Overview

Welcome!

The New Mexico Tourism Department remains laser-focused and has never been more committed to its mission to grow New Mexico’s economy though tourism. Through the Cooperative Marketing Program, we aim to achieve that goal alongside our industry partners through strategic co-branded, co-funded marketing initiatives. Here’s a brief overview of what partners can expect from our “CoOp” program.

Here's what you need to know about the FY26 Cooperative Marketing & Advertising Program

Key Program Details

Partners receive a 2:1 matching dollar investment for all awarded MMP initiatives and up to a 2:1 match for all awarded Flex initiatives*.
- *Confirmation of NMTD matching level pending outcomes of 2025 Legislative Session
Each applicant is delivered a customized Smart Select Marketing™ Menu of marketing initiatives to apply for that best suit their unique situation, priorities, and budget
Each applicant is assigned a Partner Service Representative to support and guide you through the entire application and program process
Real-time optimization of awarded digital initiatives handled for you by our skilled digital team
Each marketing initiative is fueled by New Mexico True brand equity
Customized performance reports with optimized digital ROI are delivered to awarded partners quarterly by Team True

Key Program Dates for FY26

MANDATORY CoOp Pre-Application Survey opens February 3
MANDATORY CoOp Pre-Application Survey closes February 26
Application opens March 11
Marketing Consultations available from March 17 through April 4 (Mandatory for first-time applicants, highly encouraged for returning CoOp participants)
Applications close April 8

For general program information, expand any section below to learn more.

Introduction

Since 2011, we have defined our target audience as those with an adventurous spirit and thirst for authenticity and have seen consecutive year-over-year growth, proving that what New Mexico offers meets the needs of these thought leaders, early adopters, information seekers, and travelers who gravitate toward authentic experiences.

Through the Cooperative Marketing and Advertising Grant Program (CoOp), one of the Department’s longest running and most popular programs, we partner with eligible entities (tourism-related non-profit organizations, local and tribal governments, e.g. counties and municipalities) who believe in our mission, align with our philosophies, and contribute to our collective success of showcasing New Mexico as the top-tier destination for venturesome travelers.

At the Tourism Department, we adhere to focused advertising that capitalizes on our competitive advantage and encourage our partners to do the same (advertising your destination and attractions more than 60 miles away). These advantages include cultural heritage, arts, culinary, and outdoor adventure. We use these “Experience Pillars” to dispel misperceptions about our state and set us apart from our competition by reinforcing our brand promise to deliver adventure steeped in culture. Part of CoOp advertising is telling the unique story of your people and places in this context.

Application Cycle Details

Interested in applying for CoOp? Here’s what you’ll need to know.

First, each interested applicant must complete the mandatory CoOp Pre-Application Survey. Through the survey, each interested applicant will state their budget, target market and audiences, marketing priorities and needs.

Even if you are unsure if your organization will ultimately apply for CoOp, please complete this survey before the deadline as it is mandatory for each applicant and will not be reopened once it has closed.

From the survey responses, each interested applicant is delivered a customized Smart Select Marketing™ Menu Plan (MMP) full of marketing initiatives and creative production options that match your stated budget, priorities, target markets and audiences, and needs. Applicants will then go through their Smart Select Marketing™ Menu and opt-in to any of the initiatives they would like to apply for funding for. For additional support, one-on-one consults with Team True are available to every applicant to review the MMP initiatives or ask any questions.

Applicants will upload their Final FY26 Request Summary PDF file with their application by the application due date. Extensions will not be permitted. NMTD’s application review committee will go over each application thoroughly and make award decisions. Each applicant will be informed via email of the review committee’s decisions.

As you complete your application, please remember that this is a competitive grant. Be thorough in your responses and provide a complete narrative to NMTD of how your selected CoOp initiatives compliment or enhance your current marketing strategy.

In-Program Logistics

The Cooperative Marketing and Advertising Grant Program (CoOp) has grown and evolved over the years thanks to the help of partner feedback. Here’s a quick overview of how the program functions once applicants have been awarded.

