Interreg Experience - Consumer Product Testing

In light of the current Covid-19 crisis, the tourism, leisure and hospitality industry is having to re-think how to move forward and rebuild business, demand and revenue. To survive, businesses will need to adapt existing products, collaborate with others in and out of the sector, and reach out to new audiences to recover and drive business growth. The sector has also been shown to be particularly vulnerable due to the seasonality of the visitor economy demonstrating the need for development of off-season product to make businesses more resilient in the future and to deliver more year-round jobs. The pandemic has also significantly hit consumer confidence and the current uncertainty reducing the propensity for domestic visitors to book domestic trips this winter.

The proposed campaign will have a dual purpose to: • Support the immediate recovery by driving off-season visits • Provide consumer insights which will inform the development of new experiential products

Destination Awareness There is a need to build consumer confidence and drive domestic visits to the county throughout the autumn and winter by showcasing product that can extend the season for businesses. We know that 57% of domestic visitors choose their destination based on where they can find a specific activity or experience rather than the other way around. In order to compete with destinations around the county, Kent needs to better showcase authentic experiences based around the natural environment and local culture.

Product Testing Data and insights from the campaign will inform the development of new experiential product development and the marketing strategy for the Experience project. The campaign will test off-season product themes, messaging, imagery and calls to action with various audiences to identify best prospect audiences and maximum engagement. This test campaign presents an opportunity for us to understand more about the demographics of our audience, their perceptions post-covid, the channels they favour and the decision-making process they follow.

Working with the selected agency we will develop a number of assumptions we wish to test via the delivery of an A/B campaign. Insights and results gathered throughout the campaign will be shared with businesses on the Experience Development Programme, with this in mind accurate measurement of all activity plus awareness metrics presented in a comprehensive report are key KPIs. This project is to a great extent a research project more than it is a marketing campaign.

Tenderers are required to provide a complete response to this brief.

Tenderers must carefully examine and consider the brief and satisfy themselves of the appropriateness and validity of any information provided. In submitting a response, tenderers shall be deemed to have read and understood all of the tender documents. Guidelines on the preperation of responses are detailed within the documentation