Marketing Campaign of the Year

Folklorama's 52nd annual Festival marketing campaign embodied the fear of missing out. If you weren't at Folklorama August 6-19, 2023, then where were you?

The "FOMO"rama campaign was a success, as the average festival attendance increased by five per cent per pavilion and VIP Group Tours nearly sold out with only a single seat remaining, one of the highest figures in recent festival history.

Organic social media reached over 430,000 accounts across Facebook, TikTok and Instagram with the pavillion highlight reel earning 136,000 views on Instagram and 30,000 on TikTok. Media mentions reached 305 million consumers and there were over 47,000 views of the digital Folklorama Travel Guide with 55,000 downloads. “FOMO”rama generated buzz, boosted attendance and made for a festival that you couldn’t afford to miss.

The main goal for the 2023 Winnipeg Folk Festival’s campaign was to reinforce the festival's culture and community, a place where everyone can unapologetically be themselves, full of inclusivity, kindness and compassion.

A cast of characters, including the very first festival logo of a sun playing the banjo, were used to showcase the magic and joy of the festival. The Winnipeg Folk Festival brought music and storytelling together to create a campaign with social, digital and traditional media to target key demographics and geographic markets.

The result was a success, with the highest paid attendance in the festival’s history and a high satisfaction rating of 89 per cent from attendees. The community showed their support for the Winnipeg Folk Festival culture by creating a positive and memorable experience for all.

Jeudis de la Francophonie enriched Thursdays in St. Boniface this past summer with an outdoor artisan market, movies under the stars at St. Boniface Cathedral and live music at Patio 340. The weekly events and marketing campaigns established a successful model for promoting the Francophone community.

Jeudis de la Francophonie was a hugely collaborative effort of 18 organizations, 23 hosted shows, 16 events, 27 recreational activities and 37 guided tours. From direct mail pieces and posters to a website and an active social media presence, marketing for Jeudis de la Francophonie helped bring over 21,000 visitors to St. Boniface and generate $168,000 in direct sales.

Jeudis de la Francophonie showcases the power of collaboration in promoting cultural richness and economic growth, while growing Francophone tourism and its contribution to Manitoba’s tourism industry.

In 2023, Churchill Wild set a goal of achieving pre-pandemic booking numbers for its three ecolodges in 2024, knowing that its reputation would lead the way.

Churchill Wild reached out to past guests to share their exceptional travel stories which were then published through blog posts and organic and paid social media to create the Turning Our Customers into Heroes campaign.

By year end, the campaign helped close the gap on 2019 bookings with 60 per cent of 2024 dates being sold out and seven per cent of 2025 dates already booked. The "Turn Our Customers into Heroes" marketing campaign exceeded all goals and set up Churchill Wild not only for a great 2024, but also for the years to follow.

The Dauphin place brand launched in 2022, rooted in the region’s deep and vibrant culture and in 2023, Tourism Dauphin expanded its campaign to boost visitor numbers and generate greater economic impact. Focusing on signature events like Dauphin’s Countryfest and Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival, and boulder attractions like Northgate Trails, the campaign targeted audiences of music, culture and outdoor activities.

The campaign also highlighted lesser-known attractions, positioned Dauphin as a regional accommodation hub, included locally-crafted merchandise collaborations and established the Dauphin Adventure Fund. The Dauphin, Adventure From Here On Out campaign illustrates how even with limited resources, significant accomplishments are attainable by cohesively aligning your brand, messaging and goals.

Holiday Alley is Selkirk’s vibrant winter festival, intended to connect the community and bring tourism to downtown in support of businesses and other non-profits. From water bill inserts and posters to earned and paid media, Holiday Alley’s strategy is to grow their festival of art, light, sound, culture and creativity during Selkik’stourism shoulder season.

In 2023, 58 per cent of the 5,000 attendees were from outside of Selkirk, which brought a significant increase in sales and foot traffic to downtown businesses and attractions. All sign-up events like the soup cook-off, craft market tables, and arts and crafts workshops were all sold out, a testament to the marketing success of Holiday Alley.