In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig spewed millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster threatened to destroy the tourism economy, as well as the ecosystem, of the key. Though little oil ever made it to the island’s shores, panicked tourists assumed the worst.
To bring the visitors back before it was to late, we created an aggressive strategy that rewarded travelers with a $100 American Express gift card for every night they booked. The strategy worked. The promotion was supposed to run for two months, but every last gift card was claimed within the first three days of the promotion, a whopping 3,968 room nights booked on Perdido Key as a direct result of the campaign.