Curaçao: swept away by the unexpected - a user generated journey

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CURAÇAO: SWEPT AWAY BY THE UNEXPECTED ‐ A USER GENERATED JOURNEY
SABRE AWARD FINALIST AND WINNER IN CATEGORY BLOGGERS OUTREACH, 2015
Client case: Tourism & Travel
Client: Curaçao Tourist Board Europe
SITUATION: EVERY HOLIDAY IS AN INDIVIDUAL MIX BETWEEN FAMILIARITY AND UNEXPECTED
EXPERIENCES
Research showed that the vast majority of Dutch know Curaçao as an extraordinary tropical paradise
with Dutch cultural heritage in the Caribbean Sea. On top of that, the sunny island wasn’t particularly
top of mind among young and curious travelers seeking more than just sun and sandy beaches.
But what they didn’t know is that Curaçao offers great variety and many unexpected and exciting
places to explore… And it’s those surprising elements that they didn’t know about, that make a visit
to island a holiday to remember. Our main insight was born: the perfect holiday consists of a
carefully balanced mix of familiarity ánd unexpected experiences. Creating the unexpected is what
we set out to do.
STRATEGY: CREATING A USER GENERATED JOURNEY
To inspire the young target audience, we partnered with an upcoming travel blogger to become
“Curaçao reporter“ for a week, dive up these hidden island pearls and share them with the world.
This reporter was key in our strategy; not only because she shared her unexpected experiences
through her social media channels, but mostly because her entire day‐to‐day programme was
determined by tips and stories shared by locals and travelers online and on social media. For the first
time of its kind, engaging content was spontaneously generated with the experts passionately
spreading the word – and a glimpse of the surprising island world, among peers and potential
travelers, inspiring many!
With a low campaign budget and a very professional Dutch travel blogger landscape, we knew we
had to be smart about partnering with the right Curaçao reporter. We looked for a blogger with the
perfect ‘potential traveler’ profiling, while on the other hand offering a great vehicle for the reporter
to increase her/his own social footprint; ensure reach, visibility, engagement and impact for the
campaign at the same time.
EXECUTION: A SOCIAL VOICE FOR ISLAND FANS AND INHABITANTS
Through an intense social media campaign combined with PR outreach, island fans and locals shared
an overwhelming amount of surprising tips unveiling all. At the start of this campaign we knew all
elements were in place and well prepared (strong research and consumer insights, a perfectly‐
matched blogger ánd monitoring tools to engage in real life conversations), but we could not know
upfront which conversations we were going to drive, which stories were going to be told and how
locals and visitors would react to the campaign.
The hashtag #mycuracao (in Dutch #mijncuracao), allowed us to track conversations and to stimulate
people to take part and share their unexpected stories. All social channels, newsletters and the website

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of the Curaçao Tourist Board were used to activate, share and spread island tips. Active media outreach
including an enthusiastic plea on Curaçao’s leading radio station drove further campaign awareness
and involvement.
RESULTS: POSITIVE SENTIMENT AT ESSENTIAL BOOKING PERIOD
The campaign gave inhabitants of Curaçao the opportunity to share what they love most about their
island, while creating a pool of rich content to be used for future social, press and marketing
purposes. Moreover, the campaign was timed to ‘happen’ in November, so on‐message content was
meeting potential travelers the moment they started their online holiday orientation.
In total 345 concrete tips and suggestions were shared– including lots of video and photos. Over
4600 likes and 630 positive comments were generated, showing great engagement from influencers,
locals and frequent visitors. Unique visitor number to Curaçao reporter’s blog (Travellust) doubled in
two weeks’ time, while page views in the campaign month grew by almost 50%.
Above all, all messages, stories, comments etc. that were generated online and in media, were 100%
positive. The campaign created enthusiastic feedback and compliments from journalists, island
ambassadors and bloggers were received by FH and the client. The island welcomed 16% more Dutch
visitors in December 2014 compared to the year before.
Edward Suares, director CTBE, about the campaign: “We like to inspire travelers in a creative way.
With effect! The campaign generated a lot of relevant experience related and easy to share content,
while the involvement of our ambassadors in Curaçao increased considerably. The campaign took
place in November, creating positive sentiment in the run up to our most important booking period
of the year."
SOURCES USED
• Hashtag: #mijncuracao
• Sociale kanalen CTBE: Facebook, Twitter @CuracaoTravel
• Curaçao reporter: @Travellust_NL, Facebook
• Websites: www.travellust.nl, www.curacao.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION
FleishmanHillard Nederland
Anette Hendrickx
T +31 20 406 5930
E anette.hendrickx@fleishman.com @anette_h
Curaçao Tourist Board Europe
Stefanie van der Wulp
T +31 70 891 6600
E s.vanderwulp@ctbe.nl @CuracaoTravel

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CAMPAIGN IMPRESSION
SOCIAL CONTENT EN RESPONSE

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