Date issued: 2 October 2018
Over the summer, Visit Colchester launched its first ever television advert on SKY AdSmart and its social media channels. The advert, designed to complement the tourism campaign If Our Walls Could Talk, showcased the heritage and culture of Britain’s Oldest Recorded Town and First City through the story of its many walls.
To deliver the commercial, Visit Colchester worked with SkyAdSmart and Experian to target a specific audience who lived within a two-hour drive to Colchester and were able to visit Colchester for a day trip or extended stay.
The advert achieved 459,651 impressions (views) during the campaign period, via Sky AdSmart, and a further 123,000 views via Visit Colchester’s social media channels.
The advert was predominantly shown during the 8pm-11pm peak-time slot across all the major SKY channels – with Sky entertainment and sports genre channels proving the most popular delivery method.
In addition, the advert has been airing on the big screen at the Colchester United stadium as part of the If Our Walls Could Talk campaign and will continue to do so for the duration of the 2018-2019 season.
Partners across the town have been sharing the advert on social media, including the University of Essex who are using it on their specific Chinese social media channels which promote the town to a new international audience.
Since the advert aired, early indications show that the advert and the tourism campaign If Our Walls Could Talk are having positive responses. The Visitor Information Centre has had positive feedback from people who have seen the advert, including residents who have commented how proud it has made them of coming from Colchester.
More people are now also interacting with Visit Colchester’s social media channels, with numbers of followers increasing by 14% on Twitter, 55% on Facebook and 40% on Instagram between August 2017 and August 2018; while www.visitcolchester.com saw visitors to the site rise 15% over the same period, with its highest ever number of visitors to the site in one month recorded in August 2018.*
Cllr Tim Young, Portfolio Holder for Business and Culture and Deputy Leader of Colchester Borough Council said: “We are delighted with the responses and results that the advert and campaign is having. Colchester is a town steeped in history and heritage and is open all year round for business, and we must continue to promote this.
“Visit Colchester will use this exceptional resource we now have to promote Colchester as an all-year-round tourist attraction, and work is already underway to promote the town to those looking for an autumn break.
“The service that Visit Colchester offers to tourists and residents is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week public service and can be accessed in person or online making for a Better Colchester for all.”
Page last reviewed: 2 October 2018