How DE’s Suite of Services Helped Branson’s Meetings, Sports & Travel Trade Marketing Efforts
With a true understanding of destination sales and utilizing our robust collection of marketing services, Digital Edge helped Explore Branson drive awareness for Branson, MO as a meetings and sports destination, change outdated perceptions, and shatter expectations with highly targeted, edgy campaign concepts and creative.
Author: Melanie Schultz
THE NEED
Explore Branson was looking to work with an agency that truly understands meetings marketing for DMOs and desired an edgy awareness campaign targeted to the right planners for their destination profile.
Digital Edge:
• Helped put Branson, MO on the map as a premier meetings destination
• Assisted in changing the outdated perceptions of some meeting planners
• Showcased its dynamic, waterfront and walkable convention package and group offerings
• Kept the marketing for meetings in harmony with Branson’s leisure brand and adaptable for sports and group travel markets, so there was a comprehensive approach to the B2B group sales efforts
THE PARTNERSHIP
Utilizing tailored services for meetings marketing, Digital Edge and Explore Branson collaborated to ensure the strategy and goals aligned—creating a foundation for success since 2019 and future campaigns.
Objectives:
• Drive awareness for Branson as a meetings destination
• Create unique campaign messaging and creative concepts
• Overcome outdated perceptions
• Showcase convention package offerings
• Use a mixed digital media approach
• Reach meeting planners in Branson’s focus markets and geo-locations through highly target digital advertising
• Provide branded materials and marketing support for the sales team
THE CAMPAIGNS
(2019-Present)
You’re Over the Obvious
(We’re Under the Radar)
Awareness Campaign (2019-2021)
The idea for this campaign messaging spoke to the resurgence of interest in the Ozarks and positioned Branson as the destination that “gets it” post pandemic.
Virtual FAM Tour
In a short three-week timeframe in 2020, we created an interactive virtual FAM tour to give remote planners access to explore some of Branson’s top meeting and entertainment offerings
• DE developed the creative, the marketing materials and the deliverables for the Explore Branson team to host the FAM
Results: 250+ Registrations; 171 Virtual Attendees; 1 Qualified RFP (submitted just minutes after the tour!)
Virtual Perception Study
• Digital Edge conducted a perception-based research study through a series of 30-minute video interviews with 14 meeting planners
• The study shed light on planners’ insights, perceptions, destination knowledge, and the overall thoughts and considerations of selecting Branson as a meeting destination
Your Meeting Needs a Vacation
Awareness Campaign
(Apr.-Nov. 2022)
When Branson hired a new brand agency to update the CVB’s overall messaging and campaign, the agency chose a more leisure-focused message. The CEO of Explore Branson challenged Digital Edge to adapt this new “vacation” concept and make it appeal to and work for the meetings segment. Challenge accepted.
The Digital Edge team worked tirelessly to ensure the brand campaign and feel was not only respectful to the brand agency’s direction but also to what planners want to see and hear. We continued to drive awareness for Branson as a premier meetings destination, communicate group offerings clearly, play up the convention package and showcase new website content.
Site Visit Retargeting Campaign
(July-Nov. 2022)
A retargeting campaign to encourage planners to sign up for an individual site visit by submitting a qualified RFP that acted as a soft lead for the sales team
DE Services That Helped Set Up Branson
for Success
Creative Messaging & Campaign Iterations
Trade Media Marketing
Attribution & Reporting
Content Marketing Program:
• Included a FULL content build-out on their meetings website
• Developed new, purposeful pages + optimized existing pages to improve performance/ensure relevance
Virtual FAM Tour
Email Marketing
Create Brand Extension From New Brand Rollout for Leisure
Always-On, Fully Integrated Digital Media Program for Campaigns:
Social, Display, Retargeting
Virtual Perception Study
Website Audit & Strategy
Embarking on a Travel Agency Program (Build up for New Program Coming Soon)
Video Marketing:
• Strategize content & visuals for best for video engagement
• Video development utilizing the DMO’s photo & video assets
• Provide post-production editing services
Total Assets & Deliverables (2019-Nov. 2022)
2
Design Packages
34
Meetings Emails
15
Sports Marketing Emails
9
Leisure Group Tour Emails
15
Sales Activity Emails
46
Social Distribution Posts
23
Pieces of Meetings Website Content
12
Meetings Videos
1
Virtual Perception Study
1
Virtual FAM Tour
Key Metrics
You’re Over the Obvious
(July 2020-Aug. 2021)
- 6.3M Total Media Campaign Impressions
- 2.4M Impressions Across Facebook & LinkedIn
- 24,949 Campaign Landing Page Sessions
- 3,542 Meetings Site Pageviews from Digital Edgeʻs Landing Pages, Emails & Paid Social
- 113.60% Increase in New Users to Meetings Site YOY (2020 vs 2021)
Your Meeting Needs Branson
(April-Nov. 2022)
- 5.1M Total Media Campaign Impressions
- 1.6M Impressions Across Facebook & LinkedIn
- 13,158 Campaign Landing Page Sessions
- 16,238 Meetings Site Pageviews from Digital Edgeʻs Landing Pages, Emails & Paid Social
- 541.62% Increase in New Users to Meetings Site YOY (2021 vs 2022)
- 2,795 Retargeting Campaign Page Entrances from Google, Facebook & LinkedIn Banners to date
