Summer is in full swing and if you’re anything like the 74% of Americans planning to travel this season*, you’re probably looking forward to your next getaway. One U.S. city travel bureau leaned into that wanderlust and cooked up something pretty delicious: a campaign to get people visiting all the wonders of “Chowda City” (not its real name, but you get the vibe).

The Challenge:

Visit Chowda City wanted to drive awareness and revenue from travelers across three key markets:

• Drive markets (folks close enough to road trip)
• Fly markets (those needing a plane ticket)
• Canada (because poutine fans love a good chowda too)

The Strategy:

They rolled out vibrant online video ads that highlighted all the exciting things to see, eat, and experience in the city.  But these weren’t your average travel ads. Instead of only talking at audiences, they invited travelers into the conversation.

ViralGains transformed the video ads into Zero-Party Ads by adding:

• A clickable “Book Your Trip” hotspot
• An in-ad survey asking: “Are you considering a trip to Chowda City in the next 2 months?”

Depending on how people answered:

• Yes/Maybe or clicked the hotspot → Sent to a landing page to learn more and book.
• No → Suppressed from future ads (because smart budgets don’t waste impressions).

The zero-party data collected in real-time helped ViralGains and the travel bureau optimize ad placements and spend, focusing only on people likely to pack their bags soon.

ViralGains also activated VoiceAlike® AI, which helped adjust ad frequency toward travelers who were likely to travel.

The Results:

Third party measurement partner Adara reported $8.2 million in flight and hotel revenue directly attributed to the campaign.  

That’s an eye-popping 60:1 ROI.

Want to see how your media plan could drive results like this? Let’s connect.

*source: SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus