ATTENTION AMERICAN TOURISTS: Basel is your next European destination
Anne Wang | Begonia Martinez Lobbezoo | Cyrielle Vives | Hristina Bencheva Kirk Nakamoto | Robert Cartlidge | Ziyue Zhang
Basel:The Hidden Gem of Switzerland
Basel (English, German)
Basilea (Italian, Spanish)
Bâle (French)
Located on the Rhine, on the border of France and Germany, Basel is the 3rd largest city of Switzerland
Known for its cultural diversity – art, decorative arts, history
Major transportation hub Home to 2 of the largest
Pharma companies – Novartis and Roche
The Plan:Use Social Media to Boost American Tourism in
2015 American tourism has been flat the past 5
years and we know that Americans rely heavily on WOM/Social Networks to determine their next destination
We also know that ART BASEL in Miami is gaining popularity and has placed Basel on traveler’s consideration set
Current social media strategy is relegated to those travelling within Europe or recurring tourist for the major annual events
There is an opportunity to revitalize social media - broaden target audience, provide relevant content across segments and change overall tone for a more modern and exciting destination
Current Social Media Use:One-Dimensional; Current Need to Change
Perception
Mostly in Swiss German, current social media serves as a centralized forum for major events announcement
Mostly used by nationals
Tone lacks luster
Not used to lure tourists
Current American Perception
Basel is purely a transportation hub
Expensive – out of reach
Too cultural, formal
For the older folk
Only for art and jewelry connoisseurs
The Objective:Transform Social Media to Target World Travelers
Inject humanity, enthusiasm and create engaging content that is still informative
Gear content to the primary American travelers through personalization
Showcase top reasons to make Basel a destination for their next trip
Use Social Media as an empowerment tool – discover the city from a tourist point of view
The Target Audience:Affluent, Trend-Setters, Avid Travelers
Mia & Leon (Couple) Late 40s to early 50s Kids moved out Avid travelers
Nick (Male ) Late 20s to early 30s Hipster,art fanatic Likes to uncover the latest trends
Alina & Julia (Besties – Females) Late 20s to early 30s Not married – travel buddies Fashionista s, Sophisticates
2015 Social Media Makeover: “Basel – The Untapped City to Discover”
Introduce “How I Basel” – a social media strategy designed to engage consumers through the description of what to do in Basel through the eyes of characters
These characters will reflect the target audience
Each character will highlight their experiences and what to do in Basel throughout the year
How do YOU Basel?
@basel_tourism
Content Narrative:The St. Bernard - The Voice of Basel
The St. Bernard is the national dog of Switzerland. Building on this, we will create characters in ‘dog form’ for : - Mia & Leon, culture seekers,
foodies - Nick, male focused trendy
events- Alina & Julia, female skewed
options
These characters will post visual and written content on various social media channels.
We are Mia and Leon. We have been married for 25 years.
Until recently we spent most of our vacations either on the
beach or dragging our kids through the most historical destinations in U.S., Europe and Asia. Ahh… kids are in
college and now we can discover hidden gems at our
pace. We want to do things we enjoy – walks, long romantic dinners, musuems, etc.
3 weeks in Switzerland, here we come. Basel, a must see.
Check out our journal. @babyboomerBasel
Name: MiaAge: 52Job: Interior DesignerStatus: MarriedCity: Laguna Beach
Name: LeonAge: 54Job: Investment BankerStatus: MarriedCity: Laguna Beach
Mia and Leon: No More Family Vacations
I’m Nick from the city by the bay #SF! I am a world citizen by heart and an
artist by trade. I travel for inspiration.
#Basel is my newest discovery and I want to
share with you my journey. Join me on the path of self-discovery, enrichment and adventure in the beautiful
historic town of Basel. Travel. Transcend. Thrive.
@explorerBasel
Name: NickAge: 31Job: Animation designerStatus: SingleCity: San Francisco
Nick: Looking for Inspiration
We are Julia and Alina, #besties forever! We know each other since pre-school but our love for #fashion
and #travel keeps us closer and closer. We enjoy
exploring new cities. That is what happened with #Basel:
a real #crush! Follow us if you want to know
more about this incredible city, we have a lot to share
about it.Au revoir US.. Bonjour Basel!
