Marketing Bath

Marketing Bath & beyond in 2014

David Jackson Head of Marketing, Bath Tourism Plus

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Our Approach - A successful formula…

Campaigns Always On

Combination of large scale and tactical campaigns, timed and targeted to generate the greatest return £300,000+ in 2014/15 Maintaining a constant ‘noise’ and high profile for Bath and beyond – from PR to SEO, Social Media to CRM.

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2014 Themes

• 300 years since the beginning of the Georgian era • Bath – The UK’s Number One Spa Destination •

Bath – The UK’s favourite city

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2014 – Our Year Ahead

Detox

Visit England

Hair Raising Histories

Visit England

Access Campaign Spring Campaign Bath in Fashion Cycling Roman Baths by Torchligh t Children’s Lit Fest The Great Bath Feast Bath at Christmas Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Visit England

Romance Campaign Literature Festival Festival Season Museums Campaign Easter Culture Summer in Bath Jane Austen Festival Autumn Campaign Christmas Events & Tactical Activity Museums Campaign ANNUAL MEMBERS’ FORUM 2014

Detox – Jan to Feb

• Jan – Feb Tactical campaign • Partnership with 10 of Bath’s major hotels and Thermae Bath Spa • £25,000 of bookings to date

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VisitEngland Campaigns

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Feb to Apr

• • •

Romance

National campaign – London ES & Independent Roman Baths, No.1 Royal Crescent Bath – the UK’s most beautiful city • • •

Hair Raising Histories

National campaign – family audience Roman Baths lead partner Discover the world of the Romans • •

Access

National campaign – Daily Express No.1 RC, Heritage Services, Bath Parade Guides, Hol Inn Express

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Spring – Mar to May

• • •

Spring Breaks

National Campaign – Media Partnership Discover why we’re the UK’s favourite city Using Bath’s fantastic range of Festivals and Events as hooks • • •

Regional Spring Campaign inc Bath in Fashion

Driving high spending, premium regional shoppers into Bath 60-90 min drive time Bath in Fashion 3 – 10 May 2014 •

May - Festival Season

Opportunity for coordinated activity across Bath’s cultural programme • Music Festival – Party in the City • Museums at Night • Bath Fringe and Arts Fringe • Classics on the Crescent

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Museums – Mar to Jun

• Bath Museums Partnership • Arts Council England supported • Holburne Museum; No.1 RC; American Museum • 300 years of Georgian England – behind the doors of Georgian Bath

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Autumn & GBF – Aug to Oct

• Bath – England’s perfect autumn break • National media partnership • London Underground • 2014 Great Bath Feast – month of October

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Bath at Christmas – Nov to Dec

• Christmas Shopping made special • Bath Christmas Market – the most beautiful Christmas Market in the UK • Seasonal Events and tactical promotions

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Business Tourism

• • • • • • • • • Bath Venues Directory Bathconference.co.uk

Database National and International buyer fam visits National and International Exhibitions Bath Showcase Press Coverage GroupMax Weddings

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Overseas & Trade

• • • • Partnership with Bristol Airport • bmi regional (Germany) • SAS (Sweden) • easyjet VisitBritain and VisitEngland UKInbound England’s Heritage Cities group

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Always On

• • • • • Proactive public relations activity Print – Official Visitor Guide to Bath & Beyond CRM – regularly communicating with 300,000+ contacts Mobile – targeted messaging Social Media – harnessing advocacy through our social community • Over 35,000 and growing •

Visitbath….

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visitbath.co.uk

Where we were

• • • • • The most successful destination website in the country Over 4.5 million visits in 2013 £1.2m accommodation bookings Highly optimised for search 500+ members benefitting from tens of thousands of views of their business • • • But… Design, format and functionality outdated Bookings slowing Opportunities missed

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visitbath.co.uk

• • • • • • • • • • •

What we wanted

Protect and build on strengths Fresh thinking as well as design More intuitive and therefore effective user experience Improved search, discovery, comparison and ultimately booking journey Improved conversion More engaging content and editorial, incl a blog Increased use of Rich Media Integrated Social Media Increased member opportunities Data – Intelligence Device agnostic – responsive design

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visitbath.co.uk

Key Features

• • • • • • • • • New design – a look and feel that better reflects Bath’s brand Inspiration - bigger images throughout Cascading content – multiple layers New editorial approach – lists, blog Surfacing content earlier New search results and ability to refine and filter New product detail – doing you justice Improved booking process Member opportunities – make it work harder for you

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2013 Review

visitbath.co.uk

Richard Veal Managing Director, New Mind | Tell Us

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visitbath.co.uk

Thank You Any Questions?

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