UK Market Walking Campaign

Walk in Scotland 2007 Brochure

Activity Detail:

Produce the second edition of the new format VisitScotland Walking Guide, taking into account key learnings from the 2006 edition. Follow the ‘Scotland. Created for Walking.’ theme. Provide key information for walking holidaymakers/short breakers planning a walking trip to Scotland.

Routes, cartography, editorial and photography to be aimed at key walking segments, detailed below as identified in February 2006's joint agency walking research. Print run of 55,000 - A4 - 100 pp full colour.

Who:

Key walking segments identified in joint agency walking research published in February 2006 as detailed in priority order below:

Committed Explorers: Experienced walkers – walking is a key focus of the holiday and they prefer challenging/remote walks. Require little in the way of other activities and comfort. Knowledgeable and experienced. Prefer to stay in hostels, campsites etc. Male bias, 16-34 age range.

Part-Time Explorers: Experienced walkers preferring challenging walks but also enjoy doing other activities. May require distance signage and estimated times for walks. Work and Reward philosophy – challenging walk followed by a good meal. Likely to stay in B & B’s and Guest Houses. Again, a male bias.

Committed Wanderers - Serious about their walking but prefer light to moderate walks with clearly marked paths and more adequate information on distance, time, wildlife etc. Also Work and Reward philosophy. 55-65+ age range and likely to be married with an even male-female split.

Why:

To increase walking visits to Scotland
To underpin campaign activity
To provide ease of information for visitors planning a walking break to Scotland.

When:

The guide was published on 12 January 2007. Distribution ongoing throughout the year.

Measurement/Evaluation:

This will be through tracking brochure requests from visitscotland.com, walking website-www.visitscotland.com/walking, visitscotland.com call centre and also through key walking campaign activity i.e. Direct Mail. Also measured against online research to email addresses of consumers who have requested the guide, through advertiser feedback and number of repeat advertisers in 2008.

Walking Press Campaign 2007:

Activity Detail:

Double-page adverts were placed in key walking magazines at key times of the year which target readership more from South of the Border. Double page spreads were the preferred option as this allows for the width and quality of the Scottish landscape to be shown. Also, by using the sentiment across the image and the associated walking route map, this gives readers an indication that the walk is suitable for most abilities and that Scotland is not only a walking holiday/short break destination for serious hill and mountain walkers, but for everyone.

Who:

The adverts have been designed to target the following key walking segments which were identified in joint agency walking research published in February 2006 as detailed in priority order below:

Committed Wanderers: Serious about their walking but prefer light to moderate walks with clearly marked paths and more adequate information on distance, time, wildlife etc. Also Work and Reward philosophy. 55-65+ age range and likely to be married with even male-female split.

Committed Explorers: Experienced walkers – walking is the key focus of holiday and prefer challenging/remote walks. Require little in the way of other activities and comfort. Knowledgeable and experienced. Prefer to stay in hostels, campsites etc. Also with a male bias, 16-34 age range.

Why:

To increase website traffic and walking brochure requests
To increase walking holidays/short breaks to Scotland
To raise the profile of walking in Scotland to less experienced walkers who may need convincing.

Where:

Country Walking Magazine (EMAP) & Walk - Ramblers Association Magazine (Think Publishing). =

When:

Country Walking – on shelf – April, May, June, August 2006 – February 2007.

Walk – on shelf – June, September, December 2006 – March 2007.

Measurement/Evaluation:

Tracked through brochure requests from visitscotland.com, walking website and visitscotland.com call centre. The ads were also tracked through joint VisitScotland/EMAP incentivised online research to approximately 21,000 Country Walking readers, generating 1,259 returns.

Key findings:

Holidays are an important part of being a walker – nearly 90% of sample have been on a walking break.
Scotland is in the top three UK destinations, with Wales and the Lakes being the closest competitors.
There is a strong loyalty to Scotland as a destination. Once someone has been, they are more likely than not to return – so the challenge is to get them to go in the first place.
For hardy experienced walkers, seasonality doesn’t seem to be as pronounced as could expected with the tourism industry in general. Walkers can mitigate seasonality.
There is almost no negativity about Scotland as a destination. Distance/accessibility is the only real issue.
The VisitScotland ad campaign was extremely impactful with 84% of the sample remembering the creatives. They fitted perfectly with Country Walkers' expectations.

The ads created action – one third visited the VisitScotland walking website-www.visitscotland.com/walking, and one fifth booked a holiday as a result of seeing the ads.