Destinations Council Destiny Awards > Branding and Integrated Marketing Campaign: Destination Marketing Budget $500,000 to $1 Million

Split Decisions

About This Entry:

Travel Costa Mesa underwent a major brand refresh in 2018. Our destination had not undergone a logo and brand identity review since 2011. At that time, the focus of the marketing strategy was branding Costa Mesa the City of the Arts® and focusing on a luxury market. The target market was an audience of 35-55, with a household income of more than $100,000 per year, who had interests in shopping and the performing arts. Our marketing campaign was targeted to these users specifically through magazine, television, online radio, billboards and other traditional channels.

As Costa Mesa continued to develop with hip new urban areas, exciting new public art and restaurants including 3 different "Top Chef" alumni, we determined we needed to focus on a younger target market and highlight Costa Mesa as a trendy, fun and vibrant destination for foodies. Our new target market as of 2018 is an audience of 25-44, with an household income of $60,000-$95,000. We've focused on a younger weekend traveler interested in a unique experience.

We turned to a primarily online spend with geotargeting and retargeting as a major focus of our strategy, along with a content marketing program. We also began to invest in social media advertising and hosting influencers to see our playful and exciting public art, taste our delicious food, shop everything from world-famous designers to eclectic local boutiques, and find a multitude of incredible Instagram-worthy spots.

The "Split Decisions" campaign was created to highlight the variety of experiences available in this surprising and special OC city. It all starts with the "Split Decisions" video, showing a whirlwind trip through some of Costa Mesa's fun attractions, in a mini-itinerary format showing how easy it is to get around the city in a jam-packed adventure. Each composite image found in print, display, email and social shows two different options in the city, whether focused on food and shopping, entertainment and nature.

Since launching the campaign, we've already seen a 23 percent increase in our target age market, along with a 22 percent increase in leads to our hotel partners.

Campaign Strategy:

As we developed the new logo and brand, we determined our tagline would be "Create your escape," highlighting not only the variety of experiences in Costa Mesa, but the ability to build the type of trip you want whether it be active/wellness based, revolving around food, or shopping-centric. This dovetailed perfectly with the "Split Decisions" concept. The creative had the capability to highlight two different experiences found in the city, matching shapes to bring together a cohesive, artistic piece.

We scoured the city to find a variety of small businesses to be featured in the campaign, along with steadfast attractions of Costa Mesa including the "Welcome Home" mural by Shepard Fairey and the OC Fair and Event Center. Partners included retail centers The LAB and The CAMP, where most filming was done for the video. Our partners at the OC Fair and the band Toto allowed us to film concert scenes for the video along with still photography. We partnered with a variety of local retail partners to get imagery that we could continue to utilize as the campaign moved forward.

While our main goal was to refresh the brand and introduce it to a newer, younger audience, we kept in mind our continuing goal of increasing website traffic, increasing engagement and increasing the number of leads to our hotel partners. The "Split Decisions" creative is used not only in evergreen brand awareness creative, but also in more tactical campaigns exploring hotel offers in a variety of holidays and the holiday season.

Results:

Since launching the campaign, we've already seen a 23 percent increase in our target age market, along with a 22 percent increase in leads to our hotel partners. By developing content supporting the new messaging, including a new map experience and itineraries, we've increased the time our visitors spend on a page by 69 percent.

We've also had an incredible response from the community, particularly our mayor and city council, feeling that the "vibe" of the new marketing is much more reflective of the funky, eclectic edge of Costa Mesa as a destination. We anticipate utilizing the "Split Decisions" messaging and creative in a multiyear campaign.

The cost of the project in total is fluid due to the variety of campaigns we run throughout the year. The "Split Decisions" concept was created specifically for its versatility, so it can be used for a variety of promotions - holiday timeframe, promotion of the OC Fair in summer, etc. Estimate of planning, brand development, research, design and creative development is approximately $150,000 to date. To continue the campaign we anticipate creating new video and photography each year to continue to support the "Split Decisions" theme.

Why This Is A Finalist: