Go RVing Redefines 'Real' In 2020 Reaching 1.9 Billion High Value Targets

One year ago, Go RVing embarked on a mission to partner with a new creative agency to breathe new life into the iconic 20+ year-old brand. When the pandemic hit and brought businesses to a screeching halt, Go RVing was in the middle of the agency review process and pressed forward to virtually hire a new agency of record, launch a new campaign, and build out a robust media strategy to reach targeted high value audiences (HVAs). That journey brought onboard Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB) and Universal McCann (UM) to create a new ad campaign for the RV Industry.

The Go on a Real Vacation campaign launched in June 2020 and ran through the end of the year reaching 1.9 billion consumers via broadcast, radio, and digital properties. What sets these impressions apart from years past is the highly targeted approach and tailored creative to reach the identified high value audiences. Conversions and impressions for the “Child Free Explorers” HVA and “Outdoor Enthusiasts” HVA saw the largest improvement in viewability during the campaign, increasing significantly from 65 percent at the start of the campaign to 72 percent in November.

“These numbers show we are targeting the right audiences and the campaign continues to follow the data and hone in on consumers who are looking for alternatives to cancelled or delayed flight, cruise, and hotel vacations,” said Courtney Bias, Go RVing Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications. “As our viewability with our HVAs increased, so did site traffic to the Go RVing website. Dealer searches on GoRVing.com increased 931 percent over 2019.”

As a result of the data gathered in 2020, the 2021 media plan will focus not only on these high value audiences but also implement a full funnel modeling approach to advertising. Go RVing will begin shifting from what has historically been an awareness-driven campaign, to leading consumers further down the purchase funnel. National broadcast will consist of strategically timed airings to build reach and awareness while radio will complement the TV plan to maximize exposure and consumer touchpoints during key sales periods.

For the first time, Go RVing has the tools to follow the data to see which media partners drive the most website traffic and dealer searches in real time – ultimately leading those consumers to dealer showrooms. “Flexibility is the key word for our 2021 media program,” Bias says. “Being able to shift advertising dollars to the best performing media partners will mean more traffic to our dealer partners.”

Social media will continue to play a key role in 2021. Last year, Facebook awareness campaigns drove more than 6.5 million video completions. The “always on” approach to the social campaign means RVs will continue to be a part of the conversation and consideration set for vacations.

“The increased engagement that we saw in 2020 has redefined how we approach meeting these receptive audiences in the spaces where they play and interact,” said Bias. “The data that we gather in the first half of 2021, as well as the preliminary results of Go RVing’s full funnel approach, will guide the strategy for the latter half of the year and during peak travel season.”