Situation Analysis
The Maine Thing Quarterly is a digital magazine created by the Maine Office of Tourism (MOT) that features a deep dive into iconic Maine topics for consumers who are looking for lifestyle-oriented editorial. It’s been recognized in both the travel and marketing industry as an innovative marketing tool for reaching consumers on an authentic/genuine level. In late July 2016, The Maine Thing Quarterly, “Chasing the Sun,” in collaboration with L.L. Bean, was launched. Marshall Communications, as MOT’s media relations agency of record, was charged with using PR and organic social media tactics with the goal of raising awareness of the digital publication.
Objectives
To raise awareness of the “Chasing the Sun” Quarterly, our primary objectives focused on securing placements in print and online media that would:
- Establish a greater awareness of the “Chasing the Sun” Quarterly among target audiences
- Increase readership and click-throughs of the L.L. Bean Quarterly
- Establish a consistent readership of this and all Quarterlies
- Increase reach, engagement and shares on all social media posts directly related to the L.L. Bean Quarterly
Methods
To accomplish the objectives, we developed a PR and social media plan focused on the Quarterly that was designed to be executed after its launch. On August 2, Marshall distributed a press release and 60-second video and images, and began targeted pitching. We also prepared MOT’s monthly travel e-newsletter featuring the Quarterly, and distributed to our proprietary travel media list totaling 571 recipients. Posts specific to the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms were posted strategically and featured varying content and calls-to-action through sharing clips of trailer videos of the piece, direct links to the Quarterly, using imagery and sharing L.L. Bean’s social efforts promoting the Quarterly. In addition to the social posts, Marshall planned, marketed and executed a “Chasing the Sun” themed Twitter chat, inviting participants to discuss Maine outdoor activities, the focus of the Quarterly content, while tying the Quarterly and its link into the conversation.
Results
Results of the press release included:
- Total online pickup: 243 articles (release in its entirety with video and images)
- 88,341,866 total potential audience
- 500 release views
- 13,711 web crawler hits
- 295 video views
- 321 image views
There were seven additional results from the press release and pitching efforts. In total, there were 1,224,455 PR impressions.
For the social media portion of the campaign, Facebook’s post impressions totaled 21,494 with 597 post clicks and 437 reactions, comments and shares. On Twitter, there were 12,698 impressions, with 162 engagements. The Marshall Communications–hosted (@visitmaine handle) Twitter chat included 41 participants from the media, Maine tourism industry members and fans of the state. During a seven-day period during and after the chat, there were 55.1K impressions. Instagram posts yielded 1,005 total likes with 14 comments.
The “Chasing the Sun” Quarterly was three times more successful than previous editions within the first 17 weeks following the launch.
