Though the tagline was #MorganChill, it was hard to stay chill about these results: VMH’s initial launch exceeded industry benchmarks for performance. The paid social campaign drove exceptional awareness, reaching 285,338 people with 1,149,913 impressions. That means nearly 300,000 people got to know Morgan Hill as more than just a suburb of Silicon Valley, instead engaging with a fun, fresh and whimsical series of creatives promising just what they needed: a nice getaway.
Visit Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill | Paid Media Case Study
Noble Studios positioned Visit Morgan Hill as a top getaway spot with the #MorganChill campaign, promoting food, outdoors and lodging. Google search and paid media drove traffic, referrals and overnight stays. The campaign surpassed benchmarks in the initial launch, driving awareness and heads in beds.
Putting Visit Morgan Hill on the Map
Visit Morgan Hill (VMH) faced some headwinds after it formed as a TBID in 2019. Its reputation as a suburb of Silicon Valley meant it needed to build awareness in the travel and tourism market as a destination in its own right. That meant educating potential travelers about VMH’s recreation activities, cuisine scene, outdoor activity potential, event amenities and dynamic lodging options. Launching during the COVID-19 pandemic presented an additional challenge, but VMH was well-positioned to meet it with its social distancing-friendly features.
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Key Opportunities
Rise above the reputation for being a suburb of Silicon Valley with its new brand launch.
Raise awareness of VMH by spotlighting it as a destination in its own right, known for food, fun, leisure and more.
Outcomes
-
1.23
%
Paid Media Click-Through Rate (CTR)
(Industry Benchmark: .9%)
-
2.43
%
Paid Media Unique CTR
(This metric is based on Reach instead of Impressions)
-
12.97
%
Partner Referral Conversion Rate
(Industry Benchmark: 2.82%)
Putting a Fresh Twist on Classic Vibes
Morgan Hill stands out from the crowd thanks to its fabulous amenities–wine tasting, outdoor activities, fine dining…we could go on and on. It also isn’t overrun with tourists. This idyllic, rural setting is the perfect place for urbanites to escape and chill. There was just one problem: no one else knew.
Capturing potential travelers’ attention meant doing something different with Morgan Hill’s digital marketing campaign–something that flipped expectations and inspired a sense of delight. So, we decided to launch the brand with a tongue-in-cheek twist on the name: “Morgan cHill,” highlighting it as a place where people can disconnect from daily routines, be present and enjoy themselves.
Coordinating a Winning Campaign
For Visit Morgan Hill’s launch, we recommended a tactical approach: a comprehensive media strategy built around paid, owned and earned media.
Enter the #MorganChill campaign. Our goals were to build destination brand awareness (as well as awareness of things to do in the area), drive traffic to the VMH website and invite target audiences to Visit Morgan Hill. Most of all, we set out to encourage partner referrals and drive heads in beds (a.k.a. overnight bookings).
Cross-Channel Campaigns Get it Done
As a part of our recommended comprehensive strategy, we created Google search ads, display ads and paid social media across multiple channels. We targeted high-intent audiences that were in the research phase of planning with Google Search. Meanwhile, display and paid social ads allowed us to build VMH’s brand through unique creatives that played off the #MorganChill messaging strategy.
Knowing which audiences to target was a matter of assessing Morgan Hill’s amenities, as well as its proximity to nearby cities. The San Francisco Bay Area was the perfect place to market to folks who enjoyed wine and dining, families/group travel and outdoor activities (plus the weekend warriors, of course). We also targeted geo markets in the San Francisco-Oakland DMA, Fresno-Visalia DMA and Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto DMA.
Benchmark-Exceeding Results
-
1.23
%
Paid Media Click-Through Rate (CTR)
(Industry Benchmark: .9%)
-
2.43
%
Paid Media Unique CTR
(This metric is based on Reach instead of Impressions)
-
12.97
%
Partner Referral Conversion Rate
(Industry Benchmark: 2.82%)
-
18.7
$
Cost per Action
(Industry Benchmark: $22.50)
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