Selling holidays in lockdown for Aria Resorts

An award-winning paid media strategy that drove results in unprecedented circumstances

Activity period: 2020

Challenge

With the pandemic taking full effect during March 2020 and the UK entering into an open-ended lockdown, Aria Resorts needed a new approach to a unique problem: how do you sell holidays when people aren’t allowed outside? Working on a reduced budget, maintaining visibility was vital to Aria Resorts, allowing holidaymakers to research, plan, and book – turning armchair explorers into converted business.

2.3million

in revenue generated

152%

revenue growth year on year

Our approach

Our strategy had to capture and hold interest until a time where customers felt comfortable purchasing. We tailored copy in our campaigns to push a consumer-centric ‘flexi-booking’ message and expanded our remarketing campaigns to keep potential bookers warm. Working closely with Aria’s internal marketing team, we used past booker data to find ‘similar to’ audiences. With this data-driven approach, we got a laser-focused understanding of where bookings were most likely to come from, and target accordingly.

Results

We were charged with securing holiday bookings worth a minimum 1,000% return on ad spend against Aria Resorts’ budget. We vastly exceeded this return to such an extreme that Aria had to actually reduce budgets for August… we had sold nearly every bed they had!

2833%

Return on ad spend

Testimonials

“

At the start of the pandemic we could have gone one of two ways: batten down the hatches, or sail into the storm. We chose the latter. Having worked with the impressive Launch Online team for a few years, we knew we were in expert hands. They delivered stunning results which – in the middle of May – seemed a long, long way away.

SIMON PITMAN – GROUP MARKETING DIRECTOR – ARIA RESORTS

”