Visit Indiana: Travel Marketing Case Study

The setup

Overcoming historical challenges with a data-driven strategy

Understanding the broad impact of investing in tourism may come naturally to industry insiders, but maximizing its potential requires a shared vision. When the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC) was formed, it established a new vision to enhance Indiana’s appeal as a place to visit, live, work, play, learn, and raise a family. Notably, “visit” is at the forefront of this initiative. Research showed that recent visitors have a substantially higher affinity for Indiana compared to out-of-state audiences who have never experienced it authentically. As with any state or major city, attracting and retaining talent is crucial for overall economic growth. In 2022, the organization aimed to elevate the Indiana brand in the eyes of potential target audiences and initiate efforts to fuel visitation as a core strategy to achieve their growth objectives.

Despite having a strategic direction, stakeholders faced a significant challenge: historically limited funding for tourism promotion had left Indiana trailing behind regional competitors such as Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin. To address this, state legislators supported efforts to significantly increase funding in 2024, with mandates to demonstrate economic impact for the state and taxpayers by increasing visitation in the short term, while also establishing a foundation for positive impacts on workforce and revenue growth in future years.

With new investment comes the responsibility to ensure it is used wisely. Envisionit was tasked with significantly scaling the new spring, summer, and co-op media programs, establishing a new strategic direction aimed at optimizing every dollar and clearly demonstrating their impact.

The solution

Establishing a foundation for a more comprehensive and efficient program

Encouraging young family visitation was identified as a priority to achieve the organization’s objectives, with women aged 25-65 initially being the primary target for influencing travel decisions. However, with funding limitations no longer a concern, new opportunities were identified for an expanded program framework. This framework evolved to improve targeting and channel mix, more effectively reaching, engaging, and converting audiences seeking economical, Midwest travel experiences, who may not have previously considered Indiana.

Our plan incorporated:

Evolved, full-funnel channel mix: We identified opportunities to significantly scale reach and efficiency while incorporating new channels to engage travelers throughout their trip planning journey.
Expanded targeting approach: We moved beyond DMAs and demographics to adopt a more segmented targeting strategy focused on precision.
Diversified use of creative storytelling: The revised channel mix and targeting approach generated opportunities for us to deliver a more personalized and engaging brand experience.
Foundation for learning: We established testing and measurement methodologies to support both in-program optimizations and recommendations for future strategies.

The strategy

Capitalizing on new opportunities

With our solution framework in place, we identified specific opportunities to address the limitations of the previous program, expanded capabilities, and enhance program performance. Our strategic focus included:

Targeting segmentation: To maximize investment, we established two levels of segmentation to improve efficiency and overall effectiveness. First, we focused on our target audience. Considering today’s consent environment, we created four new segments to mitigate waste and improve relevance. This included interest and data segments for 1:1 targeting opportunities, as well as contextual and geographic segments for targeting anonymous audiences.
Market focus: With new segments in place, we shifted our attention to targeting markets more effectively. We combined third-party census and platform data to rethink the organization’s approach, using a zipcode-by-zipcode strategy versus diluting investment across an entire DMA.
Investment shift: To scale the program, we saw a significant opportunity to reallocate funds from linear channels to digital channels. This included investments in CTV/OTT and streaming audio, which provided greater reach and precision at a lower cost to the program.
Full funnel mindset: We identified a gap in bottom-funnel channels, particularly in search. By shifting investment towards Google, we found new opportunities to efficiently capture relevant intent.
Extending creative impact: With a more diverse channel approach and refined targeting, along with a focus on motion units not previously utilized, we incorporated more diversity and personalization into our asset mix. This not only helped to avoid fatigue but also allowed investment in more impactful ad units for greater engagement.
Testing methodology: We developed a plan focused on performance outcomes as a priority, utilizing various strategies such as leveraging motion in ads to enhance engagement and making contextual content adjustments based on ad interactions. This included conducting A/B tests between broad and targeted audience groups to refine and optimize our approach.
Incremental channel expansion: The introduction of endemic media and new placements, like digital billboards, train wraps, sidewalk decals, and niche audio streaming services, allowed us to scale investment over time, keeping the campaign fresh and visible to audience segments in new venues.
Data-driven adjustments: We continually optimized our testing plans and noticed engagement drop-offs when audiences reached campaign landing pages on the Visit Indiana website. Although not part of our scope, we recommended a number of improvements to enhance organic awareness as well as improve relevance and utility to our acquired audiences.

The results

Record-breaking engagement and ROI

The campaign’s results underscore the transformative potential of a strategic, data-driven approach to destination marketing. By leveraging precise audience segmentation and an evolved media strategy, Envisionit not only achieved but exceeded its already ambitious goals. From unprecedented digital engagement to measurable economic impact, the campaign delivered record-breaking results that reinforced Indiana’s position as a premier Midwest destination.

The campaign exceeded expectations:

Impressions and Engagement: The campaign garnered over 860 million impressions and 6.4 million clicks, representing a 959% year-over-year increase in clicks.
Website Metrics: There were over 4.5 million sessions to the summer landing pages and a 248% increase in overall web sessions compared to 2023.
Meta CTR Performance: Our campaign rocked it with a whopping 133% boost overall in click-through rates (CTR). Chicago led the charge, soaring by 175%. One ad reached a stellar 5.16% CTR—150% above the industry benchmark
- On average, this ad maintained a strong 3.09% CTR, outpacing benchmarks by 50%

The campaign’s successful execution demonstrated Envisionit’s ability to integrate strategic insights and creative storytelling to transform Indiana’s tourism landscape and set a new benchmark for future initiatives.