Le marketing territorial a le vent en poupe. Avec l’essor du tourisme de proximité, les collectivités et acteurs touristiques locaux cherchent à promouvoir leur destination auprès des voyageurs. Pour se faire connaître et donner envie de partir à la découverte de son territoire, les acteurs du tourisme peuvent faire appel à la gamification. Ce levier innovant leur permettra de capter l’attention de leur audience et de les engager avant et après leur voyage !

SUMMARY

• What is regional marketing?
• 3 steps to strengthening your regional marketing strategy
• Gamification to boost regional marketing

Le marketing territorial (on parle aussi de marketing régional ou marketing du tourisme) correspond à l’ensemble des leviers de communication mis en place pour faire la promotion d’une destination (ou des services liés à sa découverte). 

Le principal objectif du marketing territorial est donc d’attirer les voyageurs en leur donnant l’opportunité de réserver des nuitées, des excursions sur place ou toutes autres prestations touristiques mettant en valeur le patrimoine culturel d’une localité.

The challenges of regional marketing

You can’t sell a tourist destination in the same way as you would a traditional product. The challenges of tourism marketing are specific, not least because they are part of a different timeframe. Interest in a destination will vary according to the season, but also according to holidays (particularly school holidays) and local events. The time between booking and departure is not the same either.

Companies therefore need to manage the wait before holidays start, by reassuring travellers and offering them resources to help them prepare for their stay.

Discovering a travel destination is also less tangible than a traditional product or service. That’s why it’s so important to create immersive marketing experiences that let you project yourself into a place you know nothing about. Territorial marketing also relies much more heavily on recommendations from previous travellers, who will play a key role in the appeal of a destination and the establishment of a relationship of trust.

Finally, those involved in tourism marketing also have to deal with increasingly intense competition. Destinations are vying with each other to capture the attention and arouse the curiosity of travellers who may be in the four corners of the world. Tourism operators must also adapt to the new expectations of travellers, who are looking for more authentic experiences and opportunities to mingle with the locals.

Pour répondre à ces enjeux spécifiques au marketing territorial et se démarquer de leurs concurrents, les acteurs du secteur peuvent : 

1. Réaliser un diagnostic de leur territoire pour identifier sa proposition de valeur unique. Chaque destination a un attrait spécifique, des traditions et un terroir à mettre en avant auprès des voyageurs. Ce diagnostic permettra non seulement de créer un message marketing plus impactant, mais aussi d’identifier les cibles les plus pertinentes auprès desquelles le délivrer. 

2. Créer des expériences immersives incitant au départ. Pour donner envie de réserver ses vacances dans un territoire que l’on a souvent jamais visité, il faut pouvoir en partager un aperçu fidèle et attractif. La gamification peut être un excellent moyen d’immerger son audience dans un univers propre à son terroir afin non seulement d’inciter à la réservation, mais aussi de manager l’attente avant le départ. 

3. Concevoir une stratégie marketing omnicanale. Pour porter ses fruits, le plan de communication mis en place doit non seulement décliner les différentes promesses faites aux voyageurs (via des campagnes ciblées). Mais aussi être diffusé sur différents canaux marketing afin de toucher le public le plus large possible et multiplier les points de contact avec les voyageurs intéressés. Les acteurs du tourisme peuvent par exemple faire appel à des influenceurs ou encore créer des campagnes de co-branding avec des marques offrant des services complémentaires, etc. 

Gamification, which involves incorporating playable interactions into marketing campaigns, is an excellent strategy for tourism operators. By offering immersive, playful experiences to their audience, they can help them discover their destination and make them want to set off to explore it.

1. Discover your destination

First and foremost, playable marketing is an excellent way ofraising the profile of your region. The game will give travellers the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new environment, maximising the time they spend with the company and therefore their desire to discover the destination.

The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, for example, launched a Swiper competition to promote its landscapes to travellers from neighbouring countries. Supported by a targeted media campaign, the aim of the operation was to encourage people to discover the region. The game highlighted the diversity of the region’s landscapes and enabled the region toidentify participants’ preferences. The region was then able to target its retargeting campaigns at the destinations most attractive to them.

2. Engaging your audience with a marketing game

The challenge of regional marketing is to showcase your destination and capture the attention of travellers as they start to plan their next holiday. So there’s a real need to keep the audience entertained, all year round, to ensure that your region remains top of mind and attractive.

Interactive events, because they are fun and engaging, are an excellent way of generating curiosity among tourists and encouraging them to take action by giving them the chance to win attractive prizes (particularly discounts on their bookings).

The Hauts-de-France Region, for example, launched a campaign around the Paris-Roubaix race to engage its regional audience by immersing them fully in this iconic event. The game raised the profile of the race, with a high level of engagement: on average, each player played 2.12 games and spent more than 5 minutes on the game.

3. Make tourists want to come back

Marketing games can be an excellent way of building loyalty among travellers and persuading them to return by strengthening their attachment to the destination. Gamification can, for example, boost the effectiveness of a loyalty programme, as the Marriot Bonvoy hotel chain is doing. With each new booking, travellers can unlock exclusive games and access unique benefits (to upgrade their room, be offered additional services, etc.).

Conclusion

La gamification est un excellent moyen pour les spécialistes du marketing territorial de booster l’attractivité de leur destination. Captez l’attention des voyageurs et donnez-leur envie de découvrir votre terroir en les engageant via des animations immersives. Adictiz vous propose un catalogue de jeux marketing à personnaliser pour générer plus de réservations !

