The Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors bureau has been a
client since 1995. And it has always been an account that analyzes
performance with strictly defined metrics: Gross leads (inquiries),
countywide hotel occupancy and bed tax collections.
On all three fronts, our award-winning work has been extremely
successful -- even in the difficult period following 9/11. In fact, the
fiscal year following 9/11 was the second best year for inquiries in
the county's recent history, with occupancy and ADR (average daily
rate) remaining strong.
Besides great creative that capitalized on the glamorous history of
Palm Beach County, our success is the result of three initiatives:
developing a strong partnership with the CVB and its constituents;
innovative co-op programs with hoteliers, airlines, Hertz, and Visit
Florida; and unusual media strategies that delivered especially high
value.
What do we mean by unusual? How about buses rolling through the streets
of Manhattan with our advertising on the bus roofs, allowing us to
target workers in skyscrapers? How about a commercial simply rolling
the balmy Palm Beach County temperatures on a Times Square Jumbotron
during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons?
In addition, we've continually reinforced the county's overall brand
image with a strong savings message, based on a Savings Certificate
Book jam-packed with discounts all over the county. We want visitors to
know that the county is more than a fabulous collection of 5-star
resorts and Mar-a Lago; that ordinary families can afford a Palm Beach
County vacation and have a great time.
There's certainly no shortage of beautiful and quaint Caribbean islands
for consumers to choose as vacation spots. So when we won the
Curaçao tourism account in 2002, our first task was clear: How do
we make Curaçao stand out as the destination of choice?
The only way to answer that question was to experience Curaçao firsthand. So our account and creative team took a week to explore the island with local tour guides, and soon determined that Curaçao point of differentiation from other Caribbean islands as its status and history as both a commonwealth of the Netherlands and a melting pot for more than 50 unique cultures.
Now we had our points of difference. Working with the account's existing tagline tagline – "Real. Different." – the creative team came up with a campaign that positioned the island as an authentic Caribbean gem with European polish.
Prior to our involvement, the island's advertising had been averaging about 600 responses per month. Now it's averaging about 5,000, without special offers or incentives. Overall awareness in North America grew by nearly 50% within 15 months of the campaign's launch. And the number of visitors from North America grew by nearly 15%.
The only way to answer that question was to experience Curaçao firsthand. So our account and creative team took a week to explore the island with local tour guides, and soon determined that Curaçao point of differentiation from other Caribbean islands as its status and history as both a commonwealth of the Netherlands and a melting pot for more than 50 unique cultures.
Now we had our points of difference. Working with the account's existing tagline tagline – "Real. Different." – the creative team came up with a campaign that positioned the island as an authentic Caribbean gem with European polish.
Prior to our involvement, the island's advertising had been averaging about 600 responses per month. Now it's averaging about 5,000, without special offers or incentives. Overall awareness in North America grew by nearly 50% within 15 months of the campaign's launch. And the number of visitors from North America grew by nearly 15%.
In the late '80s and early '90s, car rental companies engaged in a
giant price war. Ads became almost entirely focused on price with
images of the "lead price vehicle" dominating creative for legal
reasons. The effect was to commoditize the industry, weakening the
brand image of the legacy companies. Everyone started to look the same.
Which is when Hertz L.A. and BSG agreed that rebuilding the brand
through a focus on unique service attributes as well as price was
crucial.
A series of single-minded ads focusing on ownable service attributes was developed for consumers and the travel trade. Within 10 months, the brand’s position shifted from third in its group to first -- in every measured market. Revenues grew over the next three years by triple digits, on a base in the tens of millions.
The campaign has evolved over the years, employing a series of theme lines that continue to reinforce the Hertz commitment to customer service leadership. The current campaign depicts Hertz customers enjoying those services under the theme line "Alquile Inteligente" (Rent Wisely).
And Hertz continues to lead its competitors in this market.
A series of single-minded ads focusing on ownable service attributes was developed for consumers and the travel trade. Within 10 months, the brand’s position shifted from third in its group to first -- in every measured market. Revenues grew over the next three years by triple digits, on a base in the tens of millions.
The campaign has evolved over the years, employing a series of theme lines that continue to reinforce the Hertz commitment to customer service leadership. The current campaign depicts Hertz customers enjoying those services under the theme line "Alquile Inteligente" (Rent Wisely).
And Hertz continues to lead its competitors in this market.
You know you've created an icon of popular culture when posters from your campaign become collector's items.
The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau came to BSG in the late '70s with a serious image problem: One of America's most popular tourist destinations was now perceived as a crime-ridden, riot-plagued no-man's land.
It was just the kind of tough assignment that culturesmiths thrive on. Following extensive consumer research that included considerable time visiting Miami landmarks and attractions, the agency created one of the travel industry's most memorable, successful and imitated taglines: "Miami. See it like a native."
Oddly enough, the County Commission deemed our snorkeler's bare back too risque, and announced that all copies would be shredded -- prompting a mad rush to acquire one. This priceless PR assist helped the campaign restore the city's tattered image, and inspired thousands of people worldwide to experience Miami's magic first-hand.
The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau came to BSG in the late '70s with a serious image problem: One of America's most popular tourist destinations was now perceived as a crime-ridden, riot-plagued no-man's land.
It was just the kind of tough assignment that culturesmiths thrive on. Following extensive consumer research that included considerable time visiting Miami landmarks and attractions, the agency created one of the travel industry's most memorable, successful and imitated taglines: "Miami. See it like a native."
