data. the key to off-season growth.
challenge
Summer is the most popular time for a beach destination like the Outer Banks (OBVB). HY was challenged to increase visitation year-round with a thoughtful media campaign that attracted audiences uniquely well-suited to what Outer Banks has to offer in the off seasons (spring, fall and winter).
idea: what works for summer may not work off-season.
approach
We used data to plot a course and set our media campaign in the right direction.
who. From bird watching to fishing, HY identified eight audiences with passionate reasons to visit OBVB in the off-season.
where. We analyzed drive time vs. key metrics (credit card spend, location data, search volume) across all regional DMAs and discovered 90% of off-season visitors were road trippers. Connecting to Google Maps’ API and data science models we determined these trips were 14 hours or less and tiered geographies by highest spending habits. Led by data, media budgets were allocated across 68 DMAs based on historical performance and growth potential.
when. How far in advance of each season should OBVB begin marketing the season? Using KeyData we analyzed hotel booking trends to determine the best lead time to jumpstart the marketing season with a high concentrated promotion followed by a lower and more sustainable always-on year-round calendar of targeted messaging.
results
- +21% tracked credit card spend in shoulder seasons
- +15% average spend per visitor
- +38% organic search interest
- +8 pts growth in off-season outdoor recreation/attraction visitor participation
- +30% tracked outdoor recreation spend
