Here is a summary of the judges comments for the winner of the Digital Marketing Award - Awarded to Destination British Columbia's 'BC Effect'.
Why it's a winner
The digital market environment in tourism is increasingly more competitive. Destinations compete for space and recognition through digital channels, which is a huge challenge for them with each passing day. For that reason, those destinations that stand out need to be recognised - and that is the case with Destination British Columbia.
The 'BC Effect' is an outstanding digital campaign for many reasons. First, it highlights what makes BC truly unique on the global stage - its transformative nature and rich culture. Then, it's a winner in terms of creativity - the campaign was written and performed by local Indigenous creators and the narrative was developed to authentically speak to the deeper connection Indigenous peoples hold with ecosystems. Finally, it had a major impact on the target markets, even if the final results are not known yet - The “Find Yourself” video has been viewed approximately 5.8 million times on YouTube.
What it taught us
This teaches us the importance of promoting what is authentic and what cannot be replicated by others. This campaign shows how relevant it is to also integrate the community in the first stage of the digital user journey - to inspire, to bring awareness and to attract. To succeed in such a competitive environment as digital, it is critical to remain true and at the same time be excellent when executing - a brilliant digital marketing campaign.
Scoring
The judging criteria looked at Execution, Impact, Creativity and Strategy. The results were excellent across all four categories, but the judges were amazed by the creativity and excellent level of execution behind the BC Effect campaign, making it a deserving winner of 2022's X Awards.
Working in close collaboration with Indigenous Tourism BC, Destination BC launched “Find Yourself'', a global campaign to demonstrate the power of nature’s healing effects. Together, we drew on truths established over thousands of years of lived experience to show nature’s transformative benefits through an Indigenous worldview. The BC Effect - Find Yourself campaign showcases British Columbia, Canada in a visually stunning and emotionally compelling way. The video positions the vast and rugged nature that BC is famous for alongside the rich and diverse Indigenous cultures found within the province to highlight what makes BC truly unique on the global stage - BC’s transformative nature and rich culture.
Complementing the sweeping vistas and quiet visual moments of an old growth forest and a Grizzly bear, the storyline explores the notion that we don’t merely belong in nature, that we are a part of it and that everything is connected. It conveys that by experiencing the raw power of BC’s nature and culture travellers tap into something bigger, awaken a deeper connection, regain perspective, and find themselves in every sense of the word.
The poem in the video is by Haida Nation artist, Gidin Ḵuns | Cohen Isberg and it is performed by ᓀ ᒣ ᐦᐃ ᑑ ᐤ ᐃ ᐢ ᑯ ᑌ ᐤ ᒥ ᐢ ᑕ ᑎ ᐤ from the Zagime Anishinabek Nation. The words speak powerfully to the human experience in nature by revealing the Indigenous values of interconnectedness, reciprocity, gratitude, and stewardship.
