Our primary objective was to promote awareness of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts as an incredible safari destination in Kenya. While our properties throughout North America are well known, most people don't associate the brand with a safari experience. These videos showcased the extraordinary sights and experiences found on an African safari with Fairmont and were meant to inspire people to plan their dream safari with us.
The idea was to create a series of unique safari videos that would give our viewers a glimpse into the untamed adventure they could experience at Fairmont's Kenyan properties: Fairmont Mara Safari Club and Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club.
These immersive videos, ranging from 15 seconds to just under 2 minutes, took viewers on an unforgettable journey across Kenya's renowned Maasai Mara National Reserve. A combination of hand-held and aerial drone footage showcased Fairmont's iconic resorts, savannah picnics, vibrant Masai cultural ceremonies, lions, giraffes, migrating wildebeests and a world of wild African fauna that our guests might encounter. Videos were all complimented by beautiful time-lapse imagery of Kenya's ever-changing landscapes, and interviews with Fairmont safari guides describing the once-in-a-lifetime experiences people can expect on safari.
One of the most unique videos was filmed using cutting-edge 360 video technology, providing viewers with the opportunity to actually feel like they're on safari. Shot with an omnidirectional camera, this immersive video gave the audience control over their viewing direction for the ultimate virtual safari experience.
The videos were hosted on YouTube and shared through social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The underlying message was simple: Fairmont connects modern comforts to the African savannah for an absolutely unforgettable safari experience.
The results exceeded all expectations, creating a huge buzz on YouTube, Facebook and our other social media channels. Through a combination of compelling content and strategic deployment tactics, we were able to generate interest, get people talking about the Fairmont safari experience and sharing our videos. One of the videos, Unbelievable Africa, even achieved the distinction of reaching the most views of any Fairmont video on YouTube ever. And the best part—the interest we generated translated into a huge increase in guest inquiries and bookings for the featured properties. Here are the results:
YouTube Results:
Total Views (All Videos): 1 million+
Total Minutes Watched (All Videos): 265,900
Facebook Results:
Videos watched: 3.8 million
Impressions: 13.5 million
Comments: 1,100+
Shares: 3,500
Website Click-throughs: 87,800+
Email Results:
Total Open Rate: 47.5%
Total Click-Through Rate: 3.4%
