Montreux Noël - Social media strategy, influencer marketing and gamification

Generate engagement surrounding the magic of Christmas and grant the event visibility all the way into German-speaking Switzerland

Context

Since its creation in 1994, the Montreux Christmas Market is a true institution in the French-pearking part of Switzerland. The event welcomes over 500,000 visitors every year, and is now considered to be one of the most beautiful markets in Switzerland and enjoys a high public profile.

Following our excellent collaboration in previous years, in 2023 we were once again asked to inform visitors about this new edition and to get the word out to German-speaking Switzerland, where competing Christmas Markets of equally high repute are held.

So it's important to consolidate Montreux Noël's image and to increase brand awareness in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.

Expertises

Web DevelopmentWeb DesignConception

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Objectives

For Montreux Noël, the challenge was to continue building on the solid foundations that were established over the last two years by highlighting the event's values and showcasing its activities. The aim was to establish high-impact communication with the community throughout the entire time the Market took place.

Marvelous was entrusted with the task of highlighting the Christmas Market's activities on social media, with particular emphasis on the new gamification activation for the 2023 edition: the "Candy Cane Hunt". This innovative and fun activation was designed to boost attendance on the quays while increasing visitor engagement.

To promote this new game and communication on social media, our team suggested the implementation of an influencer marketing strategy

Activating influencers can be greatly beneficial for a company, especially when it comes to promoting an event:

- Improved visibility and awareness surrounding the attraction, while possibily attracting new followers to engage with on various platforms.

- Added credibility: thanks to the trust placed in the experience by influencer communities, others will be encouraged to enjoy a similar adventure.

- Creation and distribution of authentic, spontaneous content that resonates more deeply with the audience.

Our approach

To promote this new game and communication on social media, our team suggested the implementation of an influencer marketing strategy.

Activating influencers can be greatly beneficial for a company, especially when it comes to promoting an event:

- Improved visibility and awareness surrounding the attraction, while possibily attracting new followers to engage with on various platforms.

- Added credibility: thanks to the trust placed in the experience by influencer communities, others will be encouraged to enjoy a similar adventure.

- Creation and distribution of authentic, spontaneous content that resonates more deeply with the audience.

Results

The game generated engagement from 5,231 participants, 896 of whom discovered candy canes. A total of over 8,000 check-ins were recorded, indicating an average of more than 9 visits per participant. All 825 available prizes were won, of which 588 were collected. With an average duration of 2.85 days between winning and collecting, these figures attest to the retention success, encouraging visitors to return to collect their prizes.

Organic publications from 2023 resulted in a +145% increase in followers on Instagram and almost +1,000 subscribers on Facebook. The number of publications on the feed exceeded that of the previous year, with numerous collaborations with content creators. The goal of reaching the German-speaking part of Switzerland was achieved, with an increase in the percentage of followers in Zurich and Basel. The publication about the flying Father Christmas, the emblematic icon of the Montreux Christmas Market, set records in terms of visibility and engagement, with over 180,000 views and over 5,000 interactions.

Influencer marketing attracted a lot of interest from content creators, and many influencers were keen to share their publications on the Montreux Noël feed. This resulted in a significant growth in followers and good results on posts, including a record 108,000 views on a reel from @wirth.a.trip, as well as the excellent engagement rate of 8% on a publication by the Swiss German influencer @ella.zina, with whom a partnership had been established. It is important to note that the two partnerships with influencers from the German-speaking part of Switzerland ranked among the top four engagement rates.

As far as sponsoring is concerned, despite only running one campaign (compared with four the previous year), we managed to reach 20% more people, and with a budget that was four times smaller. This can be explained by the fact that the audience was twice as large (with the addition of the German-speaking part of Switzerland), which enabled us to reduce costs (CPM) by -40%!

The combined forces of an effective marketing strategy and a relevant gamification activation demonstrated significant buy-in and loyalty from participants, illustrating the success of this immersive experience at the Montreux Christmas Market. The consolidation of this strategy for future editions promises even greater participation and visitor loyalty.