THE CHALLENGE
Unlike more famous destinations around the world, Seattle Southside—a small region just south of Seattle—doesn’t have big, famous attractions that attract millions of tourists each year. Just smaller, quirkier ones.
THE INSIGHT AND STRATEGY
What it lacks in landmarks, Seattle Southside makes up for with a unique connection to something people love and obsess over: Aliens. In 1947, they visited the region, a story known as the Maury Island Incident. And ever since then, the region’s celebrated its extraterrestrial visitors with annual events like their UFO Festival and Men in Black Bash. Not only that, Washington State, home to Seattle Southside, is now recognized and ranked as the #1 hotspot for UFO sightings.
THE CREATIVE IDEA
To boost tourism, we took a bold, unconventional approach. Rather than targeting people like every other tourism brand, we focused on something people are obsessed with instead—Aliens. Because if Extraterrestrials think Seattle Southside is worth visiting, humans will too. So to get the region back on their radar after 77 years, we sent them Alienvitations.
THE EXECUTION
Each Alienvitation invited them to return and experience all the curiously wonderful changes we’ve made since their last visit 77 years ago.
To grab their attention, we started with every Alien’s favorite thing to abduct—cows—turning them into the world’s first abductable billboards.
Next, we placed scannable QR code-shaped crop circles in fields across the region, installed designated UFO parking spots, and served samples of local treats on hover-height billboards here on Earth—plus, we even sent some up to space.
We also placed an Alien Communicator Booth, near the site of the 1947 sighting, so that Earthlings could record messages and help us invite them back. We then sent the recordings up to space and broadcast them across the entire galaxy.
Finally, we made the Aliens exclusive souvenirs that only they could buy on our website. Everything from UFO bumper stickers to a Toy Bait Cow to a six-sleeved tentacle tee.
After the success of our campaign, we took it to the next level by creating a full-scale interactive installation at Westfield Southcenter Mall in Seattle Southside. Now live, the activation includes our Alien Communicator Booth, a custom AR experience, a life-size UFO replica abducting a replica Bait Cow, and photo opportunities—all designed to keep the excitement going and build on the campaign’s momentum.
THE RESULTS
While Alien tourists still have yet to return, human tourists invaded from all over. The 3-month campaign racked up over 13 million impressions, 3.5 million video views, 14,000 landing page visits, and a 61% increase in social media followers—making it one of Seattle Southside’s most successful campaigns ever—even leading to a noticeable spike in hotel bookings during its run. On top of that, the campaign grabbed major media attention, with ‘Alienvitations’ featured in several news segments and publications, amplifying its impact even further.
Media
Website:
www.seattlesouthside.com/welcome-back-aliens/
Market/Location
United States
British Columbia, Canada
Date of Launch
Start date: June 20, 2024
End date: August 16, 2024