CASE STUDY - MARKETING STRATEGY
Downtown Dining Week
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BACKGROUND
Downtown Dining Week is traditionally a dine-in program that has been created to celebrate Edmonton's downtown culinary scene and support local businesses.
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CHALLENGE
1. Downtown Dining Week is happening in the midst of a pandemic. People are more reluctant on ordering food from restaurants due to safety and/or budget concerns.
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2. A week before the program campaign launched, dining restrictions were imposed, leaving us less than 24 hours to pivot our marketing strategy.
TASK
Primary: Encourage people to support local by participating at Downtown Dining Week, as restaurants have been struggling during the pandemic.
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Secondary: After restrictions were imposed, we needed to pivot our strategy to inform people that Downtown Dining Week is still happening with patio and takeout options.
AUDIENCE INSIGHT
Staying at home is boring and days are getting mundane for our target audience. Consumers are actively looking for something to do over the weekend while also being cautious and safe.
SOLUTION
Our millennial audience were getting bored of their daily, mundane routine: working from home, cooking dinner, and staying in. Our strategy was to position their participation in Downtown Dining Week as a way to take a break and switch up their routines. Additionally, not only can they treat themselves to a delicious multi-course meal, but can also support local struggling businesses at the same time.
After the restrictions were imposed (only patio dining and takeout were allowed), Downtown Business Association (DBA) got the green light to close 104th street so that restaurants can extend their patios. To pivot our strategy in less than 24 hours, we revised all digital ads to include takeout and patio dining messaging.
LAUNCH
The campaign was launched two weeks prior to the start of the program to get people excited about Downtown Dining Week. Ads were paused for a day when restrictions were announced, and turned back on with revised messaging a week before launch. We targeted Edmonton with Out-Of-Home, radio, and digital advertisements along with influencer marketing and a heavy organic marketing strategy.
Results
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Despite the dining restrictions, we still achieved a 55% increase in unique page views compared to fall 2020's Downtown Dining Week when dine-in was allowed
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Average 2.46% Click-Through-Rate (benchmark: 1%)
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$0.17 Cost-Per-Click (benchmark = $0.38)