@bestiesBasel ;)
Name: Alina Age: 27Profession: Fashion DesignerStatus: SingleCity: New York City
Name: JuliaAge: 28Profession: Art DealerStatus: SingleCity: New York City
Alina and Julia: Not your Average Gals
INTRUIGING HEADLINE
REAL TIME/DYNAMIC
The New Approach:Intrigue, Engage, Target
TARGETED CONTENT
VISUALLY APPEALING
The New Approach:Social Media Channels to Utilize
• Provide insights and travel tips• Supplement short
form content with details
• Build community• Share travel
experiences and event ideas• Post real-time
events
• Build community• Share travel
experiences and event ideas• Find advocates• Post visual material
WR
ITTEN
VIS
UA
L
• Staged and Informal visuals• Provides visual
content for FB and Twitter
• Pins to be used for vacation planning folder with photos
The Channel Strategy:How do I Basel?
Events and
Promo-tions
25%
Basel Tourist Expe-
ri-ences
35%
Tourism Support to facili-
tate travel
20%
Lifestyle Content
10%
Real-Time Content
10%
Mia and Leon: Example Posts
Mia and Leon: Example Posts
Nick: Example Posts
Nick: Example Posts
Alina and Julia: Example Posts
Alina and Julia: Example Posts
Content Frequency: Post When Audience is Focused on Travel Planning
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
Posts 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Time 6PM 6PM 6PM 6PM 4PM 7AM 11AM
Posts 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Time 7AM/12PM/6PM/9PM
Posts - - - 1 - - 1
Time 4PM/9am
Posts 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Time 7AM/12PM/5PM
Posts 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Time 7AM/5PM
And QUALITY is more important than quantity.
*Pacific Time** The number of posts is subjected to
change (±15% tolerance per week).
PUBLISH
• Co-ordinate and manage publishing to multiple platforms
• Provide content approval process and central resource
ANALYZE
• Measure reach (Facebook, Twitter, blogs)
• Measure engagement (share/ comments on Facebook, comments on posts, re-tweets)
• Measure conversion (click throughs to Basel website, visits to Basel)
LISTEN
• Monitor conversations in social media relating to Basel or tourist events
• Respond to any criticism or questions
MANAGE
• Manage content production and approval
• Third-party licensed content to keep us moving
Management of the Strategy:Measuring Success
Management of the Strategy:Platforms Enlisted
SPRINKLR
• Sprinklr will be used as our major platform to allow us to post to Twitter, Facebook and WordPress. Manage workflow, listen and assess responses.
• Pinterest and Instagram are not compatible with most integrated publishing tools, so will be managed directly.
• This tool was selected as a cost-effective integrated approach.
Yoast SEO
• Yoast SEO provides a plug-in application that will be used for WordPress long form content, to ensure our search results show up well when individuals are planning their trips.
FANCORPS
• Fancorps will be utilized to help build our customer advocate group.
• This tool will be integrated into our Basel Facebook page.
• We will use this to promote content sharing and other tasks in exchange for prizes or vouchers to promote repeat visits to Basel by our advocates.
YAMMER
• Yammer will be used as an internal brainstorming and discussion platform for the Basel social media team, and also allow input from the local tourism board or even other stakeholders.
• This will be used for future planning, and not as a process management tool for current content streams.
Management of the Strategy: Center of Excellence
Community
Manager(CM)
Editor
Content Strategi
st
Analyst
Content Editor
Creative Editor
Community Manager• Social Strategy Oversight• Coordinate, approve, respond• Liaise with marketing team
Content Strategist• Develop and maintain 2015
calendar
Creative Editor• Oversee 3rd party creative
agencies• Creative content strategy
Channel Editor• Oversee 3rd party content
agencies, create content• Written content strategy
Analyst• Monitor/measure
performance• Report
Timeline:Kick Off in June 2014 and Launch January
2015
LIVE CAMPAIGN
Launch January 2015
Weekly Review and Content Adjustments
Preparation• Hire Community
Manager• Finalize CofE
team• Software
Purchase/Training
• Interview stakeholders
• Catalogue previous content
• Select 3rd Licensed Content Vendor(s)
• Finalize Process/Approval Chains
• Finalize Launch Content
SPRING 2015 SUMMER 2015 AUTUMN 2015
Real Time PostsSwiss National Day
Build-up to Basel Herbstmesse
Quarterly StrategyReview
Outside Culture Campaign
Real Time PostsBaselwalt
Forward Thinking:“How I Basel” Longevity and Sustainability
Character development will last at least 1 calendar year, enhance and/or introduce new individuals in year 2 depending on year 1 performance
Identify real people influencers and advocates to eventually migrate to a testimonial based strategy in year 2-3
Add YouTube as social media channel and potentially integrate approach across all marketing channels in year 2+
Weave in promotions and sweepstakes to encourage engagement
@basel_tourism
Welcome Americans…Welcome!