Marketing Objectives:
Clearly state your marketing goals.
What did your company strive to achieve using this piece or program?
The competition was tough, and we knew we were up against other well-known and proven sports destinations including Jacksonville, Charlotte and Raleigh. In order to minimally be considered, we needed to 1) create a stand-out proposal to get our target audience to "lean in" 2) differentiate our city from the competition 3) evoke an emotional connection to Greenville's baseball history 4) communicate our readiness to embrace the ACC Baseball championship, and ultimately 5) secure the consideration of the ACC in order to establish future year targets as a roadmap to sustain long-term growth of Greenville as a sports destination. Our overarching goal was to catch the attention of key ACC decision-makers and influencers in order to get into the consideration set. Our research told us that our conversion rate would DOUBLE if we could expose the planners to our destination firsthand, so our objective was to get in the consideration set and get the ACC to make a site visit to Greenville.
Target Audience:
Who was/is the target audience?
Characterize the composition, size, and location of your target audience.
Our primary targets were the ACC Baseball Tournament Committee members, who would be making the destination selection. And we pulled out all the stops to get our name in front of them, even layering on a grassroots distribution strategy to win interest and support from a critical group of influencers - the athletic directors from each of the 14 ACC schools.
Research, Planning, and Implementation:
What market research was conducted prior to planning the piece/campaign?
Industry trends show that in a world of digital noise, well-done, physical mailers are unexpected and impactful. Still, many average run-of-the-mill mail gets lost or tossed in the trash. We knew that our creative had to work hard to stand out, communicate quickly, and resonate with our targets. While concepting, we dove in to uncover what mattered and was most important and core to the mission of the ACC. We saw that consistency was paramount when it comes to ACC's view of success. The output of our research? A tangible expression of Greenville's eagerness to win this business, hand-delivered to the ACC committee and athletic directors and packaged alongside our 100+ page mandatory RFP response; an unassuming "book" featuring a heartfelt rallying cry video that played automatically upon opening, alongside a glossy brochure reiterating the most salient points of our bid response and visually telling the story of why Greenville is the perfect location for the ACC Baseball Championships.
Message:
What is the key message intended for the piece/campaign?
What differentiates your piece/campaign in the marketplace?
Our message was simple yet loudly articulated throughout our proposal: if the ACC Baseball Championship returned to Greenville South Carolina, they could not only expect VisitGreenvilleSC and Fluor Field to roll out the red carpet, but also the entire community would "Bring Our Best" to create a consistently great experience for their constituents. Through visual storytelling (video book) that quickly engaged the recipient, we laid out Greenville's unique baseball history and fan experience, from our first-class facilities, to our award-winning downtown and all of the smiling faces that grace our hotels, attractions and streets.
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.
One word to describe our initial results: HOMERUN! Hours after the box was hand-delivered to the ACC offices, we received a note from the ACC's Sr Assistant Commissioner who, upon viewing our bid, thanked us for "such a thoughtful and hand-delivered presentation." When shared with our local community, the reactions were overwhelmingly full of pride (and some were even brought to tears watching the video!). Not only did the ACC take notice of Greenville through a heartfelt proposal that stood out from the rest, but we also made it into their consideration set. The ACC booked a site visit and lived the fan experience firsthand, riding a trolley to Fluor Field and touring the facility. Greenville remains in consideration for three years of the ACC Baseball Championships, representing potential direct business sales/economic impact of $2.9 million dollars. As for the value of landing our name on the desks of the ACC... priceless.
Category
DIRECT MAIL - Group Sales/Meetings