OVERVIEW
The “I love #BreckBecause” campaign began with a very heavy social and grassroots initiative that has since evolved into a fully integrated campaign. It captures the visitor’s attention and keeps Breckenridge top of mind when planning a mountain vacation. We created a multi-faceted campaign that reflects the emotional experience of the town by using user-generated, crowd-sourced content.
Breckenridge, Colorado is more than just a resort town: it has a vital main street; unique traditions and events; locally owned businesses; a genuine sense of community; and a friendly, welcoming small town feel.
STRATEGY & APPROACH
The Breckenridge Tourism Office called on Barnhart to establish a campaign that resonates with both Breckenridge enthusiasts and mountain vacation novices in new, out-of-state markets. Barnhart developed a campaign centered on user-generated content to push the idea of Breckenridge as a genuine mountain town while simultaneously promoting the varied aspects of what makes Breckenridge a must-visit destination.
The campaign was supplemented with an integrated media plan to generate web visits and increase click-through and interaction rates. The integrated media buy was targeted toward specific audience personas within Breckenridge’s target market, and included digital, rich media, mobile/tablet, social and content initiatives.
RESULTS
Summer bookings in Breckenridge were up 4% and late season bookings increased 4.6% year-over-year. Winter lodging bookings increased 4.5% and since the start of #BreckBecause, there has been a 40% increase in Facebook fans, a 93% increase in Instagram followers, and a 13% increase in Twitter followers. The hashtag has garnered over ten million Instagram impressions with over 12,000 pictures and counting. Website visits are up 18% year-over-year, with mobile app visits up by 841% since 2013. Digital advertising, compared to summer 2013, has seen a 52% increase in engagement rate, a 16% increase in CTR and a 265% increase in view rate.
Although the budget for the campaign was not especially high, the cost-per-aware-household was $0.30 with almost 1,000,000 aware households in 2013! The total campaign generated $64 million dollars in incremental spending in the area, with an ROI of $151. In 2013, Breckenridge Tourism Office received the Governor’s Tourism Award for “Best New Campaign” in Colorado.
“I LOVE BRECKENRIDGE BECAUSE” CHALKBOARDS WERE SET UP THROUGHOUT THE TOWN FOR VISITORS AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH AND SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA USING #BRECKBECAUSE.
THE OVERWHELMING SUCCESS OF THE #BRECKBECAUSE OUTDOOR BOARDS LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN AD CAMPAIGN THAT LEVERAGED THE VISITOR-GENERATED CONTENT.
WINTER LODGING BOOKINGS INCREASED 4.5% AND SINCE THE START OF #BRECKBECAUSE, THERE HAS BEEN A 40% INCREASE IN FACEBOOK FANS, A 93% INCREASE IN INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS, AND A 13% INCREASE IN TWITTER FOLLOWERS. THE HASHTAG HAS GARNERED OVER TEN MILLION INSTAGRAM IMPRESSIONS WITH OVER 12,000 PICTURES AND COUNTING.
