Named for easy identification after the Gauteng “GP” vehicle number plates, the I’m a GeePee campaign was launched at Maropeng in September 2011 – in celebration of Tourism Month – via SABC2’s Morning Live breakfast show.
The campaign forms an integral part of the Gauteng Tourism Association’s (GTA) main online presence and is designed to mobilise Gauteng residents to become tourists in their own backyard. By focusing the tourism spotlight on the province’s many attractions, the GTA plans to extend Gauteng’s well-established business branding by introducing locals and visitors to its massive potential as a tourist destination.
“We want everyone who lives in Gauteng or who visits the province to use the platform we’ve created to share their experiences with others. It’s about word-of-mouth promotion of great places to eat, awesome music venues, points of interest and so much more,” says Flow writer Mildred Thabane.
“My role has been interacting with the public on social networking sites in order to tweak the campaign so it delivers what people are looking for. I’ve also enjoyed giving away prizes and blogging on related topics,” she adds.
To drive social media interactivity on the site, an ambassador element sends out a call to action, encouraging people to share feedback on places they’ve visited and experiences they recommend, especially those that lie off the beaten track. An interesting element of the campaign is that non-Gautengers are also invited to take advantage of special deals on offer.
Apart from the 19 000 visitors to the I’m a GeePee site during September 2011, Flow also managed a Facebook competition that saw 700 new fans join during the same period, thanks to daily giveaways secured by GTA and promoted daily on Kaya FM 95.9. GeePee loyalty cards for locals, launched simultaneously, have also proved very popular.
“Locals have taken to the GeePee brand and are posting positive comments about Gauteng’s people and places. The loyalty card has also been a success since it’s easy to download from the website or via SMS to a cellphone,” says Flow project manager Roshni Nana.
Flow media developer Kate Rau says she’s learnt a lot about social marketing using Facebook, Twitter and the website while working on the GTA campaign. “We created platforms to enable Gauteng Tourism to speak directly to ‘GeePees’. This interaction enabled us to monitor Tourism Month events on a daily basis and to share these with a wider audience. Added value for our client is that we are building a valuable GeePee database.”
“It’s been fun to work on this campaign because it’s really easy to become passionate about the province in which you live. It’s also really encouraging to receive feedback on your blogs and to watch social network numbers grow as more people become involved,” says Mildred.