Once award decisions have been announced, each awarded partner will be assigned a dedicated Partner Service Representative (PSR) that will assist with their MMP initiatives.

Throughout the fiscal year, the NMTD CoOp team will provide the following assistance to each partner’s MMP initiatives:

1:1 Marketing Consults (including with ad agency, if applicable)
Direct vendor negotiations
Custom production timelines and instructions
Handles insertion orders on behalf of the partner
Traffic creative directly to media vendors on behalf of the partner
Provide partner proof of placement
Delivers detailed reporting on marketing initiatives

Partners awarded Flex-funded initiatives will be responsible for the entire execution process of each initiative, including applying for NMTD reimbursement within 30 days of in-market dates and providing sufficient reporting for each initiative to NMTD. For more information about flex initiatives and the reimbursement process, click here.

Recent Accomplishments

For fiscal year 2023 of the CoOp program, the New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) awarded nearly $4 million to 41 local governments and tourism-related organizations across New Mexico. Through engaging visuals and compelling storytelling, the awarded marketing and advertising initiatives will speak to potential travelers and showcase New Mexico as the premier location for venturesome travelers.

In total, NMTD awarded $3,866,693 to grant recipients through a 2:1 match. The joint investment in tourism advertising between NMTD and all grant recipients will be a record $5.8 million.

In fiscal year 2022 of the CoOp Program, 42 awarded entities received $3.2 million in matching funds to showcase destinations and their assets. Co-branded advertising with total media value of $5 million spanned audiences segmented by geography, demography, and behavior. Engaging, “sight-doing” content and vivid imagery showed them all New Mexico has a lot to offer.

Recent years’ grant partners and marketing efforts have included:

Bernalillo Community Museum – written article creation and distribution
Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce – crowdsourced photo and video management
Village of Questa – print ads in regional lifestyle magazines
Grant County – digital video and image display advertising
Discover Navajo – digital billboards in Albuquerque
Town of Red River – hosting social media influencers
Town of Mesilla – native virtual tour distribution
City of Tucumcari – video content creation and distribution

Looking back, in FY21 (fiscal year spanning July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021), the Department responded to the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by introducing Recovery Readiness Initiatives. Our collaborative efforts with 44 destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and tourism industry partners around New Mexico poised them for renewal and as a result, we're seeing data that demonstrates economic progress is underway.

Partnership & Application Expectations

The New Mexico Tourism Department strives to work alongside our awarded partners to accomplish our shared goals. We rely on one another to provide the following: respect, professionalism, ongoing and transparent communication, guidance and support, on-time delivery of time-sensitive responses and materials.

Our application review committee carefully reviews each eligible, completed, timely submission. Its members want to give each application the attention it deserves. Therefore, they delve into submission details paying close attention to desired outcomes, rationale, target markets and associated placement selections, budget, justification, and narrative. This is a process that takes time. We set aside 3-6 weeks for evaluation and recommendations.

Your application should:

Answer each question thoroughly and completely
Detail how your requested initiatives fit within your overall marketing strategy
Outline desired outcomes

We encourage:

Holistic, strategic planning
Collaboration
Innovative thinking

We ask that you:

Request a reasonable amount: one that complements your overall budget and additional source of marketing dollars, and organizational bandwidth to complete the selected initiatives
Ensure any Flex Funded requests are eligible expenses, that they’re supported with estimates directly from the vendor, and don’t insinuate any conflict of interest
- Eligible and ineligible flex initiatives can be found here

Award History

Current and Prior Years Awards

Support

The Cooperative Marketing & Advertising Program made big leaps in the past several years. Together, we are part of a national award-winning effort. We will continue to break ground and work together on successful campaigns.

Sign up for Tourism Talk, our bi-weekly e-news, to ensure you don’t miss important announcements.
To review documents for the current cycle and/or plan for future, click on the Resources box.
To read what our partners have to say, click on the Testimonials box.

We’re always looking for ways to improve the process, make our program, and your destinations, attractions, and events even more successful. Please share your ideas for how New Mexico True can work for you.