After a fall advertising and marketing marketing campaign designed to showcase Aiken, town has seen an uptick in downtown visitation and new highs for the hospitality tax.
The metropolis employed Bandwagon, a advertising and marketing agency, in March 2020 to supply advertising and marketing methods for town, and the agency gave an replace on its progress over the previous 12 months in the course of the latest Aiken City Council assembly in April.Bandwagon centered on billboard and digital advertising and marketing throughout that point, operating what it known as a “drive marketing campaign.”Cory Cart, Bandwagon’s chief consumer officer, confirmed a few of the advertising and marketing supplies that had been used and mentioned the agency can pinpoint 218 those that traveled to Aiken on account of the marketing campaign. This information was pinpointed by an organization known as Sojern after which bought by Bandwagon.According to Bandwagon, the info within the digital marketing campaign report relies on what Sojern can show with 100% certainty based mostly on their information partnerships. Their information companions span throughout a number of verticals together with air, resort, metasearch, cruise and on-line journey companies.In this case, a customer is somebody who noticed a Sojern advert from the Aiken marketing campaign after which later booked a visit to Aiken. The whole confirmed traveler quantity is exclusive and de-duplicated. So if a traveler booked multiple journey in the course of the marketing campaign, they are going to solely rely them as one distinctive traveler.”They spent about $471 per individual, so the entire funding on this marketing campaign was $15,000, and the return on that was $6.85 to each $1 invested,” Cart mentioned. “So, we had been capable of present a constructive development and a return on that.”Money was additionally spent on promoting within the Small Market Meetings journal, which showcases distinctive venues and cities outdoors the nation’s largest cities. According to the journal’s web site, it’s learn by over 10,000 assembly planners every month.Bandwagon’s presentation featured statistics for Aiken’s downtown visitation numbers and hospitality tax, which had been each trending in a constructive route. A chart graphing downtown visitation confirmed that it is on the highest stage it has been since 2017.
The City of Aiken has seen an increase in its downtown visitation, in accordance with this chart from a presentation given to Aiken City Council by Bandwagon, a advertising and marketing agency. Bandwagon ran a advertising and marketing marketing campaign final fall to draw guests to Aiken, the timeline of which is signified by the inexperienced line on the chart.
Courtesy/City of Aiken
The 1% hospitality tax, which the City of Aiken applied in 2015, has seen three record months for the reason that marketing campaign began: August and November 2020 and January 2021. Those highs point out that was probably the most cash collected by the tax within the months of August, November and January in historical past, based mostly on information collected by means of February 2021.
The City of Aiken has seen record months not too long ago in its hospitality tax revenue, in accordance with this chart from a presentation given to Aiken City Council by Bandwagon, a advertising and marketing agency. The record months are circled, and the field signifies the present quarter of 2021. (Courtesy/City of Aiken)
Courtesy/City of Aiken
Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh mentioned in the course of the City Council assembly that the hospitality tax revenues for March 2021 are additionally the very best they’ve ever been for March: $147,442.”Everyone at Bandwagon, I believe, has executed an incredible job and exceeded expectations,” mentioned Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon in the course of the assembly. “So, we actually recognize the hassle that you simply’ve put in in a tough 12 months.”The metropolis’s $150,000 contract with Bandwagon is ongoing. It’s a one-year contract with three one-year renewal choices; Bedenbaugh mentioned town is within the first 12 months of the renewal interval. The contract is funded by means of the hospitality tax.
