How a “Sweet ReTreat” Turned Frozen Treats into Positive Brand Awareness
Travel & Tourism
Brands want to stand out. We’ve all been there: the client asks for a “big idea” to “make a splash.”
Enter the BVK Experiential Team.
Funjet Vacations needed to raise brand awareness among families and adults in Houston, Dallas and Denver, as well as top travel agents in Milwaukee and Chicago. With summer right around the corner, the team wanted to surprise and delight these people in a way that was as fun as the Funjet brand.
In short: how do you create the sense of carefree fun that travelers experience on vacation right in key origin markets?
The answer: give away free frozen treats to consumers in the target markets, using energetic brand ambassadors and colorfully branded frozen treat tricycles in high-traffic areas. For the “Sweet ReTreat Mobile Tour,” Funjet partnered with Palace Resorts to raise awareness in advance of the summer vacation season, and used the resorts’ recipes for frozen treats in three flavors: dulce de leche, watermelon and coconut.
This was a fun and whimsical way for Funjet to connect directly to 18,000 consumers in the key markets. And not only did they hand out these sweet frozen treats, but the branded ice cream truck garnered 1.4 million impressions–just from driving from location to location. Local media and radio stations also got in on the action, resulting in an additional 1.9 million impressions.
To engage key travel agents, Funjet invited several agents to be on-site during the mobile tour stops. These local agents wore bright yellow t-shirts so consumers could easily approach them to ask about travel. Agents were also equipped with promo code discounts for qualified leads, leading to increased vacation sales.
As a way to generate email leads for Funjet, the team also planned a trip giveaway. At each stop on the tour, consumers could get their frozen treat and then upload a photo for the chance to win a Funjet vacation to Palace Resorts. As a result, 75% of the entrants opted to receive future email communications from Funjet vacations.
Overall, BVK met Funjet’s needs by providing a lift in brand awareness, building goodwill with travel agents–and bringing surprise and delight directly to consumers in a way that only Funjet can.
