2011 Silver Best customer acquisition campaign

Client Walt Disney World

What is wonderful about this work? We identified why potential Disney bookings were never completed and created a solution that not only improved the experience, but added value all the way to the holiday. The conversion to booking rate has almost doubled: bookings increased from 2.6% to 4.2%

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? Walt Disney World is considered the holiday of a lifetime. Yet for many trying to book, it remained a dream. We knew mum was usually left to deal with the arrangements; with an average holiday costing between £5,000 and £7,000, there was pressure to make an informed choice when planning. To understand the barriers and uncover booking pitfalls we experienced the customer journey, understood the issues they were facing, the choices they were making and what was causing frustrations. Research showed the perception, planning and booking process was confusing, complicated and too daunting to complete, with a flood of DVDs, websites and brochures. Mum found it all too frustrating and switched back to the Algarve. The strategy was to bring all the information needed in one place. We identified dropout points, introduced useful features and developed a hierarchy of content.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? The Little Big Book of Magic was born. It's a succinct guide with a big chunk of magical information for every step of the booking journey. The theme captured all the magic of Disney and essentially became the start of the holiday, building excitement by a taste of the magic awaiting at Walt Disney World. The content was crafted to tell a simple, magical story while keeping it informative and reflective of the choices awaiting. The imagery was a mix of park photography and bespoke illustration. The guide didn't end with the booking. Pull-out park maps and a fold-out checklist were also incorporated to create an interactive feel, while creating an indispensable guide. High production values allowed users to refer to it time and time again.

Results Walt Disney World set us a target of increasing the booking conversion rate to 3%: our year one figures were a stunning 4.2%. We almost doubled the previous conversion rate of 2.6%. It garnered an overwhelmingly positive response and proved genuinely behaviour changing, expediting the entire booking process. It was reprinted for a second year running and distributed to the Walt Disney Store and Virgin Holidays. An online version has now also been built in the Walt Disney Website.

Team Andy Bolter, Matthew Evans, Ross Peet, Crissie Craig, Tracey Leese.

Other contributor Harvey Abrahams (Publicity Arts) - Print and production.