Pulaski County tourism advisers review Travel Indiana/Bridal Indiana ad proposal as budget questions linger

Pulaski County tourism advisers heard a presentation from Amy DeWong of Travel Indiana and Bridal Indiana on a proposed advertising package and digital outreach Tuesday, but members took no formal votes because the meeting lacked a quorum.

DeWong said the magazine prints about 30,000 copies per issue with statewide distribution and a digital flipbook, and described supplementary digital products. "We have a weekly newsletter that goes out to 7,500 subscribers," she said, adding the newsletter posts an "open rate of, like, 37%." She also cited audience research the publication commissioned, saying about "85% of our readers have planned a trip based on something they've seen in the magazine."

Committee members pressed the presenter on practical details: whether print ads carry clickable elements into the flipbook, whether QR codes can point to trackable landing pages and how ad creative could be changed between issues. DeWong said editorial posts tied to ad campaigns can run online and be promoted via the magazine's social channels, and that QR codes and dedicated landing pages are feasible if the commission can supply links or landing pages to receive traffic.

Members discussed creative formats to make Pulaski County placements stand out, including larger spreads and half-page editorials paired with display ads. DeWong explained the magazine's editorial calendar runs quarterly (January, April, July and October) and said itineraries or seasonal features can be built around county events.

The commission also questioned reach and audience geography. DeWong listed top cities that visit the magazine's site and acknowledged some distribution is concentrated in parts of the state; members said they wanted to balance statewide reach with more targeted social and digital efforts.

Budget questions framed much of the discussion. A committee member said the tourism program has "$40,000 in the RPA" for the 2026 calendar year and noted an existing DNR commitment is already allocated. Attendees referenced a figure "about 7,600" as a full-page price seen in earlier packet pages, and discussed committing smaller amounts for influencer partnerships or targeted digital buys rather than a single large expenditure.

Because the meeting lacked a quorum, the commission did not approve any contracts. The group asked DeWong and the local marketing consultant to provide clearer line-item pricing, tracking examples for QR and landing-page analytics, and examples of editorial copy and creative layouts ahead of the next meeting.