Destinations Council Destiny Awards > Branding and Integrated Marketing Campaign: Destination Marketing Budget $1 Million to $2.5 Million

Unexpected Buffalo

About This Entry:

Awareness of the Buffalo region and its attractions and activities is shockingly low in nearby markets, according to research commissioned by Visit Buffalo Niagara in 2016. The research indicated that, on average, respondents have “little knowledge” about the region, and other than our regional mall, they have never heard of most area attractions and rarely visit them.

Survey results and focus groups indicated that respondents’ image of Buffalo is undefined. The most common attributes that respondents used to describe Buffalo are generic (affordable, accessible, family-friendly and welcoming). But while few respondents have a clearly defined positive image of Buffalo, nor do they have a negative image of the region. They simply have no opinion at all and rarely consider Buffalo as an experiential travel destination.

Visit Buffalo Niagara recognized the opportunity to craft a story and create an image for Buffalo on this blank canvas, but we needed something that would make an indelible and lasting impression on potential visitors. Our analysis of the research suggested that the key to influencing consumer behavior is to identify those activities that are most meaningful and relevant to our target audiences and to create a personality for Buffalo that consistently conveys these experiences in a fun, lighthearted and off beat way. Our goal was to capture the imagination of prospective visitors, stir intrigue and interest, and create an emotional connection.

But how to achieve this goal in the face of such low visibility and recognition? Visit Buffalo Niagara’s answer was to create an actual “personality” who would be the embodiment of the destination, our virtual spokesperson, our avatar, our Buffalo guy. His name? The Unexpected Buffalo.

Campaign Strategy:

So, who is the Unexpected Buffalo? He’s your go-to guy on all things Buffalo. He’s the knowledgeable friend you didn’t know you had. You can hit him up for advice on where to stay in Buffalo. His favorite corner bar. Best places for wings. He’s the regular Buffalo guy who’s got you covered. He’s funny, engaging, relatable, quirky and every now and then a little snarky on his Twitter feed.

The Unexpected Buffalo made his debut in Spring 2017 in a campaign featuring a 30 second TV spot, print ads in newspapers and magazines, out-of-home and transit advertising and digital media placements in the key markets of Toronto, Rochester, Erie, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The campaign was divided into two flights. The first targeted the 45-65 and older demo and the second focused on older millennials and younger Gen Xers aged 25-44.

The Unexpected Buffalo also graced the cover of Visit Buffalo Niagara’s 2017-2018 Touring Guide, found a home in a photo carousel at the top of VisitBuffaloNiagara.com and the header of our e-newsletters, became our avatar on Facebook and eventually set up his own Twitter feed. He even became our virtual travel expert when we launched the first DMO chatbot in the US in August. Facebook Messenger users were given the opportunity to “Ask the Unexpected Buffalo” about the best places to stay, play, shop and eat in a user friendly and fun manner.
The Unexpected Buffalo also made a series of public appearances in welcoming NCAA Men’s Basketball to Buffalo, posing for photos at VBN’s annual awards luncheon and welcoming delegates to events at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

Each of these tools and tactics was intended to contribute to the creation of a voice and persona that was distinctly Buffalo – a character who embodied the best of Buffalo and interacted with potential and current travelers in a memorable way. Of course, the logic and charm of the campaign lies in the dual meaning that’s inherent in the concept. “Meet the Unexpected Buffalo” applies to both our anthropomorphic buffalo as well as the city of Buffalo itself.

Results:

Initial focus group response to the Unexpected Buffalo creative was encouraging and early anecdotal feedback indicated that the campaign was being well received. To better understand the campaign’s impact, however, Visit Buffalo Niagara commissioned an awareness study by Dr. James F. Petrick, professor of Tourism Sciences, at Texas A&M University’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Services.

The study showed that there was a high degree of awareness of the Unexpected Buffalo campaign in our target markets and an increased likelihood among consumers to travel to Buffalo. According to the study, 39 per cent of respondents acknowledged seeing or hearing the Unexpected Buffalo advertising. This unaided awareness indicates the advertising seeded a memorable message that linked to the destination. Based on Dr. Petrick’s experience, he would expect 20-25 percent unaided awareness as a benchmark for success for a first-year campaign. The Unexpected Buffalo campaign surpassed that benchmark by more than 50 percent.

In addition, nearly 37 percent of the study respondents made at least one trip to Buffalo in the last year. Of that total, 12 percent reported they were heavily influenced by the advertising they recalled. This incremental conversion rate represents travelers who made a visit as a direct result of the Unexpected Buffalo campaign advertising.

According to Dr. Petrick, more than 105,000 visitor parties spent $1,029 on average per visitor party for a total incremental visitor spend of $108 million in year one of the campaign. 76.5 percent reported staying in paid lodging, which included 61.8 percent in hotels and motels. Based on an investment of $1.3 million, the Unexpected Buffalo campaign returned $84 in economic impact to the community for every dollar Visit Buffalo Niagara invested. Year Two of the Unexpected Campaign is now underway and our tall, dark and furry friend continues to win friends and influence people on behalf of Buffalo.

Why This Is A Finalist: 

This is a well-considered campaign that seemed to successfully re-craft the popular narrative about Buffalo, and to make some people want to visit. We found the strategy for this campaign to be so uniquely bold and specific. In giving such a defined and specific image to a previously undefined location (per research) I thought this campaign did a masterful, cheeky and smart campaign.

We liked that the campaign was multidimensional, creating a character—"Undercover Buffalo”—who at some point had its own social media presence. This is the one campaign we thought was quite bold, and innovative in creating such a persona that didn't just advertise but lived on social media. We were also intrigued and impressed with the use of Chatbots. The campaign's creative didn't distract from the location it was promoting or the individual partners it worked with. The campaign results are quite impressive from an awareness to spend levels. The strong imagery and brand affiliation made it memorable and intuitive. The tourism growth numbers also speak for themselves.