Marketing in the home and garden sector is booming since the pandemic, with the French investing in their living spaces. According to a study by the Fédération Française du Bricolage, spending on home improvements has risen by 6.2% in 2020. The gardening market is expected to grow by 16% in 2021.

This growth has been accompanied by increased competition, with :

• The arrival of new players,
• The rise of digital commerce
• The ehigher expectations of consumers, more and more of whom are taking up DIY without necessarily being experts.

Faced with these challenges, it’s essential for brands to adapt to trends and offer solutions tailored to the audience’s expectations. In this article, we share advice and examples of how to capture attention and boost sales through competitions during spring.

SUMMARY

• Marketing challenges in the home and garden sector
• Why organise a spring competition game?

The home and garden sector has a number of characteristics:

• a wide range of products, from home furnishings and decorations to garden equipment;
• its seasonality, with demand influenced by trends and the weather;
• more complex logistics, for stock management, for product delivery and assembly/returns, etc.

Because of these particularities, the marketing challenges faced by retailers are different from those faced by other sectors.

1. Marketing based on trends and product innovation

The home and garden sector is influenced by trends, in terms of design, materials or technology (think of connected home tools). Brands must innovate to meet consumers’ changing needs. They are looking to improve their quality of life and personalise their space.

2. A seasonal sector requiring effective demand management

Demand for products related to gardening, home maintenance and decoration peaks according to the season. Garden equipment and plants are popular in spring and summer. Heating and home decoration products can experience a sales surge in winter.

The major vertical brands need to optimise their campaigns around the seasons. What’s more, they are banking on an ultra-wide catalogue in order to be attractive and profitable throughout the year.

3. The omnichannel challenge and the digitalisation of the shopping experience

The home and garden sector has undergone a digital transition, with an increasing number of consumers researching and purchasing products online. An omnichannel trend is a challenge for brands, who need to offer a consistent experience online and in-store.

Castorama has incorporated digital technology into its sales strategy, offering customers the option of reserving items online and collecting them in-store. The chain uses digital solutions to advise customers, with video tutorials and advice. As for Leroy Merlin, its application allows users looking for a product in the catalogue to consult stocks in real time in the nearest shop or to check delivery availability.

4. A personalised offering and a focus on sustainability

Consumers are sensitive to product quality, origin and environmental impact. The home and garden sector is affected by the sustainability trend, and is being called on to offer eco-responsible products and sustainable renovation solutions.

5. Customer loyalty and brand experience

The home and garden sector relies on building customer loyalty, as these products are purchased on a recurring basis (home improvement, renovation, maintenance). Building customer loyalty involves reward programs, personalised advice and high-quality after-sales service.

One example is Leroy Merlin, whose ‘Leroy Merlin Club’ loyalty program offers discounts, tailor-made advice and access to free delivery services to the brand’s best customers. Leroy Merlin also offers DIY workshops to build loyalty among shoppers and encourage them to return to the store.

Spring is a strategic time for brands in the home and garden sector, as it marks the start of the gardening and landscaping season. It’s a time when consumers start to take an interest in renovation projects and home maintenance (after the winter and the famous spring cleaning).

This is important for brands that don’t communicate on other spring highlights (like Easter) and need to boost their communications at this time of year.

Home and garden retailers can capitalise on the arrival of spring by organising a competition. This strategy will enable them to achieve commercial objectives, including visibility, an increase in their conversion rate and customer retention.

1. Boost awareness with a spring competition

Spring is the time to raise the profile of your home furnishings brand, as consumers are focused on improving their environment and DIY projects.

For DIY chains, the challenge is to remain ‘top of mind’ during this time of year and to position as the essential brand for getting spring projects off the ground. The competition is the ideal format for widening the audience (using fun mechanisms and the promise of attractive rewards) while promoting their seasonal offers.

Example: Showroomprivé’s ‘Garden Party’ campaign, based on a one-armed Bandit instant win, highlighted seasonal products to celebrate the arrival of spring. This fun in-app feature gave visibility to the brand and its partner brands, and encouraged sales.

2. Attract shoppers to the shop and generate more conversions

Spring is a time when consumers, motivated by the warm weather, want to take action. Spring campaigns can encourage customers to visit shops to buy gardening, DIY or outdoor decoration products.

Competitions are effective here, as they enable retailers to share incentives to buy (in the form of exclusive, time-limited discount vouchers). Gamification acts as a drive-to-store lever. By organising events directly in-store (such as DIY workshops, demonstrations, prize draws), companies attract customers to their point of sale and encourage them to make purchases.

Example: Aushopping chose Outrun to raise the profile of its shopping centres. The scheme, which focused on customer engagement and recruiting new leads, encouraged web-to-store traffic at this time of year. The campaign achieved an conversion rate: all visitors to the game filled in the form and played, underlining the appeal of the operation.

3. Increase your retention rate

The issue of loyalty is crucial for brands, which need to encourage their customers to return to the shop and buy from the brand. To do this, they rely on a high-quality after-sales service or offer an innovative loyalty program, giving access to attractive benefits (discounts, etc.) as well as personalised services.

The competition can be reserved for the company’s VIP customers. But it also serves as a data collection tool. By refining its customer knowledge, the brand can then share recommendations, targeted resources and advice, depending on the project.

Example: The main aim of Lidl’s ‘Les rendez-vous jardin’ campaign was to increase the visibility and awareness of the chain’s garden catalogue. It aimed to generate leads and collect opt-ins so that they could be ‘fed’ via marketing campaigns throughout the year.

Conclusion