Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
Columbia County, a charming and outdoorsy tourism destination in Florida, faced challenges in marketing itself effectively. As the destination and its offerings evolved over the years (with the tourism product diminishing in some areas and flourishing in others), the existing tourism branding and positioning failed to effectively communicate the unique experiences and value
Proposition of Columbia County.
To address the challenges faced by the Columbia County TDC, a comprehensive and authentic branding and marketing strategy
was developed. The initiative included:
Brand Identity Redesign: Creating a refreshed and distinctive brand identity that would resonate with the target audience, reflecting the destination's essence.
New Website: Enhancing the website with intuitive navigation, compelling content, and high-quality visuals to showcase Lake City as a top-notch outdoor travel destination.
Paid Media Strategy: Leveraging paid search, social media, mobile advertising, and native advertising to raise awareness and generate interest.
Earned Media and PR: Developing compelling brand messaging and securing positive media coverage in local and regional outlets.
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 Lake City campaign was incredibly successful:
+51% Website Sessions
$1.4M Public Relations AVE (advertising value equivalency)
+48% Website New Users
$175k Direct Economic Impact from Programmatic Media Campaigns
6.4M+ Digital Advertising Media Impressions
National Public Relations coverage
Travel + Leisure, Boston Globe, Southern Living, Narcity,
TravelAwaits, Best Life, and more
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?
- The campaign resulted in a powerful return on investment, generating over $54,000 in gross bookings. With a 5.9 Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) from the OTA campaign, this demonstrates significant revenue growth directly tied to the marketing efforts.
- This figure reflects that for every dollar spent on the campaign, Lake City saw $5.90 in return, which is a strong indication of the campaign's success in driving meaningful economic impact.
- The campaign not only met but exceeded our goal, reinforcing the effectiveness of our strategic approach to attract visitors and boost local revenue.
Entry Title
Columbia County: Your Kind of Place
Division
Advertising - Brand Campaign