Oregon Takes Domestic Campaign and Extends it to UK

So successful was Travel Oregon’s “Seven Wonders of Oregon” campaign last year—it targeted in-state travelers and in-close drive markets—that it is has re-launched it for 2015 and extended it overseas, to the UK. Introduced last spring, the campaign contributed to a nearly 10 percent growth in statewide lodging revenue in 2014 over 2013, according to the research firm STR, Inc.  In addition, Travel Oregon’s online fan base grew by more than 120,000 and the state’s tourism website, TravelOregon.com, experienced a record number of unique visitors during the campaign, giving a new audience a view of Oregon’s diverse natural attractions.

So, with the beginning of March, the Seven Wonders campaign featured seven well-known natural wonders of Oregon as the focus of destination travel: the Oregon Coast, Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge, Crater Lake, the Painted Hills, the Wallowas and Smith Rock.

Linea Gagliano, Travel Oregon’s manager for industry and public affairs, told INBOUND that it was able to extend its presence into the UK with a Tripadvisor buy that was enhanced by the Brand USA presence in the market and in the campaign. From March 5 to March 20, the agency served up “7 Wonders of Oregon” banner ads to 357,955 UK consumers who were on Tripadvisor searching for Oregon, Washington, Idaho and/or for outdoor, ski or beach-related content. Total cost for the UK venture was a modest $7,500.

Following its previous format, the campaign also includes a sixty-second “anthem” video featuring all Seven Wonders of Oregon. The spot will air in cinemas and on television in the key markets of Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Boise, Vancouver B.C. and, now, the UK.

Additional 30-second spots will showcase the unique experiences to explore around each individual wonder. Along with Portland-based Wieden+Kennedy, Travel Oregon worked with a team of agencies to bring this campaign to life, including LANE, MEDIAmerica, Sparkloft and Substance.  For more about the campaign, contact Linea Gagliano, manager, industry and public affairs, Travel Oregon at 503.729.6021, or Linea@TravelOregon.com.