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Fredericksburg is a small German town nestled in the Texas Hill Country.
When we first started working with them in 2009, the city’s primary draws were antique shopping and seasonal peach farms. However, the city’s offerings were beginning to evolve with the addition of high-end retail, fine dining, vineyards, and wineries.
Historically, the majority of tourists were baby boomers, but the wider variety of experiences available meant it was time to attract younger travelers with more sophisticated tastes, higher household incomes, and a willingness to stay multiple days.
How could we attract new markets without alienating their current baby boomer audience?
By leveraging one of the town’s most precious assets: Its historical charm.
Fredericksburg’s branding had leveraged torn antique paper, dated fonts, images of models aged 60+, and a more subdued color palette to appeal to the older market.
With a goal to appeal to a younger demo, we implemented a vibrant new brand that felt more in line with the experience of a visit.
Brand updates included:
Prior to our engagement, most visitors were making day trips to Fredericksburg, which did not contribute to overnight stays (and hotel tax revenue for the city and county).
To attract a different demographic we started targeting potential travelers from more affluent households from further away who would stay the night and spend more money while in Fredericksburg.
Our strategy captured the attention of this demographic. Research showed a shift in visitor demographics, including:
The travel industry is among the industries where print advertising is alive and well. Visitors will still visit a website and book a trip after viewing an emotionally compelling print ad that drew their interest.
Advertising in higher-end print publications was effective for reaching eclectic travelers, both domestic and foreign.
Creative was focused on creating a visual “speed bump” for readers as they flipped through publications.
Print ad themes highlighted Fredericksburg’s seasonality and differentiators with ads highlighting everything from peach and wildflower seasons to live music to grape harvest (wineries).
Fredericksburg’s advertising campaign and media plan evolved dramatically with the incorporation of cutting-edge digital marketing tactics.
Prior to our engagement, the Fredericksburg digital advertising budget made up less than 5% of the city’s total annual media spend. By the early 2020s, digital spend made up more than 55% of their total ad spend.
Of the 92 million impressions garnered by the overall media plan, digital advertising made up an estimated 80 million (or 87%) of the total annual impressions purchased gaining high website traffic and media efficiency as we grew brand awareness and preference.
Captivating displays in airports and an affluent outdoor mall frequented by tourists emphasized the unique aspects of Fredericksburg. Advertisements showcased the charm of the Texas wine country, delightful small-town holiday celebrations, and the renowned Fredericksburg peaches.
Fredericksburg has become a small historic town with a very cosmopolitan appeal. It was even hailed as ”the new Aspen” in early 2020. As the appeal and accolades grew, so did visitation from visitors outside of the United States. Tourism marketing outreach extended beyond borders, and our collateral system made certain to address the needs of international travelers.
After seeing an increase in travelers from Mexico, Germany, Japan, and France, core Fredericksburg brochures were translated into Spanish, German, Japanese, and French to better accommodate travelers from these countries.
Our relationship with Fredericksburg felt less like a vendor-client relationship, and more like a close partnership. Creative Noggin served as the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau’s Outsourced Marketing Department. In partnership with the tourism department’s small in-house team, we handled everything from strategy to graphic design to media buying to photography/videography, and so much more.
We even created and launched the lovefbgtx campaign in response to resident concerns about the sustainability of the destination after the ensuing wave of tourism post-pandemic.
We were simply an extension of their marketing department, allowing them to leverage our powerful in-house experts in a fractional capacity.
Creative Noggin has provided creative work, advertising placement, printing oversight, photography and video production for the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau for over 10 years. With their assistance, the hospitality industry in Fredericksburg and Gillespie County experienced tremendous growth. The concept of a virtual agency was a leap of faith for the bureau in year one, but the staff of Creative Noggin has proven that it can work very effectively. ‘Work from home’ has been standard operating procedure for years for this talented team of professionals.
ERNIE LOEFFLER | Former President/CEO
Creative Noggin is a woman-owned branding, marketing and advertising agency with offices in Sacramento, California and San Antonio, Texas serving purpose-driven clients, that are primarily social impact organizations, across the U.S.A. and internationally.
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Creative Noggin is a woman-owned branding, marketing and advertising agency with offices in Sacramento, California and San Antonio, Texas serving purpose-driven clients, that are primarily social impact organizations, across the U.S.A. and internationally.
Get industry news–as well as our branding and marketing insights–delivered straight to your inbox.