Visit Midsomer PR and marketing initiative
Client:
South Oxfordshire District Council
The challenge:
South Oxfordshire District Council wanted to raise awareness of the area as a short break holiday destination. The area is home to mainly small businesses, with few larger accommodation providers or nationally recognised attractions. The campaign had to generate organic year on year growth based on tactical improvement and support.
Services provided:
TEAM specialists identified that 50% of the filming for popular TV series ‘Midsomer Murders’ takes place in South Oxfordshire. The programmer’s fans have large social communities so TEAM devised an initiative that would support this. Work included:
- developing a website to answer fan questions
- holding workshops to get local businesses to promote places to visit, with Midsomer connections
- distributing leaflets promoting locations used by the show
- producing a list of businesses that could support incoming coach loads of visitors
- identifying strong territories through Visit Britain and local press
- licensing official images to use in promotional material
- social media to keep people interested in the Midsomer area
Outcome:
To date, the Visit Midsomer campaign has achieved:
- an additional annual economic impact for the District of between £800,000 to £1m with 16m potential visitors reached
- an average return on investment on marketing spend of £36:1
- 500% growth in number of tour operators bringing groups to South Oxfordshire
- active engagement of 40 to 50 local businesses