Oddly enough, the County Commission deemed our snorkeler's bare back too risque, and announced that all copies would be shredded -- prompting a mad rush to acquire one. This priceless PR assist helped the campaign restore the city's tattered image, and inspired thousands of people worldwide to experience Miami's magic first-hand.
We're the agency that crowned Leona Helmsley "The Queen."
It started in the 1970s, when the client sought to increase occupancy at its midtown flagship, then located in an undesirable part of midtown Manhattan. The assignment: Convince business travelers that the hotel set and met the highest standards.
Of course, "high standards," although justified in the case of Helmsley Hotels, is one of advertising's most common positioning messages. How could we say it in a way that would stick in people's minds?
After a lengthy process of brainstorming and first-hand product research (our induction into the expense report hall of fame quickly followed), we realized that the solution was Mrs. Helmsley herself.
We had observed, for example, that she was obsessive about every operational detail – everything from reservations to towel thickness. So we made her the star of our ads, saying things like, "I wouldn't use skimpy towels. Why should you?" And Helmsley Hotels became "The Only Palace in the World Where the Queen Stands Guard."
Unfortunately, Leona's uncompromising nature ultimately landed her a long-term stay at a federal facility. But when she checked out, we promptly relaunched the brand with a campaign that played up her notoriety. The ad that best summed it up: "Say what you will, she runs a helluva hotel."
Both the original campaign and the '90s re-launch substantially raised brand awareness and occupancy rates. The original campaign, using consecutive small-space magazine ads to stretch the budget, boosted occupancy from 27% to 84% in just 16 weeks. The relaunch pushed occupancy at all Helmsley hotels from the mid-50s to over 95%.
It started in the 1970s, when the client sought to increase occupancy at its midtown flagship, then located in an undesirable part of midtown Manhattan. The assignment: Convince business travelers that the hotel set and met the highest standards.
Of course, "high standards," although justified in the case of Helmsley Hotels, is one of advertising's most common positioning messages. How could we say it in a way that would stick in people's minds?
After a lengthy process of brainstorming and first-hand product research (our induction into the expense report hall of fame quickly followed), we realized that the solution was Mrs. Helmsley herself.
We had observed, for example, that she was obsessive about every operational detail – everything from reservations to towel thickness. So we made her the star of our ads, saying things like, "I wouldn't use skimpy towels. Why should you?" And Helmsley Hotels became "The Only Palace in the World Where the Queen Stands Guard."
Unfortunately, Leona's uncompromising nature ultimately landed her a long-term stay at a federal facility. But when she checked out, we promptly relaunched the brand with a campaign that played up her notoriety. The ad that best summed it up: "Say what you will, she runs a helluva hotel."
Both the original campaign and the '90s re-launch substantially raised brand awareness and occupancy rates. The original campaign, using consecutive small-space magazine ads to stretch the budget, boosted occupancy from 27% to 84% in just 16 weeks. The relaunch pushed occupancy at all Helmsley hotels from the mid-50s to over 95%.
Boca Raton Resort & Club was a Ryder & Schild account (now part
of BSG) from 1989 to 1995. During that time, the volume of reader
service and telephone responses to advertising grew steadily, as did
the reservation conversion rate. From 1992 through 1994, reader service
inquiries improved from 31,481 to 45,250; telephone call volume
surpassed 70,000 in each of those years (77,073 in 1994) and the resort
enjoyed a phenomenal 37% average reservation conversion rate.
What all this really is means that the right prospects were targeted with the right message, and three of every eight calls resulted in reservations.
The travel team also helped develop a customer relationship program that significantly boosted repeat business, and negotiated valuable merchandising packages with the major group publications -- generating over 4,000 qualified sales leads. In exchange for advertising, Meetings & Conventions, Successful Meeting and other travel publications have spent hundreds of hours custom qualifying leads by telephone. The result was pre-screened prospects whose needs matched our clients' strengths.
What all this really is means that the right prospects were targeted with the right message, and three of every eight calls resulted in reservations.
The travel team also helped develop a customer relationship program that significantly boosted repeat business, and negotiated valuable merchandising packages with the major group publications -- generating over 4,000 qualified sales leads. In exchange for advertising, Meetings & Conventions, Successful Meeting and other travel publications have spent hundreds of hours custom qualifying leads by telephone. The result was pre-screened prospects whose needs matched our clients' strengths.
The "Native" campaign was so successful that it led the state of
Florida's tourism board to seek its own BSG advertising phenomenon.
And, shortly thereafter, lightning did indeed strike twice -- with an
ad tagline that again became an instant part of the vernacular: The
rules are different here.
Lines like that don't just happen. They're the result of a long process of research, analysis and brainstorming. In this case, the "rules" were BSG's answer to the desire people have to really let go once in a while. So our campaign gave them permission to stay up late, watch the sunrise, leave dress clothes in the closet and -- perhaps most memorably -- to "forget shoes."
People apparently needed that permission. The campaign significantly increased visitor counts, even in the difficult summer season. Even Florida's residents were inspired to take more vacations here. And all these years later, the much-imitated campaign still has an enviable recall rate.
Lines like that don't just happen. They're the result of a long process of research, analysis and brainstorming. In this case, the "rules" were BSG's answer to the desire people have to really let go once in a while. So our campaign gave them permission to stay up late, watch the sunrise, leave dress clothes in the closet and -- perhaps most memorably -- to "forget shoes."
People apparently needed that permission. The campaign significantly increased visitor counts, even in the difficult summer season. Even Florida's residents were inspired to take more vacations here. And all these years later, the much-imitated campaign still has an enviable recall rate.
