Challenges
The Fédération québécoise de camping et caravaning (FQCC), which already had a large community of loyal, active and committed members, wanted to create the first French language camping social network. The intention was to not only extend the existing community experience to the Internet, but also make the website THE online reference for information related to camping and RVing in North America (Canada, USA, Mexico). The FQCC also wanted to take the opportunity to showcase the international services its travel agency offers.Solutions
Because the members already have a strong community spirit, the site facilitates and encourages communications among them, through personalized individual accounts where each member can upload pictures, add comments regarding a camping experience, grade camp sites and determine which is their camper profile (as per personal preferences entered in a quiz). The community was already technology savvy, so it was possible to use functionalities like geolocation to create tools such as the creation and sharing of itineraries. To better establish this online community, a brand was created and used in a print and web marketing campaign. Also, to link the online experience to the road experience, iPhone and iPad applications were created to give users the opportunity to follow their itinerary while on the road. All of which was covered by a complete marketing campaign including print advertising, email blasts, PPC campaigns on Facebook and AdWords, as well as SEO monitoring of the site.Results
The final product is a real community, developed by its members. They bring it to life by creating individual profiles, by their communications (comments, rating, etc.) and by creating itineraries. Before any public communications were even made (only targeted ads), over 1000 people had joined the site within the first week and over 16,000 unique visitors viewed it. The camping list, covering North America, is most complete (with over 12,000 campsites) and the campground evaluation is much appreciated by users, as illustrated by the 300 “Camp Quizz” already completed before the warmer season had even begun.Other Projects
