Spring Training
The Spring Training campaign was executed with a phased approach to capture fans who are planning their Arizona Spring Training trips and encourage them to extend their trip, or once they’ve arrived, to encourage them to experience destinations and attractions beyond just the urban centers.
PHASE 1
Targeted to baseball/sports fans in Cactus League and the Florida-based Grapefruit League cities. Tactics included a Trip-Planning buy with the Cactus League, FanFests, managed platforms, digital, connected TV and print buys.
PHASE 2
In-market/in-stadium marketing tactics included collectible trading cards, PA announcements, outfield signage, travel guide giveaways, out-of-home and in-stadium activations with AOT staff answering questions and providing recommendations of where to go and what to see.
Results
- 56 million impressions served during the Spring Training campaign
- Throughout the campaign, there were a total of 118,380 website sessions and 26,941 engaged sessions
- The Phase 1 search campaign delivered outstanding results, outperforming the AOT historical benchmark by 2.9x
- Third-party publishers delivered strong results, with the CTR increasing by 0.11% YoY and reaching a rate twice as high as the AOT historical benchmark
- Out-of-Home was the primary traditional media used, and all units were placed during Phase 2 in an effort to highlight activities visitors could participate in outside of the baseball games
- Detroit, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Houston were added as Phase 1 target markets to encourage visitation from Grapefruit League cities as well as the Cactus League cities
- Houston, Detroit and Indianapolis ranked among the top ten markets driving arrivals to Arizona
- The Cactus League drew a total of 1,695,480 fans to 224 games, an increase of 65,044 over the FY24 season
- The Cactus League averaged 49,867 fans per day for more than a month