Utah had a real problem. Most travelers thought its iconic redrock landmarks were hallmarks of Arizona. Winter sports enthusiasts could rarely discern Utah’s Wasatch Front from the Colorado skyline. In short, everyone seemed to want what Utah had (five national parks, unmatched access to the best skiing on the planet, an iconic American road trip experience)—but no one knew that Utah could wrap it all up in one epic adventure.
There’s nothing more thrilling than tackling a tourism challenge. But it’s a daunting task—identifying sets of ideal travelers, establishing personas, developing a messaging strategy that accurately reflects their needs and desires. That’s what we did. And then we locked ourselves in a room and focused on what really matters—the experiences that only Utah can offer. The iconic landscape and landmarks. The national parks. The greatest snow. The personal experiences that make every Utah vacation unforgettable. The result: a year-round, multi-platform (tv, out-of-home, social, digital, branded content) campaign that takes Utah adventures to new elevations.
The travel and tourism industry has gone through a major digital transformation. The traditional way consumers planned, purchased and experienced their dream vacation has radically changed. If we cast our minds back (not so long ago), it sounds almost arduous that consumers once relied on mountains of brochures, piles of guidebooks and the advice of travel agents. Now, along with the obligatory post-holiday polaroids and slideshows, those days are long gone.
1. Influence of social media
2. Video, video, video
3. Mobile, at every stage of the process
For the Find Your Greatest winter campaign we planted our ski poles firmly in this own-able insight and went deep into The Greatest Snow on Earth®. First, we teamed up with six different Utah local ambassadors—from an Olympic Gold Medalist, to a pro skier who moonlights as a fashion model, to a CEO who moonlights as a mom—to tell distinctive stories about their own Greatest Utah ski experiences.
After all, who better to help you plan your ski vacation than a true local? We created a custom campaign site that’s fully loaded with personal recommendations from our ambassadors and other locals—from their picks for the deepest powder stashes, to the most luxurious lodging options, to favorite local après-ski joints. We threw in handy extras like tips to keep your kids happy on the slopes (bribing with candy is fully encouraged), which yoga poses are best to prepare for a powder day, plus live weather and snowfall data for a digital experience that’s as useful as it is engaging.
For Winter sports enthusiasts alike tracking snow weather patterns to find the best riding is always top of mind. So in order to stay on at the fore-front we created real time adaptive media placements in target market airports and online. The moment Utah's resorts received more than 10" of fresh snowfall these units would adjust to convey the latest accumulation. When there was not enough fresh snow they would revert back into a proximity messaging plan stating how close your current location is to being slope side.