Finding the itinerary behind every picture.
Finding the itinerary behind every picture.
It is was an ongoing challenge in destination marketing: How to leverage visitors’ user generated content in a meaningful way that gets results – beyond simply more ‘likes’? We’ve met that challenge and have created a tool that turns UGC into a trip planning and booking tool – turning ‘likers’ into bookers.
Since Destination BC launched the #ExploreBC hashtag, over two million photos have been posted with it on social media – giving travellers a glimpse of some of the most incredible spots across BC. But travellers want more than a glimpse, they want to know how they can experience the amazing places they see. And Destination BC doesn’t just want people to “like” photos online – they want people to book trips.
So we created the BC Explorer – an online trip-planning tool that lets travellers plan their ideal BC adventure using the best Instagram photos from across the province.
People start by choosing their favourite photos to uncover all the details behind them – everything from trail names, nearby accommodation, to local tour operators and more. Then, these photos are plotted on a map of BC, pinpointing their exact locations. Finally, users can share the custom journeys they create with friends on social media.
As a result, the BC Explorer transforms inspirational social content into an actionable means for travellers to explore British Columbia. And with more than 80,000 users in the first month, an average engagement time of five-minutes, plus over 60,000 custom trips created since launching, it’s clear the BC Explorer filled a void. And that nothing beats experiencing BC firsthand.
Webby nominee
Communication Arts Advertising Annual shortlist
Idea
The Explorer reveals the details behind people’s BC photos — linking travellers to everything from trail names, to local tour operators, to nearby accommodation — so they can experience the incredible things they see.
The best of UGC
A curated selection of user-generated photos were gleamed from over two million posted on social media with the #ExploreBC hashtag.
Inspiration to trip planning
Users can scroll through thousands of incredible BC photos on the homepage, apply filters to see images specific to their interests, save their favourites to create custom trips, and share them with friends.
Proof of concept campaign
To promote it, we ideated a campaign urging people not to “like” BC photos and use the Explorer to experience the incredible things they see instead.
Results
Since launching, people have created over 100,000 custom trips with an average engagement time of five minutes on the site.
End of the line
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