people to the region through
a variety of strategies and tactics, showcasing what the destination
has to offer. Through media relations, social media, and influencers,
Celestial Public Relations recognizes the positive potential these
strategies could have not only on the region itself, but on the
perception many have of the region, specifically young adults.