This week in Tourism Campaign of the Week, we’ll focus on a great campaign from South America last year- Suitcases of Peru.

Overview:

Peru’s campaign last year generated some great outdoor advertising through utilising ad space that is rarely utilised- travellers’ suitcases.

The campaign gave travellers suitcases that showcased some of Peru’s most beautiful sites. Designed by Peru’s Ministry of Tourism, these suitcases were then seen on airport carousels around the world, promoting Peru as a holiday destination.

At first, these suitcases were given to famous, recognisable Peruvian travellers including chefs, athletes, fashion designers, and celebrities. Suitcases were then offered to the public and apparently sold out relatively quickly.

The campaign is summarised in this video, take a look:

Analysis:

If we purely look at the numbers, this campaign was a resounding success.

Included in the video above, Tribal 121 (a creative agency behind the campaign) states that digital display ads in New York cost $124,000 per year, and in London, $260,000 per year. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, using these suitcases for a fraction of the cost generated over a million dollars in free media, and 5.4 million dollars of publicity.

In addition, a video of the suitcases earned 1.6 million views causing an up swell of popularity from Peruvians themselves wanting to buy these cases.

This tourism campaign converted travellers into walking ads in an environment most relevant to tourism- the airport. Not only is the campaign cost effective, but its strength lies in gaining domestic popularity.

Through strong domestic popularity, this campaign potentially utilises thousands of Peruvians to raise the awareness of Peru as a premier tourism destination.

What To Take Away:

This innovative digital advertising example has impressed us here at Comms8. Utilizing a combination of high-profile travelers and consumers, this campaign has generated an amazing amount of exposure at the fraction of the cost of traditional ad space- especially in an airport.

All in all- we give it a 5/5- great campaign!