Le Boat scoop gold at the Travel Marketing Awards

Le Boat has won the Gold award for the best ‘Advertising Campaign (under £250k media spend)’ at the Travel Marketing Awards, for a campaign that they conducted with the UK marketing agency Accord. The operator was recognised for the work that was carried out during their 2017/2018 multi-screen campaign. The prestigious ceremony, which took place on 11 March at the London Hilton on Park Lane, is now in its eleventh year and celebrates innovation and excellence across a wide range of travel marketing disciplines.

Le Boat is the No.1 provider of boating holidays on Europe and Canada’s beautiful inland waterways, with the world’s largest fleet of over 900 self-drive boats. The award-wining campaign capitalised on their involvement in the Channel 5 television series ‘Celebrity 5 Go Barging’ and the hugely popular Channel 4 show ‘Great Canal Journeys’, in which stars Timothy West and Prunella Scales enjoyed a spectacular Le Boat river cruise along the Marne-Rhine Canal in Alsace and Lorraine. Drawing on the increased brand exposure generated by the programmes, Accord’s campaign objectives were simple, to elevate brand awareness, drive online traffic and generate enquiries.

The winning advertising activity took place from November 2017 to April 2018. Prior to both shows airing, Accord launched a targeted paid social campaign encouraging viewers to tune in. To build early interest, they used a series of News Feed and Carousel adverts, encouraging users to watch both shows and see Le Boat’s products in action. Accord then secured premium TV advertising spots during the first ad break of each programme, enjoying 4.2 million impacts, while conducting a simultaneous drive through Facebook to reach multi-screening audiences. To maximise enquiries, the agency followed up with a TrueView campaign and display retargeting.

This multi-channel activity was incredibly successful in maximising awareness of Le Boat’s holidays. During the ‘Great Canal Journeys’ campaign, Le Boat’s website experienced a 116% increase in traffic, driving a 48% year-on-year rise in transactions. Similarly, impressive results were also seen for the ‘Celebrity 5 Go Barging’ campaign, which generated a 174% traffic increase and an 82% rise in transactions year-on-year. While both campaigns were effective in driving short-term sales, they also had an impact on long-term brand engagement. Following the ‘Great Canal Journeys’ activity, Le Boat experienced a staggering 167% rise in brochure requests, whilst ‘Celebrity 5 Go Barging’ generated an equally impressive 137% growth.

Cheryl Brown, Managing Director of Le Boat said, “We are thrilled that our campaign has been recognised in this way and nearly a year on since the activity took place, we are still enjoying the long-term benefits. We have exceptional product and a loyal customer base, and this campaign with Accord has helped us to reach an entirely new audience in a really engaging way”.

Accord CEO Sally Winfield commented, “We are delighted that Accord and Le Boat have been awarded one of the travel marketing industry’s most prestigious accolades: ‘Advertising Campaign of the Year’. Through what was a very collaborative and innovative process, we were able to deliver an outstanding, fully integrated campaign that showcased the very best of what Le Boat has to offer.”

To plan your Le Boat trip and for more information: Call 02392 801125 or visit www.leboat.co.uk

About Le Boat: Le Boat is the No.1 provider of boating holidays on Europe and Canada’s beautiful inland waterways bringing together 50 years of experience, expertise and memories. With the world’s largest fleet of over 900 self-drive boats, including its newest premier Horizon cruisers, they offer the widest choice of fabulous boating destinations. Operating a network of more than 39 departure bases across 9 destinations, Le Boat’s boating holidays can be whatever you want them to be, from a full-on action-packed adventure to a slow-paced relaxing chance to unwind. With no previous experience necessary, boating holidays can be enjoyed by anyone.
For further Le Boat press information or images, please contact Tim Blostone:
tim@heavenpublicity.co.uk/ 020 3763 5170

About Accord: Accord is an award-winning marketing agency with offices in London, Manchester and Devon. By seamlessly blending innovative ideas with data-driven strategy, we help our clients grow by devising and delivering campaigns that build brands, drive audience engagement and increase sales. Accord’s portfolio of services includes strategy and planning, creative, digital, broadcast, out of home and websites. @AccordMarketing https://accordmarketing.com
For further Accord press information or images, please contact Mark Lewsey:
mark.lewsey@accordmarketing.com/ 020 7395 9690