MarketingOost recently developed an amazing domestic campaign around binge-watching. This was the approach they defined to inspire visitors to visit Zwolle for a city trip, after a long period of quarantine for people in the Netherlands.

In this case study, we look into a great example from a DMO that took benefit of consumer trends to become more attractive in today's market, which is super competitive.

Zwolle as a Streaming Service

"The great thing is: in Zwolle, you create your own story, you live your own moments and you choose your own experiences and adventures"

This was the main objective of this MarketingOost campaign - to invite visitors to binge for a while on their real lives in Zwolle, in the Netherlands.

Just like we do on a streaming service, everyone can choose what they feel like at that moment, what they want to lose themselves in. In this case, the difference is that they are invited to do it in person, in real life in Zwolle. 

It is also great to see the possibility people have to be whoever they want to be when travelling. There should not be barriers or forces pushing people to do something they are not keen on.

The Video Campaign

MarketingOost has created three different trailers inspired by popular streaming series - Friends, Lupin and Emily in Paris.

Each series has its own protagonists and the campaign focused on them. So, for example, in the case of Friends, 'Friends over the IJssel' is the adaptation that encompasses a group of friends who go out and do group activities in Zwolle.

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On the website, one can find a set of recommendations for all those who may travel with friends - ‘Special beer tour in Zwolle’, ’Night out in Zwolle’ or ‘Terraces in Zwolle for a holiday feeling’. This content is personalised to the type of group that is planning, which makes it more satisfactory.

Anna&Abby are the Zwolle adaptation of ‘Emily in Paris’, the latest great success of Netflix. The idea was designed to tap into and play off of the success and rapid increase in on-demand streaming platforms, where they have identified trends as an opportunity.

The type of content recommended to this persona is different. Vintage shops, Instagram-worthy eateries, boutiques and cocktails are some of the article's themes created only to grab their attention and inspire them to visit Zwolle.

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The Impact

Binge-watching in Zwolle had a huge impact on digital channels as it was all about digital trends. The campaign lasted 6 weeks and a new trailer was launched every 2 weeks.

The campaign was split into two main stages. The first one was all about awareness and took place on billboards, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. In total, it reached over 3 million people.

The second was narrowed to social media channels and the goal was now to inspire visitors, as the 2nd step of the digital user journey, down the funnel. Here, MarketingOost reached around 350 thousand people through content articles on social media.

Here at the DTTT, we acknowledge creative campaigns like this one that is able to grab people's attention as they hit the right concept at the right time. Considering the success of streaming series during the pandemic, it was great to see MarketingOost thriving by creating a whole new campaign around binge-watching.

Here at the DTTT, we believe creative campaigns like this one (that play on current consumer trends) can be highly effective both in terms of PR tactics and also creating unique and unexpected forms of engagement.