THE OPPORTUNITY

Who knows an area better than the people who live there? In the summer and fall of 2017 and 2018, the BC Hughes marketing team worked with Grey County Tourism to promote their area through the Colouring It My Way campaign.

THE PROCESS

In the first year, the campaign showcased 15 well-known local resident ambassadors who have a unique connection to the place they call home. These ambassadors were hand-selected and worked with the BC Hughes to tell the story of why they live in Grey County, their secret spots, their favourite hangouts and what it is about the region that inspires them.

Their stories were told through blogs posted and featured on Visitgrey.ca. BC Hughes recognizes what a powerful tool story telling is, especially when told by influential locals. Facebooks posts were used to share the stories and a digital ad buy coincided with the campaign to increase visibility. The success of the campaign resulted in its continuation in 2018 with another 10 local stories being curated, posted and pushed to the target audience.

THE OUTCOME

This two year seasonal campaign with 25 ambassadors and two insiders (social influencers) showcasing the area resulted in more than 2.7 million impressions, 80,000 clicks and 47,000 page views to the visitgrey.ca website with a minimal marketing investment. The campaign is an excellent example of how story telling appeals to people and is a successful campaign tool.