Work: Case Study Explore
Charleston

Building one of the world’s top travel destinations.

Place yourself, for a moment, in the year 2002. For most Americans, life was changing rapidly–and that extended to the way they traveled. In a post-9/11 world, many opted for driving distance vacations instead of flying, and with the internet at their fingertips, long-trusted resources like tour books and travel agencies became artifacts of a bygone era.

Meanwhile–a calm, quiet, and charming coastal city in South Carolina was poised for its moment in the sun as the folks at the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CACVB) saw an opportunity to give the region a chance to shine.

Capabilities
  • Analytics, Measurement & Tracking
  • Brand Writing
  • CMS Development
  • Content & Social Marketing
  • Custom Application Development
  • Identity Development
  • Interactive Design & UX
  • Paid Search
  • SEO
  • Website Development
The Moment

In an effort to capture the growing share of people searching the web for their next travel destination, the CACVB came to us in need of a new website–one that did justice to the depth and breadth of experience that awaited. This iteration of the website would kick off our longest-running, most wide-ranging partnership–and serve as the foundation for Charleston to grow into one of the world’s most prized destinations.

Our Take

Our aim was to capture Charleston’s essence, authentically. So we dug into the unique attributes of the city we call home. We gathered insights on consumers and travel behavior, talked to community partners, and studied competitive destinations. The theme that emerged: Charleston. Where History Lives. With an emphasis on “lives” it’s a reflection of a perfectly preserved colonial seaport with a vibrant daily life and rich culture.

Our Work

Over twenty years later, there’s not much we haven’t done together–like building multiple iterations of the core website, crafting sub-brands to bring more of the Charleston experience to life, putting a multi-million dollar ad budget to work online, launching programs, helping with sales strategy, speaking and training for travel community, and building a sales and ticketing platform. That just scratches the surface.

Design

As for our twenty+ years of collaboration with the CACVB, this website was just the beginning. There’s not much we haven’t done together–like continuing to evolve and freshen the core website, building sub-brands to bring more of the Charleston experience to life, putting a multi-million dollar ad budget to work online, and working alongside leaders in the hospitality space to maximize their membership.

The Outcome

Today, Charleston is one of the strongest, most desired travel brands in the country–a twelve-time winner of Travel + Leisure’s “Top City in the US”, and even ranked as the World's Best City a time or two. At its last check in 2023, visitation has grown to nearly 8 million people a year with a reported economic impact of $13.10 billion. Quite a feat for a small, Southern city–and it’s a journey we’ve proud to ride alongside.

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