Travel Portland launched its winter campaign with the goals to spread the uniquely Portland culture and entice residents of nearby markets to visit. While Portland is a popular travel destination, summer is the peak tourist season given the numerous outdoor activities and sunny weather. The Zine program launched to remind people that Portland can be a great destination year round and to boost tourism in the quieter months of the year.

Travel Portland’s goal was to distribute a collection of localized mini-guidebooks that were unique to Portland in four key Northwest markets during Q4 2015. Each guidebook, called a “Portland Zine,” would be designed by a locally based artist and contain a variety of themes to be circulated via a focused street-level campaign. Budgets were low as the team looked to develop custom “Zine Boxes” to be placed in locations that were permit-able around each city and would also fit within the context of the brand. Travel Portland requested a hyper-local campaign that would run from November 2015 – March 2016 and with inventory managed and metrics trackable for under $100,000.

The strategy was to scout each market to secure venues that were: located in a high-traffic area to reach the A25-64 target audience, could be easily found if posted through social media, and remain accessible throughout the campaign. The team worked through a non-traditional partner to build out the “Zine Boxes” and develop a method for distribution and tracking that would remain in budget and on time. The team recommended aligning an 8-week “Zine” distribution campaign with the November 9th media launch to generate buzz and capitalize on frequency. Budgets levels allowed for the construction and distribution of 1 Box per market and the team recommended supplementing each box with permission based drops in hand selected local establishments that fit within the context of each Zine.

Markets: Eugene, OR; Seattle, WA; Bend, OR; and Vancouver, BC
Campaign Dates: November 2015 - March 2016
OOH Formats: Hand painted mural, Non Traditional Wrapped Newspaper Boxes “Zine Boxes”
Target Audience: Adults 25-64
Budget: $55,000 OOH Budget

• Roughly 17k printed for distribution across 4 markets 
• 93% of Zines allotted permission based were distributed 
• 80% of total Zine inventory distributed to our key markets (14k)
• 1 Stolen Zinebox Insert - Seattle of course! 
• Top Zines: Donutocopalyse, Octicorn Guide and Things to Do in the Rain were among the most popular (boasting large print runs 700+ paired with 98%+ distribution)