[LAMetroGuy]

DLBA study shows growth from 66% to 71% in 2 years.

By Don Jergler
Staff writer

LONG BEACH — More people are making more pleasure trips to downtown, according to a poll conducted for the Downtown Long Beach Associates.
A random telephone poll to 300 people was commissioned by the DLBA to assess the advertising reach of its "A Place to Be. And Be Yourself' campaign. The poll was conducted in Long Beach by H. Blount Hunter Retail & Real Estate Research Co. Visitation by adults rose from 66 percent in 2002 to 71 percent in 2004, according to the poll, which credits the increase to downtown revitalization.

"There's a higher awareness of downtown than there was two years ago," said Kraig Kojian, the DLBA's president and CEO.

Darcy Driscoll, who heads marketing for DLBA, chalked up the increased visitation to the opening of the Pike at Rainbow Harbor and the new residents moving in.

Up to 4,000 residential units have been added or are being added to the downtown area, which is undergoing a $1 billion revitalization that includes the addition of 1 million square feet of retail space.

The poll also shows a shift toward visits by an older group of people. The highest number of visits came from those in the 45-to 64-year-old age bracket in 2004. That's a swing from 2002, when 18-to 34-year-olds were the area's biggest patrons.

The poll shows that households with incomes over $75,000 tend to be the primary visitors downtown, and that the greatest beneficiary of increased downtown use is Pine Avenue.

However, few poll respondents said they recognized the DLBA's print advertisements. Roughly 3 percent of adults in the survey recalled seeing any print advertising with the slogan "The Place to Be. And Be Yourself," the poll shows.

That has prompted DLBA officials to rethink their ad campaign. Driscoll said they will consider taking out larger ads to run more frequently in fewer publications, and placing more emphasis on other media, like cable and Internet advertising.

She said having only $34,000 to spend on the campaign also may have dampened results. This year, the DLBA has committed $62,000 in its budget for the print campaign.