Case Studies > Tourism > Visit West Volusia
Finding An Unknown Asset: West Volusia Case Study
Tapping Into New Audiences: How West Volusia Attracted Younger Visitors with Data-Driven Strategies
Highlights
Increased Engagement with Younger Demographics
Through SmartPIXL and data profiling, West Volusia successfully identified and attracted a younger audience (ages 21-35) from neighboring cities.
Targeted Campaign Using Geoframing
Leveraged geoframing and target list sourcing to precisely reach potential visitors in key metropolitan areas, leading to a surge in out-of-market visitation.
Collaborative Success with Smart Technology
By combining data insights and cutting-edge technology, West Volusia’s Cool Craft Trail became a catalyst for local tourism, uniting diverse businesses across retail, food, and beverage sectors.
Boosted Local Economy
The Cool Craft Trail campaign united local businesses, driving foot traffic and increasing sales across multiple sectors.
Summary
Region
- Southeast
industry
- Tourism
about
West Volusia, located in DeLand, Florida, between Orlando and Daytona Beach, offers some of the state’s most scenic and unique attractions, yet remains relatively undiscovered by younger visitors. The region’s tourism industry was in need of a strategy to tap into this younger demographic and increase engagement with underutilized local assets.
Challenge
Georgia Turner, CEO of Visit West Volusia, had anecdotal insights about her visitors but wanted to gain a clearer understanding of her audience’s demographics and behaviors. Specifically, she noticed that the 18-34 age group was significantly underrepresented in the visitor data, even though West Volusia offered numerous attractions likely to appeal to younger travelers.
Georgia’s goal was to use data-driven insights to refine marketing strategies and identify the right approach to attract this missing segment of tourists.
strategy
Visit West Volusia provided RMG with over five years’ worth of visitor data from various channels, including online requests, visitor center walk-ins, phone inquiries, and partner data. RMG used SmartPiXL to apply advanced data profiling, analyzing over 200+ demographics and interests to create a comprehensive visitor profile. This revealed a clear gap in engagement from the 18-34 demographic.
With this data, RMG implemented geoframing and target list sourcing techniques to pinpoint the best potential audiences from out-of-market cities like Tampa/St. Pete, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Daytona, and Orlando. These technologies allowed West Volusia to target younger tourists specifically from regions with a high likelihood of interest in its offerings.
solution
West Volusia’s CEO recognized the opportunity presented by the data insights and worked with her advertising agency to develop a new tourism initiative: The Cool Craft Trail. This curated experience featured a mix of local breweries, antique shops, wineries, restaurants, and other unique attractions. The goal was to appeal to younger travelers seeking off-the-beaten-path destinations.
RMG played a key role in identifying the right target audience using SmartPiXL, geoframing, and target list sourcing to ensure the campaign reached the desired 21-35-year-old segment from nearby cities. These technologies made it possible to connect the right people with West Volusia’s unique attractions.
results
The Cool Craft Trail campaign was a tremendous success, drawing an influx of younger visitors to West Volusia County’s attractions. The initiative brought together a diverse range of local businesses and boosted tourism across multiple sectors, including retail, food, beverage, and antiques.
- Increased visitation from out-of-market cities, particularly from Tampa, Orlando, and Gainesville, with notable growth in the 21-35 age group.
- 15% increase in overall tourism bookings within six months of the campaign’s launch.
- Stronger local business engagement, with retailers, restaurants, and breweries seeing a boost in foot traffic and sales.
For more information, visit Cool Craft Trail
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