FERGUS FALLS, Minn.-If you're ready to "Find Your Inner Otter," a consortium of Otter Tail County cities and businesses is hoping you'll dive into their lakes, resorts, shops and restaurants.The "Find Your Inner Otter" tourism campaign launched Thursday.
The change from a focus on attracting fishermen to appealing to wider audiences is going swimmingly, said Dan Hurder, a board member for Otter Tail Country Tourism.
"We need to focus on the rising tide will raise all boats," said Hurder, who owns the Otter Supper Club in Ottertail, and The Boiler Room and Monte's Downtown in Fargo. "It's nice to see tourism being promoted in the area. We live and die by it out there."
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The campaign has a tight budget of less than $30,000, he said.
Nine cities-Battle Lake, Fergus Falls, Henning, New York Mills, Ottertail, Pelican Rapids, Perham, Vergas and Wadena (which borders Otter Tail County)-anted up $2,000 each, with the remaining money coming from Otter Tail Country Tourism's ad budget, he said.
The funds are enough to pay for a website ( www.findyourinnerotter.com ) and a Facebook page, print tourism guides and apparel, and in coming weeks to buy billboard space in the Twin Cities, along Interstate 94, and from Grand Forks to near Sioux Falls, S.D., along Interstate 29, Hurder said.
The slogan and smiling otter cartoon logo created by Fargo ad agency H2M was a hit with the board.
"When they pitched it, everybody loved it. Who doesn't love otters?" Hurder asked.
A website quiz helping visitors find their "inner otter" promises to make a splash, too, he said. Visitors can find out if they're Easygoing Otters, Active Otters, Outdoorsy Otters or Eclectic Otters, for example, and get options for their otter egos to play, dine and relax.
Jean Bowman, director of the Fergus Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the ad campaign should convince people they otter give the county a try.
"We are excited to show off our communities in this way. Vacationers in this area sometimes overlook our county, not knowing how much we have to offer," she said in a news release.
