Annual Influencer Campaign

Gatlinburg CVB understands the impact of social media on its brand. Having recently gained over 1,000,000 followers on Facebook, the social media managers at Gatlinburg CVB are experienced and also understand the impact of influencers within travel and tourism. But until recently, they had yet to explore a larger influencer campaign.

After learning that 40% of respondents from a recent survey said they discovered a new travel destination through an influencer’s post on social media and more than 50% of social media users have made travel plans based on influencer recommendations or content, the brand was ready to become more involved with influencers.

In an effort to think outside of the traditional media and marketing box, and even one-off influencer activations, the Designsensory Engagement Marketing team created an annual campaign framework to generate quarterly influencer visits and featured a collection of like-minded content creators who were authentic for Gatlinburg and aligned with the brand’s target audience. This collective methodology allowed for quick bursts of content from a variety of creators. And, although like-minded, each creator brought a unique voice from a different background and vertical. This approach provided the opportunity for long-term, ongoing partnerships. Designsensory utilized various levels of influencers – micro, mid and macro – to target specific audiences that enabled Gatlinburg CVB to reach a wider network than it normally would have through traditional advertising.

Gatlinburg CVB hosted 19 influencers (with followings of anywhere from 50K to 500K+) for a weekend getaway. Highlighting a variety of attractions and seasonal activities along the way, the influencers shared their experiences with their followers. Designsensory provided a unique approach to the ongoing influencer program by choosing marketing pros to act as managers, bridging the gap between brand and creator. Through this campaign, we discovered an influx of “Passion Points,” which helped us to make their trip specific to them and their audience. The campaign led to an ongoing relationship where we will forever be their Gatlinburg connection. This success has created more exclusivity and access for the influencers and we can continue to surprise and delight them in future visits.