Why planning a marketing campaign is like planning a holiday

4th April 2024 by Rachael Bruce

It seems holiday season is already upon us. News websites and social media accounts are full of travel stories and reminders about when to renew your passport. You’re lucky if one in four emails doesn’t generate an out of office autoreply advising that the person you’re trying to contact is on holiday.

When it comes to planning a marketing campaign, there are in fact parallels with planning a holiday.  Read on to find out why.

1. Budget: Knowing how much you have to spend is important and can help focus ideas. If you’re budget is more weekend in Blackpool than a five-star all-inclusive trip to the Bahamas, you’ll need to plan accordingly. Low-fi social media content filmed and edited on a phone could provide a cost-effective alternative to enlisting a production crew to script, film and edit your owned content. With the right message and content, you may even be able to secure earned media coverage from your customers, journalists or influencers.
2. Research: Checking what the weather is like where and when you want to travel, along with reviews of hotels and other facilities in that area are important when thinking of booking a holiday. Similarly, knowing your audience and how best to reach them is crucial to a successful marketing campaign.
3. Packing:  Packing your suitcase for holiday is like preparing your assets for a successful marketing campaign. It doesn’t matter if your suitcase is ready weeks or minutes before it’s time to leave, what matters is what’s inside. For a well-executed marketing campaign, you’ll need a mix of assets for different media channels. This may be as simple as reformatting for different platforms or it could be changing the tone and creative completely to target different demographics.It’s important that your assets are on brand and that every detail is correct before you go live with your campaign, just as you’d check you have your passport and it’s in date before heading to the airport.
4. Timing:  There are two types of traveller – those who arrive at the airport hours ahead of their flight time to allow for delays at security, duty free shopping and people watching and those who race through the terminal and arrive at the gate just as it closes.  Some brands are still working on their summer 2024 campaigns, while others are already planning for Christmas and beyond. There is no right or wrong time. The advantage of the digital age is that while deadlines still exist and can help focus efforts, we’re not as tied to timing as we were when print was the primary medium. Social media channels will even recommend the best time to post based on when your audience is active.

If you need some help planning your next marketing campaign, think of us like a travel agent. Yes you could plan your next trip yourself, booking everything from travel and accommodation to excursions direct, but why not leave it to the experts. Our services include press release and copywriting, social media management, event planning and more. Contact us to find out how we can help.