Gatlinburg GCVB attempted to break the world record for most red noses worn at an event at their annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade on December 5, 2014. More than 20,000 people were expected at the parade to help break the record. Each attendee received a red nose to wear at the event and were encouraged to take and share photos on their social media using #GatlinburgNoseChristmas.
Paramore and Gatlinburg GCVB aggressively promoted the Gatlinburg Nose Christmas initiative through the landing page (Gatlinburg.com/Christmas), a dedicated email message to the Gatlinburg GCVB database to encourage users to participate, display advertising in addition to paid search and retargeting.
The Outcome:
-The dedicated landing page received 8,876 page traffic, the majority of which was direct traffic followed by our Google Paid search campaign and email.
-Total media (including display, paid search, email and paid social – promoted posts/tweets) received over 2MM impressions 19K clicks resulting in an impressive click through rate of 0.94%
-Our display campaign alone received the majority of impressions overall with over 1.6MM and 4,124 clicks
-Facebook posts received over 463K impressions with an engagement rate of 6.45% and over 19K actions
-Twitter posts received over 45K impressions and an engagment rate of 4.22%
-Instagram posts received over 3500 likes and 52 comments
-Our hashtag #GatlinburgNoseChristmas was used in nearly 230 posts
The Gatlinburg Nose Christmas campaign was the first of its kind in Gatlinburg GCVB, using a live event to spur online activity and pairing its traditional efforts with a social media initiative.
The goal of the campaign was increasing visitation and positive sentiment among residents and repeat and potential visitors.
Gatlinburg GCVB's annual Christmas parade shows the heart of this mountain town, and with the addition of the Gatlinburg Nose Christmas campaign, we celebrated both the joyful spirit of the city's residents as well as those who faithfully visit each holiday season.
In addition to driving visitors to the city and uniting them with locals for a light-hearted cause, the campaign created a profound impact on Gatlinburg GCVB's social networks. For example, Gatlinburg GCVB's Facebook saw the highest level of December engagement, second to the week of Christmas, during the weekend of this celebration.
