Visit Maldives Case Study: Capturing Winter Sun Seekers Through Strategic TV Advertising

Visit Maldives launched a highly targeted test TV advertising campaign in the UK with the aim of attracting winter sun seekers during the holiday season. Partnering with International Advertising Solutions, this campaign exclusively aired on ITV Granada, leveraging its regional affordability and key audience demographics. Here’s a deep dive into how the campaign was structured, its objectives, and its performance.

Campaign Overview

The Visit Maldives campaign aired from December 1st to December 31st, 2021, airing Monday through Sunday. This consistent presence ensured broad reach across multiple touchpoints during the festive period – one of the busiest times in the UK for holiday bookings, as many consumers plan their getaways over Christmas and New Year.

Key Campaign Details:

• Region: ITV Granada (covering Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Isle of Man, and parts of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cumbria, and North Yorkshire).
• Ad Length: 30 seconds.
• Spot Times: Adverts aired between 6:00 AM and 11:59 PM, ensuring visibility during peak and off peak hours to maximise media investment and exposure.
• Spot Placement: 30% aired during prime breaks, 40% during evening primetime (including the high-impact Emmerdale slot), and 60% during daytime.
• Number of Adverts: 22.

Why ITV Granada?

The choice of ITV Granada was a strategic decision. Here’s why it was the ideal region for Visit Maldives:

1. Cost Efficiency: The Cost Per Thousand (CPT) for ITV Granada was 40% cheaper than ITV1 National, making it a smart choice for a test budget campaign.
2. Audience Affluence: The Granada region includes some of the UK’s wealthiest areas, with high disposable income, making it an excellent audience for luxury travel campaigns.
3. Proximity to Manchester Airport: Manchester Airport, one of the UK’s busiest international hubs, serves as a key departure point for travelers. This geographic advantage aligned perfectly with the campaign’s objectives.
4. Post-Pandemic Surge in Travel: The campaign coincided with a travel surge in 2021, as people sought international holiday destinations after prolonged lockdowns. This timing enhanced the campaign’s effectiveness.

Performance Highlights

The campaign’s performance was tracked using TVRs, Target Impacts (NW), and Cumulative Impacts. Here’s what stood out:

1. High-Impact Placements:
   • Prime Breaks: Key adverts aired just before or after top programs like Emmerdale, reaching a wide audience.
   • Evening Primetime: 40% of ads ran during prime evening slots, capturing viewers during peak leisure hours.
2. Cumulative Impacts:
   • Across the month, the campaign achieved 3,764,300 cumulative impacts in the Northwest region alone, underscoring its reach and effectiveness.
   • This ensured that the Maldives remained top-of-mind for travelers planning their winter getaways.
3. Targeted Audience Reach:
   • ITV Granada’s high TV Ratings (TVRs) during popular programs like Die Hard, Coronation Street, and Emmerdale maximized brand exposure.

Key Takeaways

1. Strategic Regional Targeting:
   By choosing ITV Granada, Visit Maldives achieved cost-effective reach in one of the UK’s most densely populated regions, filled with affluent travelers.
2. Balanced Spot Times:
   The campaign strategically blended daytime and evening primetime slots, ensuring visibility across varied audience demographics.
3. Timing Is Everything:
   Running the campaign in December, a month when holiday planning peaks, was instrumental in driving awareness and consideration.

Campaign Success Metrics

The campaign successfully positioned Maldives as a premier winter destination among high-value UK travelers. Some key outcomes included:

• Increased Brand Awareness: Significant uplift in brand recall among the affluent audience in the Northwest.
• High Engagement Rates: Prime placements during popular programs boosted engagement and drove interest in the Maldives as a travel destination.

A Look Behind the Scenes

The campaign’s setup included the following technical details:

• Advertiser: Visit Maldives.
• Spot Length: 30 seconds.
• Spot Type: PYO (Pick Your Own), R1 (Run 1 – Premium Rotation)

This structured approach, which combined selective programming (PYO) with premium placement slots in the ad breaks designed for high visibility (R1 – e.g. being the first advert after the program), ensured precise targeting and optimization for maximum return on investment.

How International Advertising Solutions Helped

This campaign exemplifies how International Advertising Solutions leverages data-driven insights and regional targeting to maximize advertising impact. By strategically choosing ITV Granada, aligning placements with audience behavior, and focusing on cost-efficiency, IAS helped Visit Maldives achieve its goals within a limited test budget.

Looking to make a splash with your advertising campaign? International Advertising Solutions can help you craft high-impact campaigns tailored to your brand’s needs. Learn more about our TV Advertising Services.