BusinessTN

The power of a simple marketing brochure purposefully placed in the path of vacationers with money to burn is undeniable. So explains the importance of Sevier County-based Brochure Distribution Services, a small niche firm responsible for getting the brochures of its 280 clients in 750 racks intercepting the millions of visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains each year.

Though the company has existed since the mid-1960s, it wasn't until earlier this decade that Brochure Distribution Services found its vision. Today, the firm is co-owned by three of the area's leading attractions—Dixie Stampede, Dollywood and Ripley's Entertainment. The fresh infusion of capital has transformed what was once a simple provider of pretty wooden racks at the visitor's center into the world's preeminent brochure distributor.

Company GM Steve Williams has a secret weapon: a patent-pending, Web-based tracking and reporting program called InvenTrac Premiere, which gives clients rich detail about brochure inventory, traffic and movement. Its 11 route specialists not only restock and tidy up the racks; they also painstakingly count each brochure and tabulate information on the spot. Those numbers are accessible to clients anytime and can be used in trending and forecasting.

"People don't see us as salespeople because we're more like a marketing arm," Williams says. The only other brochure distributor offering this level of detail is based in South Africa, according to John Rice, past-president of the International Association of Professional Brochure Distributors. "The money spent on brochures is less [than other media], but the detailed report is priceless."

One may wonder if the Goliath triumvirate of BDS would stack the racks to serve themselves, given the underlying competitiveness in the region. Grimacing at the notion, Williams responds with an emphatic "no," asserting BDS's loyalty to all its clients and a commitment to supporting the community as a breakeven venture.

BDS client David Fee of Fee-Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, which runs venues such as the Comedy Barn and the Miracle Theater, applauds BDS's work.

"To be fair, [BDS is] not just a brochure company. [The owners] want to know exactly what's going on in the marketplace, so they're willing to fund that," Fee says. The success of BDS's program has prompted rapid expansion plans, with the planned addition of racks and slots throughout East Tennessee along the interstates.

The majesty of the Great Smoky Mountains will always be the area's main attraction for tourists. But no one should underestimate the role of the humble brochure in getting them there.