New Orleans tourism has steadily recovered over the last decade, and to jump-start the 2015 warm weather season the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOCVB)—working through Expedia Media Solutions to partner with the Travelocity integrated marketing communications team—brought the world-renowned Roaming Gnome to highlight all that the city has to offer.
Together with the NOCVB we developed an integrated campaign that featured the world-famous bearded traveler exploring New Orleans. Often known to tourists primarily for Bourbon Street, the Gnome enjoyed a customized itinerary of activities that make the city so unique (many of which can be purchased on our site), including: braving a ghost tour, joining in a Bourbon Street line band, meandering the French Quarter, eating at the famous Commander’s Palace, jumping on a Natchez steamboat ride, and more.
An interactive landing page showcasing “15 Ridiculously Fun Things to do in New Orleans” and “Romantic New Orleans” along with full social media integration highlighted the Gnome’s adventures around the city.
The engaging campaign was promoted through a multi-channel approach, including on-site and affiliate ads, email, social, search, influencer posts, and media outreach.
As a result, the campaign dramatically increased exposure to – and awareness of – the city and its tourism opportunities as well as grew Travelocity visitor demand in the market by double digits year over year. In particular, the display and email activities drove 4.5M impressions, as part of the broader campaign.
What can we say? People love New Orleans, and people love the Gnome! Check out other success stories {{cta(‘b275fc7d-8524-403f-b6f6-eb1ba2101b3e’)}}
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