GlassBarge

Overview

Glassbarge was an unprecedented state-wide experiential event developed by The Corning Museum of Glass to celebrate both the 150th anniversary of glassmaking in Corning and the Erie Canal’s bicentennial. Celebrating both of these milestones by bringing hot glass demonstrations to communities all over New York State from Brooklyn to Buffalo via a barge with an all-electric glass making studio that was floated up the Hudson River and along the Erie Canal.

East Shore Marketing was engaged as the exclusive MWBE-certified marketing firm in this two-year project to drive both state-wide awareness and attendance to Glassbarge at 16+ community stops along the waterways of NYS from May - September. It was imperative that advance ticket reservations take place prior to Glassbarge arriving on location so that audience capacity was maintained.

Challenge

Campaign Goals

Brand Awareness

Generate awareness for Glassbarge—the 150th anniversary of glassblowing in Corning and the bicentennial of the Erie Canal.

Target Audience

Leverage PR opportunities with media outlets in each community for live interviews with CMoG reps, on-site news stories and social media posts.

Drive Traffic

• Drive advance ticket reservations to attend hot glass demos on Glassbarge while on location in individual communities
• Drive visitation to the museum in Corning
• Drive website traffic to cmog.org to learn more about museum activities and collections

Experience

Create media partnerships within each community that Glassbarge docked to foster ownership and highlight its historical connection to the waterway.

Strategy

Paid Marketing

A geographically targeted omnichannel approach was used to connect with diverse audiences in each community.

Paid Social Ads

Facebook/Instagram interest-based targeting.

Local Radio & NPR

Focused community reach and support generated by on-air talent.

Geo-Targeted Digital Campaigns

• Targeted to mom's with kids in HH
• Direct to publisher digital campaigns on top local news sites

Paid E-Blasts

Purchased with targeted audience site such as KidsOutandAbout and WhoFish.

Digital Display Ads

GlassBarge

Statewide Tour Map

Result

Campaign Success Metrics

Campaign delivered 40,000,000+ impressions state-wide resulting in over 50,000 visitors to Glassbarge!

Conversion

Over 5,000,000 impressions of added value

Traffic

• Over 50,000 visitors across NYS came to see Glassbarge
• Stakeholders in each community attended Glassbarge and were vocal about their support
• 35+ interviews with local media generated as added value from media buy

Engagement

• Overall engagement rate on geo-targeted digital display ads as high as 1.60%+
• Overall engagement rate on paid social as high as 1.75%+