Measuring Success...Rich Media Benefits
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By Tessa Wegert, a writer and consultant specializing in Internet technology, and a regular contributor to the Technology and Business sections of The Globe & Mail.
www.tessawegert.com |
Intrawest Enriches its Marketing Campaigns with Rich Media by FalconEFX
It may have been a novelty a few years ago, but Rich Media is fast
becoming the online marketer's promotional and performance-oriented medium of choice. According to Jupiter Research, advertisers spent $121 million on online video ads last year alone, and Rich Media units are expected to account for over half of all online display ads by 2009.
Encompassing everything from video to floating, out-of-banner formats
and this method of online advertising is known for its ability to excite and absorb Internet users. From a visual standpoint, it can even surpass the high-quality television and film promotions consumers are accustomed to seeing offline. It's little wonder, then, that Rich Media is increasingly being used as part of advertisers' cross-media campaigns.
When done right, the result can be a multi-faceted marketing effort that's engaging, memorable, and destined to deliver results.
Consider two recent examples from Intrawest (www.intrawest.com), the
top developer and operator of village-centered destination resorts across
North America. With an objective to promote four of its winter resorts to
a targeted audience within the New York tri-state area, and to increase vacation package sales from its adventure travel group, the company launched two multi-channel marketing campaigns last year, both of which included Rich Media. When it came to developing the latter component of the campaigns, the company looked to FalconEFX a leading multimedia firm, which specializes in Rich Media.
"They wanted Rich Media presentations that were not only impressive but also effective," says Heather MacFayden, Senior Project Manager with Victoria, BC-based FalconEFX. "They knew the quality of work that we produce and that our pricing was very competitive, so they came to us first."
 FalconEFX believes that Rich Media is "the most creative and cost effective method for selling the sights and sounds of a company's products and services online." The company's partnership with Intrawest allowed it to demonstrate just how true this mantra is. FalconEFX created two dynamic Rich Media presentations for Intrawest -- Big Apple (www.falconfx.com/bigapple), and Abercrombie & Kent adventures by Intrawest (www.falconfx.com/ak). The initiatives both served to promote awareness of Intrawest's offers and to generate excitement that would lead to phone sales.
Consumers were directed to the Big Apple presentation via the direct mail piece upon which it was based, as well as targeted emails and a link on the Intrawest site. Multiple email deployments were used in the Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) campaign to point consumers toward the Rich Media piece online. Both presentations were housed at micro-sites and included a call to action in the form of a special offer and toll-free booking number.
Big Apple showcased Intrawest's Tremblant, QC, Whistler Blackcomb, BC, Copper Mountain, CO and Winter Park Resort, CO destinations and informed consumers of the company's "The Home and Away Offer," which included 5 nights of lodging and 4 days of lift tickets at the consumer's Intrawest mountain of choice. Complete with music, narrative broadcast audio and enticing images of the ski resorts, the presentation invited consumers to take advantage of the offer, as well as to learn more about each destination.
 Meanwhile, the exotic A&K presentation, which included vector graphics and rich photo imagery, offered consumers the chance
to live out their travel fantasies and experience "the adventure
of a lifetime." They could benefit from one of three bonus offers if consumers booked their adventure by phone before March 31, 2005.
Knowing that the creative would whet users' appetites for travel
and get their imaginations flowing, FalconEFX also incorporate functionality that allowed them to view the piece multiple times.
The company also created two alternative versions that left out elements such as the offer deadline and links back to the micro-site to allow Intrawest more freedom to utilize the presentation.
Naturally, the presentations themselves were only part of the Rich Media campaign equation. Each also included WebTracker technology that allowed FalconEFX to measure Intrawest's campaign results by determining exactly how many times the pieces were viewed. By the time the campaigns reached completion, Big Apple had been seen a total of 96,960 times. The A&K piece experienced a total hit activity of 84,316.
According to FalconEFX, Intrawest was very happy with the look and feel of their campaign -- as well as its results. With the ability to employ presentations as creative and engaging as those developed by FalconEFX, there's no question why so many companies are touting the marketing benefits of Rich Media.
About FalconEFX:
FalconEFX is a division of Falcon-Software Company, Inc. (www.falcon-software.com) a leading web design firm specializing in web-based solutions for companies across North America. Falcon-Software offers a complete range of web-based design, development and business application services including prototype development, site architecture planning, creative graphic designs and photo imagery, advanced programming capabilities, Rich Media production and online marketing services.
For Media Inquiries or Press Kits contact:
Falcon-Software Company, Inc.
Natalie Evans - Marketing & Public Relations
250-480-1311 or Natalie@falcon-software.com
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