Case study
Visit Northumberland and the Hadrian’s Wall Partnership looked to reinvigorate the marketing and communications activity of the destination. The aim was to develop a clear strategy to raise the profile of, drive visitors to, and increase engagement with, Hadrian’s Wall Country.
Our client looked to promote tourism to the area while preserving the UNESCO heritage site. The strategic communications campaign aimed to boost tourism, support local businesses, and increase year-round engagement through sustainable marketing activities.
Throughout the campaign the messaging aimed to elevate the area’s national and international profile as a key heritage destination in the North, while ensuring the preservation of its historically significant monument remained a priority.
Working with business, attractions, and community groups along the over 73-mile stretch, we identified a need to develop a unified communication plan that both appealed to new audiences, and maintained the interest of well-established visitors.
Following an initial period of fact-finding sessions, stakeholder engagement workshops, and digital audits, we set to work developing and delivering a multi-channel communication strategy which included traditional media, social media content, influencer marketing, website content creation, and videography.
A central communication plan and media hub were implemented to promote stakeholder engagement and allow a continuous feed of relevant partner information. This formed the basis of the curated social media feed, news hooks, media activity, and digital itineraries.
To encourage repeat visits, extend stays, and engage our audiences, our strategic marketing and communications approach focused on:
To create the campaign, we reviewed existing research and reports previously conducted by The Partnership to better understand the key target audience segments. The campaign aimed to appeal to a wide range of audience segments and so it was important to devise activities that would align with each group and would be seen in the spaces where these groups spend time both online and offline.
It was clear through the research that the campaign would target adventure-seeking families, lovers of the outdoors, cultural explorers, and connoisseurs of history. Messaging and campaign execution focused on the general public within these four main groups, highlighting the unique offering of Hadrian’s Wall Country for each segment.
Creating one coherent campaign for four distinctly different groups was achieved through targeted itineraries, website content, images, and social media content. This was then further built upon through media opportunities in the form of reviews and news coverage. Each audience group was engaged through a curated mix of activities, some highlighted the area’s rich archaeological and historical heritage, others celebrated its culinary offerings, and still others showcased the wide range of outdoor experiences available.
