Event Ticket Sales Smashed

Client

Wavelength Media Drive-In Cinema

Media

Paid Social - Meta

Google Search Ads

Objective

Sell Tickets

Sector

Entertainment & Events

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Context

Wavelength Media is a UK surf brand based in Cornwall. In addition to publishing a popular magazine, they are known for operating festivals and events. In the Summer of 2021, they created an innovative Drive In Cinema on the clifftops around Watergate Bay. Arguably the most beautiful place in the UK to watch a movie. The cinema programme ran for 6-weeks through July and August with around 60 movies screenings. They needed a marketing partner with strong performance marketing skills to drive an ambitious ticket sales programme.

Services and solutions

We initially built a ticket sales strategy for Wavelength. Digital marketing was at the core, but we also recommended tactical out-of-home advertising, local flyering and near-event guerrilla marketing. Our strategy defined three audience types which would underpin our creative and targeting: families, couples and groups of friends.

We then built an advertising programme which marketed the event to people likely to be holidaying in Cornwall during the Summer and to those in Cornwall during the time of the six-week event. The strategy had both a 'pre-event' plan and a 'during event' plan. In terms of ad channels, we used Meta to drive awareness and geo-targeted Google Search Ads to pull in sales from a wide range of 'things to do in Cornwall' search terms.

Result

The results were incredibly strong. We exceeded all pre-event ticket sales and during the 6-week event window exceeded all ticket sales targets. As well as achieving the required ticket sales volumes perhaps more importantly we achieved a low cost per ticket sale, with return on ad spend of 14x.