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With the economic doldrums threatening to derail international tourism to Canada, Rocky Mountaineer has launched a North American-wide television campaign this week targeting the short-haul market.
The campaign, by Calgary’s Venture Communications, is part of a complete brand overhaul and a shift in marketing strategy that previously targeted tour operators and travel agents rather than the end user, says Hubert Wat, vice-president marketing and communications at Rocky Mountaineer.
The direct response advertisement is also chasing a 40+ demographic, slightly younger than its typical 55 and over traveller, through buys on cable television and specialty channels such as Discovery, the History Channel and CNN.
“We are trying to be a little more targeted towards… people who see an ad, go online and might call for information and hopefully cause a reaction to take action and book,” said Wat.
The ad starts off with a black screen and a small light that gradually gets bigger and finally bursts open to show the train in spectacular landscape scenes, food and people shots. The ad ends with an offer: “Book now and receive up to $2,400 in added experiences.”
Offering value add ons such as meals, accommodation, airfare or sightseeing tours, said Wat, was a way to stay competitive without devaluing the brand with “buy one and get one free” offers.
“We are a premium luxury train travel brand, we are not about discounting,” he said.
Wat declined to give a budget, but said the ad with different offers and audio tracks will run until the middle of June.
