Objective
To position HTA as a large national brand whose earned public trust has kept them operating successfully for generations.
Challenge
To create awareness of the whole HTA brand family by bringing their full spectrum of offerings to life for travelers across the US and giving them a chance to experience the brand firsthand.
Strategy + execution
We wanted to reach out to returning consumers visiting the HTA websites through the use of email marketing, organic Facebook posts on the pages of all Old Town Trolley host cities as well as organic posts for our followers on Instagram and Twitter. We also targeted new users who were searching on Google across all seven cities by supporting promoted posts on both Facebook and Instagram. We grouped all of the HTA brands together and created a travel sweepstakes so their emerging brands could benefit. The grand prize would be an all-expense-paid vacation for two to any of the seven cities HTA operates in, free admission to all HTA attractions in that city and a $250 gift card. This was the most impactful way for consumers to not only enjoy HTA brands, but it was a great way to explore the city and its other offerings.
A unique landing page was created where participants could register for the giveaway, and Google AdWords was also used to drive additional interest.
Though all the HTA banners had callouts, Old Town Trolley Tours was designated the main hub. HTA’s sub-brands, whose budgets were limited, benefited greatly from this arrangement. We also made it easy to register for the giveaway by automatically entering anyone who purchased tickets for any of the HTA attractions.
A 60-second video was produced that was embedded on the social pages of all 22 HTA brands in order to take advantage of their higher traffic rates, thereby increasing awareness for the campaign. The video featured animated tiles depicting scenes showing our brands at work in each of the seven cities previously mentioned.
A Facebook cover photo was made using the video’s design cues for all 22 of HTA’s brands. The photo was redesigned, splitscreened, to show four different cities clustered to the right with the left side displaying a large image that corresponded with whichever brand’s Facebook page you happened to be visiting. That same visual element then carried over to our email marketing efforts and mobile carousel ads, which helped give the campaign a sense of cohesion.
HTA owns and operates 22 brands focused around a central theme of entertainment and American history that has been delighting vacationers for over 35 years. They comprise some of the finest sightseeing excursions anywhere in the United States and have rightly earned their designation as “The Nation’s Storyteller.” Of these, Old Town Trolley Tours, a tour operator active in seven US cities, is regarded as their flagship and the one that defines HTA in the minds of most.
