Targeted video campaign encourages business travellers to explore Abu Dhabi

The Challenge

As a world-renowned metropolis, Abu Dhabi welcomes business travellers from across the globe. But beyond its many boardrooms, the cosmopolitan city also has much to offer after the conferences end.

With exceptional leisure facilities, decadent fine dining and a rich cultural heritage, Abu Dhabi has all the hallmarks of a luxury travel destination. That’s why the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) wanted to create a campaign that would not only capture the attention of jetsetters, but also those already travelling to the city on business, by encouraging them to extend their stay and explore all that Abu Dhabi has to offer. In order to do that, however, it needed to better understand its audiences and what would ignite their interest.

The Solution

DCT created a series of ‘made in Abu Dhabi’ experiences designed to appeal to two of its key audience pools: ‘business travellers’ and ‘culture vultures’. Corresponding videos were also produced to match these experiences, bringing to life everything from the city’s scenic golf courses and futuristic, soaring skyline, to its vibrant coffee houses and cultural diversity.

Next, precision targeting with LinkedIn Website Demographics identified which audience groups were engaging with this content on the DCT website (www.visitabudhabi.ae). This granular data was then used to connect the most relevant experiences and videos to the right people.

Why Use LinkedIn?

LinkedIn Website Demographics segmented visitors based on LinkedIn profile information such as job titles and industries. This professional data revealed a number of specific audiences within the overarching ‘business travellers’ and ‘culture vultures’ pools, including career changers, senior executives, high-net-worth individuals, and media and travel influencers.

By re-targeting these newly identified audience segments based on the content they engaged with, DCT was able to match up each group with the ‘made in Abu Dhabi’ experience and video that was most relevant to them. Continuous A/B testing of the content against the different audiences using metrics such as view rate and completion rate also helped to maximize views and engagement.

Results

The campaign, which ran before the global pandemic impacted travel, offered DCT valuable insights, not only into its multifaceted audience but the type of experiences and content that resonates with each audience pool. By applying these insights, DCT was able to deliver relevant, memorable encounters and boost traffic to its website. Looking ahead, this level of audience insight will help DCT to plan for future campaigns and target those most likely to want to visit Abu Dhabi.

•   45% uplift in company page visits, month on month
•   Engagement rate 22% higher than the travel and tourism industry benchmark on LinkedIn
•   Video completion rate 47% higher than the travel and tourism industry benchmark on LinkedIn
•   View-through rate 47% higher than the travel and tourism industry benchmark on LinkedIn
•   Click-through rate 56% higher than the travel and tourism industry benchmark on LinkedIn