Arizona Office of Tourism
Challenge
The Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) is the government agency in charge of marketing tourism for the state of Arizona. AOT’s mission is to enhance the state’s economy and the quality of life for all Arizonans. This is accomplished by expanding travel activity and increasing related revenues through tourism promotion and development. Why did they come to Off Madison Ave? Off Madison Ave is the advertising agency of record for AOT. The agency was selected based on a combination of its methodologies and capabilities. One of the programs the agency manages on behalf of AOT is their summer campaign which promotes tourism in Arizona during the slower travel months.
Solution
How did Off Madison Ave tackle their challenge? Social media behaviors are in a constant state of change. Currently, influencers are all the rage. So, it’s critical to tap into social media motivations and prompt the audiences to try something new and different. The @BarbieStyle account has more than 2 million followers composed mostly of Millennials and Gen Z. Off Madison Ave recognized the power this unique social media influencer had and designed a program that used the right action spurs to shift behavior. The agency partnered with Mattel's @BarbieStyle to create a vacation celebration for Barbie’s 60th birthday and the Grand Canyon's 100th birthday. The end result was Barbie’s Arizona road trip through Scottsdale, Sedona, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon. Through this partnership, AOT was able to highlight Arizona to @BarbieStyle’s massive social media audience. By partnering with the world’s most famous doll, AOT further established Arizona’s cultural relevancy on a global scale. AOT was able to reach an international audience with interests in travel and entice them with Arizona’s most famous landscapes.
Results
What were the results of this social media campaign? There was an impressive 425,000 engagements and 4.9 million Instagram impressions. The campaign’s success attracted 6 TV segments and 40 articles resulting in $207,000 in publicity value. The media impression came in at 103,355,000. Plus, AOT realized 83% growth in its Instagram net follower count and 1,830% increase in sessions to their website from Instagram. That accounted 1,878% increase in new users to AOT’s website.
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