17.06.2022 / Kitzbühel leaves nothing to chance when it comes to advertising. This also applies to the planning of new campaigns. By means of eye tracking and target group analyses, the marketing subjects are extensively examined for their effect in cooperation with the German Sport University Cologne.
One of the main tasks of Kitzbühel Tourism is the targeted promotion of the destination, which has continuously won top-class awards in recent years. In the background, work is being done on the constant improvement and further development of destination advertising, among other things in cooperation with the Institute for Media and Communication at the Cologne Sports University.
Focus on professional marketing and advertising activities
In addition to a targeted evaluation of the exact places of origin using heat maps and detailed targeting for the distribution of online marketing resources, the subjects used are also evaluated for their effectiveness in both quantitative and qualitative terms.
The German Sport University Cologne acts as an important partner for this. In this context, Kitzbühel has found a complete professional in the cooperation with Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Schierl, head of the Institute for Communication and Media Research as the lead sparring partner. As a so-called "second native", he has already been living the topic of workation in the Gamsstadt for years and takes advantage of the inspiring exchange on site.
"An ongoing, scientific monitoring of set advertising measures is an important step in the professionalization of communication work. Kitzbühel Tourism is certainly taking on a pioneering role here in tourism analysis. It is a pleasure for us to support this in the best possible way with our expertise," says Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Schierl, summing up the cooperation with Kitzbühel Tourism to date.
Landscape vs. people as core element of the application
During the covid pandemic, Kitzbühel Tourism deliberately focused on pure landscape images in terms of advertising. In the course of the branding process initiated by Kitzbühel Tourism, communication was also tweaked. By means of a female, person-centered subject design, the first implementation steps have already been achieved.
In the context of the scientific investigation these two communication strategies - landscape in comparison to person focus - were compared with each other. Methodically, the eye movements of the test persons were examined both in the laboratory and by means of mobile eye tracking. The resulting gaze plots and heat maps show both the course of eye movements and the fixations of various elements. By integrating this analysis into everyday situations, such as browsing through a magazine or an online article, it is possible to determine how attention is directed. This provides unique insights into real consumer behavior.
"We see it as our duty to continuously improve our communications work. For this reason, it is essential to know how our campaigns are received by the target customer. With our partner, first and foremost Thomas Schierl, we have an independent and competent expert who supports us in the best possible way in the development of our communications work," says Dr. Viktoria Veider-Walser, Managing Director of Kitzbühel Tourism, explaining the added value of this cooperation.
Networking as a model for success
The long-standing cooperation with the Cologne Sports University goes beyond pure scientific support and is rounded off by a Summer School, which was initiated by Peter Höbarth, Managing Director of the Kitzbüheler Anzeiger, and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Schierl.
For more than 15 years, a cohort of the Master's program in Media and Communication Research has been commissioned with a practical implementation of a Kitzbühel-specific project, in recent years mainly for the Kitzbüheler Anzeiger, on location. After the briefing on the destination and a more scientific lecture on the project, the participants will work on concrete recommendations for action. The best results will be awarded on the last day. In recent years, these projects have also been implemented to a large extent, which gives the students even more motivation to do their best.
Peter Höbarth is convinced that this annual exchange is the best advertisement for Kitzbühel: "Through the high-quality program during the four days including the mountain experience, the students get to know Kitzbühel better and pass on their experiences as multipliers. In this way, we have already been able to bring over 400 students to Kitzbühel in the last 15 years."
All information about Destination Kitzbühel can be found at www.kitzbuehel.com
Presserückfragen: Mag. (FH) Anna Lena Obermoser, MA
a.obermoser@kitzbuehel.com | presse.kitzbuehel.com | +43 5356 66660-16
