OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
JUNE 16, 2023
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
SCHOOLS
BIG SLASH BEGINS
Worcester Board of Ed. starts process of closing $4.5M shortfall in FY24 budget – Page 45
FREE
Marketing plan to be assessed Research firm will gauge effectiveness of campaign
Air show soars to success Dazzling demos awe crowd, good weather boost as well By Hunter Hine Staff Writer (June 16, 2023) Jets, planes, helicopters and parachuters flew through clear skies above a full audience last weekend at the 16th annual Ocean City Air Show. “The crowds were unbelievable on both the beach and Boardwalk. The weather cooperated on both days, which helped a lot,” said Chris Dirato, director of public relations for the airshow. The premium seating sections at
HUNTER HINE/OCEAN CITY TODAY
The Air Force’s F-16 Thunderbirds headlined the air show this weekend, performing aerial tricks just feet part. Pictured are two formations the team flew on Friday for practice.
the Quality Inn Boardwalk Hotel on 16th Street and in front of it on the beach sold out both Saturday and Sunday, Dirato said. Dirato estimated that tens of thousands of people were in town, which is similar to years past.
Fan favorites seemed to be the Thunderbirds, the F-18 and the F-35, he said. “I think folks also enjoyed seeing the A-10s,” Dirato said. On Friday, Jenifer Rayne, principal See CLEAR Page 4
By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (June 16, 2023) The effectiveness of the millions of dollars Ocean City has pumped into rebranding and promoting the resort will soon be revealed in a tangible report. At a Tourism Commission meeting this week, representatives of marketing firm BVK gave an update on its recent efforts, which included months of market research leading up to the development and reveal of a new brand, tagline and complete marketing strategy unlike anything the resort has ever had. Now, with the new Catch a Ride campaign — a quirky effort to target key audiences in Ocean City’s primary tourist markets — in full swing, the marketing team is ready to see how well it worked. Stephanie Barkow, BVK’s senior vice-president of brand strategy research, told Tourism Commission members at a meeting June 12 that they are working with research firm SMARInsights to provide data on the effectiveness of BVK’s recent destination marketing efforts. Barkow said the firm has a proven track record, three decades of experience and access to a large database of comparable results to determine exactly how the town’s advertising has fared. See SURVEYS Page 3