CASE STUDY: How gamification of real-life trips increased a travel agent's bookings

Background and objective

Tourbaksa noticed a significant reduction in recognition, compared to competitors, among college students. Thus, the company set out to attract the participation of college students and increase its level of recognition through Facebook, the most used social network site by college students.

Currently, Korean college students are stressed out about the difficulty of finding good jobs after graduation. For many of them, overseas travel is limited to language training during their college years. Tourbaksa strives to help students appreciate the joy of travel.

Execution

The company and agency Purple Friends devised a way to make winter-time travel to Hokkaido, Japan, into an interactive experience akin to a reality-TV show.

First a catchy online video (above), supported by mobile advertising, recruited potential travellers. Out of 60 teams that applied, the company selected two teams. During a trip early this year, the teams competed in daily challenges with prizes such as better food or upgraded trip experiences on the line—and Facebook fans picking the daily winner. For example, as shown in the video below, one challenge involved taking the best selfie. The losing team ended up eating at a convenience store, while the other enjoyed a feast.  

Results

The campaign launch video received more than 1,707 views and the online advertisement received more than 87,000 clicks.

The application videos submitted by the 60 teams who applied received 2,035 Likes.

During the campaign period (9 December 2013 to 15 January 2014), the number of Tourbaksa Facebook fans increased by 6,317 to 71,978.

The Interactive tour Facebook app drew 143,791 pageviews and 50,989 unique visitors.

During the trip to Hokkaido (13 through 17 February), the teams posted 23 interactive elements to Facebook, attracting 89,682 visitors (total reach), 1,281 Likes, and 113 comments.

Most importantly, the company's bookings for travel to Hokkaido rose 179 per cent, compared to the previous year. 

CREDITS

Chief creative officer: Moonsoo Lee
Creative director: Sungyu Kwon
Copywriter: Wonhyuk Tong
Film production : Dolphiners (PD: Jongho Baek)