The Concept: ROI. Issue #0000011
Q: Will I see an ROI with my partnership with Trampoline?
A: The simple answer is: yes, creating consumer demand is one of our specialties.
Will investing in outbound marketing improve my bottom line? Can it be done for less expense? What is the ROI of a brand investment, a creative campaign, or a video series?
So many questions! Such uncertainty. Stalwart businesses are closing their doors. Layoffs are continuing to rattle workers, automation is a threat to livelihoods, not the robot assistants that The Jetsons promised us.
With that cold read of the current climate, how does a company justify the marketing budget?
The simple answer is: how else will you create consumer demand? So much of our work— messaging and brand positioning—is designed to connect with a specific target, and build excitement. To stoke the spending fires, or, to be so confident in our creative that it generates enough FOMO to persuade a consumer into a purchase that benefits our client.
Here are three recent examples of consumer brands and destinations that have allocated resources to build their marketing—and their near-term return on investment:
Bromley Mountain:
Surrounded by destination behemoths like Stratton (to the south) and Killington (to the north) and competing against nearby Epic Pass Resorts like Okemo, Stowe, and Mount Snow, Bromley needed to make a big impression, with a small budget.
After two decades with their previous creative agency, Bromley had become complacent with their outbound marketing, and the brand was getting lost in a blizzard of competitive campaigns from industry titans like Vail Resorts.
Trampoline sharpened the edges of their existing message with the marketing team, building out a consumer campaign titled “Skiing Made Simple” that educated skiers about their pass prices and guaranteed day-ticket amounts. Event marketing and family-focused lesson campaigns helped to forward the message that Bromley makes everything easy.
Season pass sales improved by 35%, year over year. The fresh look and feel got a lot of attention, and the Bromley commitment to being a brand that’s easy to experience reinforced all of the advertising.
High Falls Gorge:
An Adirondack roadside destination with waterfalls, hiking trails, shopping, and dining—High Falls Gorge is an outdoor experience for the entire family. Summer and fall are the height of their attendance, with vacationers and leaf-peepers on the road through upstate New York. The falls are spectacular in the winter, and guests can snowshoe and relax by a cozy fire, but the colder months have yielded fewer guests.
Ownership allocated a modest budget to build a winter-specific campaign, deployed on social media with a digital ad component. Ad creative showcased the beauty of the gorge and the different activities available, from October through February. More strategy and campaign numbers can be seen here.
Attendance improved 300% during the targeted slow season.
Paradox Brewery:
Paradox Brewery was seeing a lull in sales, especially in the outer area of its distribution. Their previous brand, tied to hiking and the Adirondacks, had little appeal in areas that they wanted to expand into: New England, Philadelphia, and the Mid-Atlantic.
A complete rebrand, packaging update, and launch materials like photos and video have repositioned Paradox to appeal to a younger demographic. This has translated to improved sales, almost immediately, with Paradox Pilsner becoming the #1 selling Pilsner in New York*, despite not being distributed downstate, or west of Syracuse. Not to mention, 10th Anniversary merchandise sales during their celebration event topped $10,000 in a single day.
Marketing has to be accountable. It needs to be unique, strategic, and effective—like the three examples above. Audience, impressions, psychology, and design all combine to influence consumer decisions and convert awareness to sales.
Positive R.O.I. is the result when a business, organization, or destination is ready to engage with its audience. It takes a dedicated effort to create, a budget to support an ongoing media spend, and a clear goal to meet, or exceed. Build the buzz around your brand. Tell the tale that’s central to what it is that you do, to the people who understand how much it matters.
(*16oz cans IRI multioutlet grocery as of 1.14.24)
– TRAMPOLINE DESIGN • 5/21/2024
