When Singapore wanted to showcase its new brand campaign “Passion Made Possible” and change travellers’ perceptions of it as a stopover destination in the British and German markets, it turned to Expedia Media Solutions to deliver a multi-faceted digital marketing campaign.
“Destination marketing has grown in sophistication over the last few years and the range of tools on offer to destinations is much greater than it used to be,” said Hari Nair, global senior vice president, Expedia Group Media Solutions.
Nair, a panellist at WIT Japan & North Asia in Tokyo tomorrow (29 June 2018) discussing Better Marketing: Getting the edge in content, social and data, said Expedia “leverages its first-party travel intent and booking data, along custom research studies, to help inform activity and provide measurable post-campaign results”.
According to Expedia, the Singapore campaign, which went live from November 2017 through February 2018, produced 47:1 return on advertising spend (ROAS) in the U.K. market and a 23:1 ROAS in the German market.
“One of the main aims of the campaign was to showcase Singapore Tourism Board’s new destination brand, “Passion Made Possible” and change travellers’ perceptions of Singapore as a stopover destination. As a result, activity was aimed at educating and inspiring travellers, meaning most interactions occurred during the planning stages of their trips. However, the microsite delivered customised itineraries based on personal travel preferences, which helped the reach of the campaign extended well beyond the booking stage and delivered unique insights that travellers could take advantage of during their trips.
The campaign was accessible on desktop and mobile devices and featured display ads and social media content to encourage engagement. In addition, there was an interactive trip builder on a custom microsite that allowed users to align themselves with a “tribe” – from the foodie, explorer, collector, socializer, action seeker, or culture shaper. Based on their personal travel preferences, the site produced customised and bookable itineraries.
Speaking to the importance of connecting the digital marketing campaign to on-the-ground delivery of services, Expedia said it works with Destination Marketing Organisations to “optimise campaigns and capture demand for local businesses within their destinations, whether that is airlines, hotels, transport or even activities”.
The digital marketing campaign, though much about the technology, also took care to highlight the local, people element of the campaign.
“The local element of the campaign was very important in helping Singapore showcase its gastronomical and cultural scene, with recommendations of local artists and chefs designed to show another side of the city to prospective visitors. This element of the campaign also helped highlight the amazing variety of natural environments on offer, with beaches, rainforests, wetlands and mangroves all easily accessible to visitors. These three areas are not always front of mind among visitors, but by using authentic, local ambassadors, the campaign was able to show a different, unexpected side to Singapore and change travellers’ perceptions of the city state,” added Nair.
