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Part
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Digital Marketing Tactics - Wittenberg, Germany
Wittenburg is a city that celebrates its history and ties with the Protestant Reformist Martin Luther. It is the rich history that makes the city unique. The marketing of Wittenburg focuses on promoting the city and events, to those who share similar interests. Visitors visit the city each year to learn the history and attend events that celebrate the past.
Marketing Message
- "Living, Working, and Enjoying in the Middle of History" and "Great Culture, Great Nature" are two of Wittenberg's messages. The messages emphasize the history, culture, and natural beauty of Wittenburg and the surrounding area.
- Wittenburg is close to a UNESCO site. This proximity is used in its marketing message to encourage people to visit. "A magnificent natural landscape, the "UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe, pleases the eye here with old trees and branched creeks. Back in the city, visitors can experience a variety of events, concerts, conferences, historical festivals, high-quality shopping, and gastronomy that delights every palate. Hardly anywhere in the Republic, culture, and nature so casual to a relaxing and eventful place together."
Types of Digital Media
- Wittenburg has Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts, which it uses to market itself. It also promotes itself through a website focusing on the city and the surrounding area. Considerable amounts of information is available on the website regarding notable events and upcoming festivals.
- The videos on YouTube are of dual-purpose. There are several which focus on the economy and district to encourage people to relocate. The second set of videos highlights the unique landscape and the different festivals that occur regularly in Wittenburg. There are English versions of the videos that are focused on the tourism market.
- The Mein Wittenburg account on Facebook also has a similar dual focus for its messaging. Upcoming events, photographs, and general messaging focus on a mixture of local community announcements and more general promotional material. Facebook is heavily used to promote different Festivals and events in Wittenburg.
- Mein Wittenburg's Instagram has a similar approach, albeit using only the visual medium. Instagram is Wittenburg's social media channel that focuses on the external visitor market the most. The city is marketed through a series of unique photographs highlighting the landscape and people. Upcoming events are promoted through a range of digital illustrations.
- The Luther Connection is a website that is devoted entirely to marketing the places connected to Martin Luther. It is written in English and aimed at those who are aware of and want to learn about Wittengurg's historic links to Martin Luther. Other sights in the city take a backseat to these historical connections. Wittenburg takes its place alongside other German locations with similar connections.
- Wittenburg is marketed digitally through the Uncommon Travel Germany website, where it is listed as one of the five most "uncommon" travel destinations in Germany. Several pages are devoted to the area highlighting different features. It is laid out in a manner that guides that reader through the city. The "journey through the city" is a clever way of engaging the reader.
- Although the listing is somewhat bland, Wittenburg is marketed through a digital listing on Europe For Visitors. It is an index type website of European attractions. Basic Information is provided about the town and the attractions it offers.
Target Demographics
- The marketing of Wittenburg centers around historic ties with Martin Luther. Marketing is aimed at those with an interest in Martin Luther as a historical or religious figure. All the promotional material centers around those two concepts.
- Older adults with an interest in history and religion, looking for quieter options, are the primary demographic. The international and domestic tourists are not differentiated; both are targets.
Successful Campaigns
- The Review of Luther took place over the last six months of 2017. A world exhibition of the Reformation highlighting what Reformation meant to the world ran alongside the event. Likeminded people were encouraged to celebrate "our language, art, and music, our concept of freedom." The event concluded with 500th-anniversary celebrations. Over 300,000 people were in attendance.
- Annual Reformation Festivals are held to mark Martin Luther's proposed 95 theses. The city's religious links are displayed. Events are arranged around the Festival throughout the city and surrounding areas. People flood to the city to "reconnect" with Lutheran roots.
Research Strategy
We extensively searched precompiled information on Wittenburg websites, industry publications, media reports, and social media accounts to determine the messaging adopted by Wittenburg. A significant amount of information was available that enabled us to determine the type of digital media used for marketing. The consistent message and focus of Willenburg's marketing is a testament to the stability of the target audience. The target audience was able to be discerned from a range of promotional materials and statements in precompiled information. Finally, we reviewed the aforementioned sources for Willenburg's examples of successful events over the last two years. We reviewed each of the events to ensure it had been promoted through a digital campaign.