Tourism Winnipeg

Winnipeg Tourism Marketing Campaign (over $2500) Award of Distinction

Sponsored by

Presented to an individual, organization, business or marketing consortium in recognition of a creative and innovative marketing campaign that resulted in increased visitation.

Winner: Downtown Winnipeg BIZ

Category Finalists

• Downtown Winnipeg BIZ
  Downtown Peggy was created in 2009 as the source for downtown news and events on Facebook and Twitter for Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. A year later, she started blogging and connected member businesses with Winnipeggers. In 2011, Downtown Peggy went from virtual to reality with the Spot Peggy Downtown contest and the Holiday Scavenger Hunt. Cut-out Peggys were placed in downtown businesses and location hints were dropped using social media. There were more than 1,500 contest entries for Spot Peggy Downtown. Downtown Peggy won an International Downtown Association award and has become a social media model for other North American BIZ associations.
• Winnipeg Folk Festival
  When nuisance mosquitos are the nemesis, the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s creative team makes lemonade with lemons. A cartoon dragonfly starred in the 2011 “Outside Expectations” campaign. The character tapped into the myth that the organization releases dragonflies to hunt the bloodsuckers. Meanwhile, the playful positioning statement reinforced the notion that the outdoor festival gives guests more than they expect. The plan worked. Merchandise sold out two days before the festival’s end, free transit on the Festival Express jumped 181 per cent from 2010, and attendance for the 2011 festival hit nearly 60,000, approximately 5,400 more than the previous year.
• Festival du Voyageur
  The 2011 edition of the Festival de Voyageur received a near perfect guest satisfaction rate.
  Despite icy temperatures, Winnipeg’s celebration of francophone culture was a resounding success. That’s partially due to a memorable marketing campaign. With funding from the federal government’s Marquee Tourism Events Program, the festival’s marketing brain trust identified several key initiatives and then put a plan into action. The “Get/Soyez” campaign, with its instantly recognizable logo and voyageur character, delivered brilliant branding. Increased social media presence tapped into new audiences. And staff presence at trade shows and conferences helped guests in droves to the 2011 party.