We Don't Do Winter

Entering organisation: Tel Aviv GlobalEvery destination has its best-kept secrets —a hole-in-the-wall restaurant or a hidden speakeasy. For Tel Aviv, however, its best-kept secret lies in the winter months. This time of year holds an enchanting allure that has long gone unnoticed. Mild to warm temperatures, lower airfare and accommodation, and beautiful pink sunsets over the Mediterranean. Winter in Tel Aviv is magic. With that said, Tel Aviv has traditionally been marketed as a sunny destination filled with outdoorsy attractions and sandy beaches — so why choose to come here in January?Well, because even in the middle of winter, Tel Aviv is still a sunny, slice of heaven. Tel Aviv's winter advantage lies in its scarcity. Tel Aviv’s mild, dry winters make it the ideal winter getaway spot, creating massive untapped potential. Who wouldn't want to hop on a short plane ride from frosty Europe and lose their coat and mittens? If you're lucky, you might go back home with a tan.It's true. During the winter the city does lose its greatest asset — the beach. And the lack of a traditional wintry atmosphere does present a challenge. But with an average of 17 degrees in January, wouldn't you be tempted to defrost?So how could the team get the word out about their sunny winters? The goal was to come up with a new way to brand Tel Aviv during the winter months. As always, the team had big ideas and a small budget. So, they had to be resourceful, relying on humour. They created short, snappy ads (no longer than 15 seconds to catch the fast-scrolling potential traveller) depicting different professionals struggling to do their job due to the lack of winter in Tel Aviv.In the ads, we meet a bored coat-check valet, a frustrated weatherman with no real forecast to report on, and a ski instructor struggling down a snowless slope. The new slogan almost wrote itself — Tel Aviv, We Don't Do Winter. This campaign was the first step in a multi-year branding initiative.The team wanted to first create awareness for the campaign, gauge the potential audience and observe their reaction. They chose Facebook and Instagram as the main channels, alongside paid promotion through YouTube and Google Ads. They targeted their top European source markets, seeking to reach those in both colder climates and geographically close destinations who would consider a short vacation.Next, they narrowed it down to major urban centres (mainly in Germany and the UK) that offer accessible flights to Tel Aviv. Finally, they zeroed in on potential vacationers who already showed interest in visiting Tel Aviv, the Middle East, beach gateways, or nightlife-centred vacations.Since this campaign was designed as the first step for a new marketing initiative, the team set modest goals. They aimed for a reach of 1.3 million in views and engagements, planned for an increase in traffic to the tourism site, and watched for upward movement in occupancy metrics during the December to March vacation period.To best influence travel decisions, the 'We Don't Do Winter' campaign was launched at the beginning of November, when much of Europe was entering its cold winter season. The team began promoting the videos through different online media channels. They got performance reports daily and adjusted content dissemination accordingly to maximize budget and reach.The campaign’s initial kick-off involved crafting a press release notifying international and local media about the campaign and mobilizing several Israeli tourism offices around the world to echo the message throughout the travel industry.Moreover, the team worked directly with major tourist spots around Tel Aviv, branding them in the spirit of the campaign. Walking down the beach boardwalk, satisfied tourists were taking selfies next to a big “We Don’t Do Winter” sign on a sunny February morning — hopefully sending the pics to their jealous friends back home.The team quickly hit the aimed metrics with close to 2 million views and engagements, reaching the desired demographics of 25- to 45-year-old travellers. Hotel occupancy during December-March sprung to near pre-pandemic levels, making Tel Aviv the first Israeli destination to a near full recovery. The initiative was published in major international Jewish news outlets. The team also received massive press coverage in the Israeli media: morning talk shows, Israel's top radio programme, newspapers, and weather forecast segments covered the campaign, delighted that Tel Aviv leveraged winter-less winter as a branding positive.There was a hugely positive cooperative reaction from stakeholders in the tourist industry benefiting from greater traffic. The campaign made tourists conscious of the unique experience Tel Aviv offers during the winter, with its lower rates and higher temps. Going forward, the team plan to vastly broaden the campaign as a part of a new, exciting partnership with a large financial company that will help them reach an even larger audience. This campaign will include a call-to-action component. With a larger budget, they will be able to target the U.S., their largest source market, inviting Americans to explore Tel Aviv as part of their winter break vacation.

We Don't Do Winter

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