Jerry Thoreson Talks About the Mission of Destination Duluth

Sunset departure by @schmiescary

Duluth, located here at the Westernmost tip of Lake Superior, has always been a beautiful part of the world. It's easy to find the setting inspirational and soul-lifting, so much so that over the past 30 years the city and its region have become the #1 tourist destination in Minnesota.

Destination Duluth, however, has a different kind of mission. They not only encourage folks to visit, they're hope is to see them fall in love with the place and stay.

According to their website, "Destination Duluth is a collaborative online resource dedicated to educating and inspiring the public about the beauty of Duluth, Minnesota, thereby shaping the City's positive growth." To accomplish this goal they have become adept at using social media and digital technology to a most exceptional degree. Their Facebook and web stats are nothing short of astonishing.

For this reason I reached out to their social media wizard Jerry Thoreson to learn more and share it here.

Ed Newman: What was the original vision for Destination Duluth and who was behind that?

Jerry Thoreson, Destination Duluth

Jerry Thoreson: For decades, Duluth has suffered from three misconceptions about the Zenith City:
1. That Duluth is too cold for human habitation.
2. There are no good jobs.
3. That it is an unwelcoming community.

Destination Duluth was formed to reshape and change the dialogue about Duluth. In short, the organization set out to help re-brand Duluth and surrounding region. In doing so, the ultimate goal is to attract new/returning residents – to grow Duluth. Our hashtag says it all – #befromDuluth.

Destination Duluth was the brainchild of Branden Robinson, the Manager of South Pier Inn. He grew up in Duluth, went to Cornell University, where the seeds of an endeavor that would help re-brand Duluth were planted. In 2012 he registered destinationduluth.org and recruited Tom Livingston and Chris Swanson to assist in organizing Destination Duluth. In 2013, they recruited Jerry Thoreson to help launch their social media, which went live on May 23, 2013. The Facebook page had remarkable growth, reaching 50,000 followers in the first 500 days. In October 2019 they reached 150,000 Likes with an average reach of 120,000 and 8,000 clicks of engagement daily (2019).

EN: How has it shifted over time?

Photo credit: Matthias Martin

JT: At first we were very careful to differentiate ourselves from tourism with their “heads in beds” goal. Destination Duluth’s ultimate outcome is “heads in homes.” However, we realize that the first step in someone relocating to Duluth is visiting Duluth. So, we’ve embraced that reality and are actively seeking sponsors from the tourism/hospitality industry.

EN: You’ve been with Destination Duluth since 2013. What is your role with the project?

JT: My role started as the content manager for their social media platforms. In 2019, I was promoted to managing director.

EN: How did you end up as part of the team?

JT: It’s a long story, but in 2012 an acquaintance suggested I connect with Chris Swanson, a Two Harbors entrepreneur who founded PureDriven, a digital marketing company. In the fall of 2013 Chris became familiar with my work and sought to recruit me.

EN: What would you say have been your biggest achievements to date?

JT: According to a 2018 survey of 1,000 of our followers, over 50% stated they have visited Duluth as a result of content they’ve seen on social media. But even more impressive, 50 respondents stated they are either have moved, or are in the processes of moving “because of Destination Duluth’s influence.”

High Bridge at dawn. Photo © Kenny Palmer.  

EN: It’s apparent that Destination Duluth is a big cheerleader for our region. How did the Destination Duluth Facebook page obtain 5 million views in a single week recently?

JT: We reposted a video by duluthharborcam.com of a ship coming into port that went viral with over 4 million views and 38,000 clicks of engagement. The rest of the week we were over the 120,000/day average which resulted in 5 million views for the week and over 8 million for the month of January, 2019.

Cloud Reflections by @educk3 Used with permission.

EN: You stated that tourism is delivering 12 million in tax dollars to the city today. Do you have a source for that?

JT: This story from the Minneapolis Star: Duluth rakes in record $12.4M in tourism revenue 

EN: What are the biggest tourist activities when people come here?

JT: Canal Park, ship watching and the Aerial lift bridge are without a doubt the biggest draw for tourists. Glensheen has seen explosive growth over the last few years and Skyline Drive and Enger Tower are also high on the list. Up the shore top favorites would be Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse.

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For More Information visit: https://www.destinationduluth.org/
To follow on Twitter: #BefromDuluth

© ‎David Schauer‎. Used with permission.