Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
Every previous iteration of our “So Much South Dakota, So Little Time” campaign has focused on shattering the misconception that South Dakota is a one-hit wonder by reminding people of all the different things they can see, do, and experience. For Shoulder season, how could we evolve the question from “Why should I visit South Dakota?” to “Why should I visit South Dakota in the winter”?
Winter in South Dakota is beautiful. Gnarly, but beautiful. While most travelers view the season as harsh and elemental, South Dakota’s winter has a beautiful, euphoric magic and plenty of opportunity for adventure. With this in mind and by building on the foundation of “So Much South Dakota, So Little Time”, we landed on one key message for the Shoulder season: It’s never too cold to have too much fun in South Dakota.
From a creative perspective, we leveraged footage that not only shows exciting wintertime activities but hones in on the emotions of those experiencing the magic of South Dakota’s winter. Smiles, cheers, and bright attitudes provide a compelling juxtaposition to being out in the freezing cold, reminding audiences that South Dakota makes it far too easy to have fun in the thick of winter.
We introduced a national presence for this Shoulder season, focusing significantly on promoting awareness and celebrating the state's winter activities to attract visitors. By running the Shoulder campaign at both a national and regional level, we were able to drive awareness across the United States while focusing on South Dakota’s key markets and growth DMAs.
Nationally, we introduced a YouTube TV campaign, delivering VCRs of 99%. We also had placements air on premium inventory with Paramount+.
Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)
The creative work for this Shoulder campaign resonated with audiences, and a fresh new spin on the winter season assured travelers that the colder months are an excellent time to visit South Dakota. In fact, warm-weather markets like Phoenix popped up in performance across media, signaling increased interest in wanting to experience true winter in the state.
This campaign iteration was wildly successful, seeing 59% more video completion rates and clicks and a 55% increase in CTR YoY with a slightly lesser budget. The campaign also saw 284k activities on site.
Collectively, video garnered over 32MM video completions and 3.6k site conversions.
For the first time, Travel South Dakota introduced national media efforts during the Shoulder season, with the goal of driving awareness through streaming tactics. The Shoulder campaign successfully beat VCR benchmarks by 5% and drove over 30MM impressions.
The state’s regional CTV campaign supplemented key markets with targeted winter creative, beating VCR benchmark by 3% and successfully reaching their family and younger traveler audiences.
We also ran linear programming in key DMAs such as Minneapolis, Denver, Des Moines, and Omaha, to drive awareness during prime moments for target audiences. We successfully over-delivered at over 16MM impressions and aired in premium programming such as NFL football playoffs, NBA, college basketball, and the Golden Globes.
Return on Investment: How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?
While the primary goal for our streaming and linear efforts is awareness-focused, this strategy was founded on research that proves awareness-based channels are an essential piece to visitor acquisition and driving 4x the conversion rate than without. Our Shoulder campaign resulted in 32k hotel bookings, 200 flight bookings, and $7.5MM in hotel revenue, proving that a larger investment in streaming and TV, coupled with the dreamy winter creative, effectively contributed to higher visitation for South Dakota’s Shoulder season.
Entry Title
So Much South Dakota, So Little Time - Shoulder Season Video
Division
Advertising - Connected TV/Streaming/Linear