Multi-Regional Campaign Supports Community & Local Travel through COVID-19 Pandemic

Case Study - 3 regional dmos in maine, usa

In Brief:

GLP partnered with 3 regional DMOs across the state of Maine for a collaborative Content Marketing Campaign designed to promote each region’s individual branding, while also marketing the destination. Using authentic storytelling, each region wanted to showcase its unique people and places through strategic verticals: Food, Nature, Adventure, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Farming, and Culture. The goal was to reach a national and global audience through a comprehensive distribution campaign.

Covid-19 presented an unexpected challenge, as GLP and our partners were forced to pivot away from a national and international audience mid-campaign. Travel restrictions and safety precautions meant our campaign was limited to an in-state and New England regional audience exclusively.

campaign details:

Filming Dates: August 2019
Partners: Visit Portland, Maine’s Lakes & Mountains, Maine’s Midcoast
Distribution: Consumer & Trade marketing campaign
Content Deliverables (per region): Video series (full videos + videos for social), custom articles, professional photography package

Our Solution during the challenges of a global pandemic:

GLP identified local characters and developed compelling stories covering the themes that each region wanted to convey:

1. Lakes & Mountains: Outdoor Heritage Destination
2. MidCoast: Outdoor Stewardship and Conservation
3. Portland: Unique Personas of Greater Portland

To maximize digital & social media coverage and earned media placements, two Influencers and two award-winning Travel Writers were selected to accompany the film shoot. A network of key trade partners was also developed to reach travel advisors, tour operators and other travel sellers. NEW for 2020: A Trade Landing Page was created to include tools and resources for travel sellers, to connect them with GLP recommended suppliers, lodging, food, drink and attractions for each region, creating a roadmap to bring the content to life with travel-ready itineraries.

In response to the travel restrictions and safety guidelines set in place in response to Covid-19, GLP expanded consumer distribution beyond traditional tourism and travel channels to include Maine and neighboring state brands, local media, and local organizations aligned with verticals of the films (Food, Nature, Adventure, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Farming, Culture). In addition, the
Trade landing page was also a versatile resource for travelers and local business, acting as a tool that invited Mainers and regional travelers to #ExploreYourMaine through the lens of nature, outdoors and sustainable travel, with a safety-first mindset. Finally, we doubled our efforts to Increase media coverage from local channels including television, radio, and social media.

watch the trailer:

results: marketing success amidst covid-19

In 3 months during the summer of 2020 amidst a global pandemic and local lockdowns and travel restrictions, we were able to pivot strategies to execute a successful multi-regional video campaign with local targeting that reached over 400,000 video views, 3 million impressions, and 8+ major media placements, including mention in The New York Times.

 

Key Takeaways: Why Multi-Regional content campaigns?

  • Travelers travel regionally within a destination. Give the travelers dots to connect as they travel across the regions, combining urban, nature and rural environments.

  • Share resources with neighboring regions to highlight local businesses, characters and organizations.

  • Amplify your content and message by leveraging regional partnerships
    Build local supply chain resiliency through strategic collaboration.

  • Innovate and create strategic content through collaboration instead of competition.

  • Produce content that is appealing to local and regional travelers and supports local businesses, community, and the local economy.

  • Develop a more approachable call to action for travelers to visit specific regions and businesses as part of their larger trip.

  • Promote products to respond to consumer demand for local and “micro tourism.”

““A special component of this project was the connection to a larger community focused on tourism in Maine and the unique stories of the individuals and businesses profiled. The videos and accompanying marketing campaign received support from a number of regional organizations and other participating businesses. If we ever had the great fortune to work with GLP Films again we would jump at the opportunity.”
- Sarah McNeil, Co-owner and Farmer of Odd Alewives Farm Brewery in MidCoast, Maine”
 

If you would like to learn more about our multi-regional model, please contact info@glpfilms.com

 

Short-list of Media Placements

 

Travel Industry - for free access to Maine travel videos, visit our Explore Your Maine website.