The secret to Infestation winning the two-year Cape Town Tourism (CTT) account in a three-way pitch against two established big name agencies, was its Hello Weekend campaign, launched at Indaba 2015 in May. It effectively positions Cape Town as more than just a sunny December hot spot - it's now a year-round destination, as part of the broader 'love Cape Town' campaign.
I caught up with Infestation owner and creative director Christo Maritz to unpack the thinking and strategy behind the Hello Weekend campaign and its initial success...
1. Let's start off with more on how Infestation got involved in the campaign?Maritz: Part of the final round selection for the preferred agency was to do a "paid-for" pitch. It was important for our client Cape Town Tourism to be sure that the winning agency had the creative ability to come up with an original concept as well as test whether the agency had an in-depth understanding of tourism and the related markets. We received a comprehensive brief asking for a campaign to promote Cape Town in the winter months.
2. Tell us more about the agency itself - the name 'Infestation' is an interesting choice! Maritz: Infestation has been around for 15 years, specialising as a communication design agency and operating mostly under the radar. Founded by myself, I was intent on building a boutique studio that values quality design and strong relationships. At the core lies our internal culture and studio environment, which we value highly. The name was conceived at the end of 1999, when as a freelance designer I designed an invite for a Y2K 'Beat the Bug' party. 'Infestation' seemed the most relevant tag a designer could use.
3. How much creative work goes into a two-year campaign? Maritz: As far as the Hello Weekend campaign goes, a lot of creative work goes into the original strategy. The message, tone and brand needs to align for the campaign to be effective. Once the strategy is in place, a lot of time is spent activating the campaign on many different channels and through a variety of media. In this instance it included online banners, print advertising, signage, website collateral, social media activations and even video.
To keep the campaign fresh, we will regularly review the message and media to make sure the audience "hear and see" the message without tiring of it.
4. Great thinking to position Cape Town as a year-round destination. Is this targeted at locals more than the international travel market? Maritz: Yes, currently our two-year focus is on the domestic market, but the campaign doesn't contradict any international positioning. This is supported in our campaign positioning statement: "Cape Town, where there is always something on".
5. Why the focus on weekends? Maritz: What do we all have in common? What do we all look forward to? What do we spend our money on? What puts a smile on our face every week? What do we live for? Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, love to do sport or chill out with your friends, we all love weekends. Weekends make us happy. By associating Cape Town with weekends, we are aligning the Cape Town brand with positive emotions. We're also inviting the local market to see Cape Town as a weekend destination, and by focussing on weekends rather than on seasons, we are positioning Cape Town as a destination that is attractive all year round.
6. Good thinking. Tell us more about the website, which asks visitors whether they are weekend people or not - do 'non-weekend people' actually exist? Maritz: The main functionality of the website is to create a centrepiece for the campaign. These days, any campaign has to include real and relevant content. Asking people to visit Cape Town on the weekend is not enough. The website is a weekend calendar, where it's possible for the visitor to view what's on in Cape Town over the weekend. As far as we know, a service like this does not exist anywhere. Many websites devote calendars to events, but they are confusing to navigate and don't focus on the most important need, finding out 'what can I do this weekend?' Now, visitors can toggle through upcoming weekends and look for an itinerary that suits them.
As part of our launch this year we added a quiz to the website and social media. Asking users to choose between a series of pictures, determines their weekend personality. So, whether you're a morning adventurer or a food lover, Cape Town has weekend activities that suit you. Once you choose your favourite weekend activities, the site links you straight to the best deals on offer.
7. So simple, yet so clever. Explain the campaign's success so far and how it's been received. Maritz: The campaign has been well received thus far - who doesn't love a weekend?! Some big marketing wins include CTT banner ads on Traveller24 having the highest click through rate (CTR) in two years and the video being viewed 30,000 times since launch, showing that users crave travel content. Facebook advertising, page takeovers and YouTube advertising have also been particularly successful in driving users to the Hello Weekend website. We've witnessed fantastic engagement, which can be attributed to eye-catching visuals and content that's fun, fresh and authentic. We've found that most users have been interacting with the campaign through their phones, so have made sure that the campaign is well received on mobile.
8. Let's end with how it ties in to the broader 'love Cape Town' campaign. Maritz: The 'love Cape Town' campaign is very much centred around the emotional connection people have and find when visiting the city. It speaks to locals and visitors in a tone that is positive and authentic. Hello Weekend continues this tone, personifying the Cape Town brand with human emotions and qualities.
That's what works. If you've not seen it yet, visit the official Hello Weekend website, or find out more on Facebook and Twitter.
