Our client, K1 Speed, a dynamic leader in go-karting and entertainment, had a goal to broaden their appeal and welcome a more diverse audience. The challenge was multifaceted: to shift the perception of go-karting from a male-dominated, competitive sport to an exciting, inclusive activity for everyone including groups of friends, and casual racers. Simultaneously, we aimed to capitalize on the immense buzz surrounding the Eras Tour without infringing on copyrights.

Our Solution: creative partnerships seamlessly blending pop culture phenomenon with strategic audience expansion.

The Strategy: 

Our mission was to tap into the Swiftie phenomenon and bring a fresh wave of energy to K1 Speed. We designed a campaign that cleverly referenced the Eras Tour, fostering connection without direct copyright infringement. IYKYK. And the fans… they know. The core goals were to expand the K1 email database (because owned data is digital gold), drive website traffic, and ultimately, convert new audiences into first-time racers.

The Execution: 

We launched a multi-channel campaign that truly hit the mark:

• Radio Partnership: We collaborated with a local radio station for a creative ad spot, strategically timed to run during the weeks leading up to the Toronto concerts. This partnership not only generated excitement but also secured two coveted concert tickets for a giveaway.
• Website Contest: We launched a Era’s Tour themed contest on the K1 Speed website, offering a chance to win the concert tickets in exchange for email sign-ups, significantly supporting the growth of K1’s database.
• OOH Advertising: We leveraged our existing Out-of-Home (OOH) displays with a subtle, yet effective, creative concept that winked at the Eras Tour, ensuring broad visibility and intriguing commuters.
• Email Campaign & Event: An email campaign & themed on-track event was executed to drive awareness, and trial.
• Social Media & Influencers: Organic posts on Instagram and Facebook, along with an influencer reel partnership with Briony [hyperlink: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDKxHa9AtMu/?hl=zh-cn] amplified the message and reach.

The Results: 

• Email Growth: The contest attracted an astounding 50,726 email submissions, with 49,623 entirely new emails added to the database. A follow-up "surprise and delight" offer achieved a 51.7% open rate and a 2.8% click-through rate. The email campaign itself saw a remarkable 55.6% open rate, a 30% uplift from typical averages, and an 18% increase in newsletter sign-ups.
• Website Traffic Surged: During the contest, the dedicated Eras Tour webpage garnered 89,319 views from 76,722 active users. Overall website traffic saw a 22.8% rise in new users and a 56.2% increase in overall views year-over-year. For the event period, new users jumped 89.9% and overall views increased 48.2% year-over-year.
• Social Media Buzz: A single Instagram post garnered 541 likes and 70 comments, while Briony's IG Reel achieved over 185K views, 2.2K likes, 94 comments, 424 shares, and 43 saves.
• Event Success: The themed Glo-Karting event saw 25 theme night packages sold, leading to a 22.5% week-over-week increase in revenue compared to previous glo-karting nights.
• Paid Social Performance: The ad campaign for both locations achieved 919 link clicks and nearly 60,000 impressions with an average cost per result of $0.56.

This campaign demonstrated that embracing pop culture with creative strategy can effectively expand your audience, achieve significant business goals, and reinforce brand alignment—all while staying nimble and innovative!