Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
One day during a dark and frigid winter, Minnesotans awoke to discover their capitol city had been draped in vibrant, colorful promises of bucket-list adventures and big blue skies in Southeast Montana.
Visit Billings and Visit Southeast Montana had partnered to overtake Minneapolis’ prime outdoor media spaces to tempt commuters with vivid depictions of what is to come when they visit one of the country’s most desirable getaway destinations – hiking and mountain biking across miles of Montana trails, kayaking still and whitewater, exploring majestic wildlife, Montana-hip culinary experiences and a bounty of craft breweries.
For weeks during the snowy February, the campaign introduced travelers to the SE Montana Travel Provision Co., an umbrella brand that blended aspects of both Visit Billings and Visit Southeast Montana. Massive displays on busses, at train stations and other high-traffic areas told the story of open-mindedness, freedom, adventure, self-confidence, and a reverence for the natural world that is perfect for travelers seeking meaningful experiences in Southeast Montana.
The goals of the takeover were to:
• Align the Visit Billings and Visit Southeast Montana brands to create a visual takeover in Minneapolis that ultimately increases visitation during the summer season following the takeover.
• Increase awareness of the region as an ideal travel destination for Minnesotans, as measured by increased website traffic during the takeover.
Executions included a month-long outdoor media including transportation and vestibule wraps, digital outdoor boards and various print and digital signage throughout the city. In addition, the Southeast Montana Travel Provision Co. occupied a strong visual presence at the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Frozen Faceoff tournament at nearby St. Paul.
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 success of the Southeast Montana Travel Provision Co. was based on the following key performance indicators tied to campaign goals:
Increased Visitation
For the period of June through August 2022:
• Hotel occupancy rate increased by 12.7% from the same period last year.
• Average daily rate increased by $26 from the same period last year.
• Revenue per available room increased by $42 from the same period last year.
Increased Awareness
For the period that the market takeover was active, website traffic increased in the following ways:
• Website visits increased 30.78% from the same period last year.
• Page views increased 21.68% from the same period last year.
• Conversion rate increased by 21.2% from the same period last year.
• Time on site increased by 13.9% from the same period last year.
Outdoor advertising in and around Nicollet Mall Station as well as train wraps generated more than 13.3 million impressions. The NCHC tournament attendance exceeded 28,000, and banner ads throughout the arena generated an additional 17,000 impressions.
This resulted in a significant uptick in online search activity for the destinations:
• Organic Search increased 22.28% YoY
The NCHC tournament attendance exceeded 28,000, and banner ads throughout the arena generated an additional 17,000 impressions.
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?
More than 2.6 million people visit Billings annually, spending $621 million every year. Tourism supports more than 10,000 jobs locally in the Billings’ area. As visitation to Billings increased over the same period from the previous year based on occupancy, ADR and RevPar percentage increases, Billings can anticipate that spending to increase at retailers, restaurants and bars, gas stations, and lodging businesses, to name a few. Non-resident travel supports nearly 67,000 jobs in Montana and lowers the tax burden on every Montana household an average of $866/year.
Entry Title
Southeast Montana Travel Provision Co.
Division
Integrated Campaign - Business to Consumer