Visitors bureau taps USC alum
By Daily Press staff
MAIN STREET — The Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) has hired a new marketing manager to help promote the city by the sea, with the ultimate goal of increasing tourism and the money it generates for local businesses.
Kim Baker,a former marketing manager for Toyota and other major corporations, is responsible for all aspects of the CVB’s communications, consumer and trade promotions, community programs and special events. She is also charged with revamping the bureau’s Web site and incorporating the new Santa Monica brand into the bureau’s publications.
The CVB is a non-profit designed to bolster visitor expenditures, tourism revenues and local employment opportunities through the promotion of Santa Monica as a travel destination.
“This is a great opportunity and I look forward to enhancing the market potential for this beautiful city,” said Baker, 26. “I was looking for a position that would allow me to contribute on a strategic and creative level and am thrilled that I found that opportunity at Santa Monica CVB.
“As an avid traveler,I am also happy that I am continuing my career in the tourism industry.”
Prior to coming on board with the CVB, Baker spent five years working on national advertising and marketing campaigns for brands like Toyota, Hilton, and Oral-B. Most recently, Baker was the assistant manager of marketing communications for the Hilton HHonors Program.
Baker helped develop the Toyota “Moving Forward” campaign and is looking to better incorporate Santa Monica’s new brand — “Santa Monica … the best way to discover L.A.; an unforgettable beach city experience filled with eye-catching people, cutting edge culture and bold innovations. It is the essence of the California lifestyle.”
The brand was developed by merchants, residents and members of the CVB to better promote Santa Monica as a premier tourist destination that is always on the “cutting edge.”
“I’m very passionate about living the brand, taking it beyond just a tagline and making it something that when visitors come here, it is consistent,” said Baker. “When they come across any person here, they will see consistency in the message.”
Baker is a native of Southern California and currently resides in West Los Angeles. She is a graduate of the USC Annenberg School of Communications, with a minor in advertising, and was also a member of the Advertising Club of Los Angeles.
“We are very confident that Kim’s expert-ise, media savvy and enthusiasm will add tremendously to our team’s efforts,” said Misti Kerns, chief executive officer of the CVB. “Her focus on customer retention and satisfaction will be vital to our programming this year.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 4, 2007. Read the original PDF.