Region Escape Rooms

[ THE CHALLENGE ]

Region Escape Rooms operates in Whiting, Indiana, a small industrial town in northwest Indiana right on the Illinois border. The challenge is proximity to Chicago. Why would someone choose a small-town escape room over a big-city venue 20 minutes away? They were competing against Chicago escape rooms with bigger budgets, more rooms, and more visibility. Their previous marketing positioned them as just another escape room, which meant losing to Chicago venues on perception and convenience. They needed a positioning strategy that turned their small-town location into an advantage instead of a disadvantage.

[ OUR STRATEGY ]

We flipped the script. Instead of competing with Chicago, we positioned Region Escape Rooms as the "escape the city" alternative. Ad copy emphasized: "Skip the Chicago traffic," "Small-town charm, big-city quality," "Northwest Indiana's best-kept secret," and "Parking is free and easy." Targeted keywords like "escape room near me," "escape room northwest Indiana," and "things to do Whiting" with tight geo-targeting in Indiana. Added negative keywords for downtown Chicago zip codes to avoid wasting budget. Captured locals and Indiana residents who wanted a quality escape room experience without fighting Chicago traffic. The positioning locked down the local market and turned the small-town location into a selling point.

[ THE RESULTS ]

[ CAMPAIGN BREAKDOWN ]

[ TIMELINE ]

[ MORE CASE STUDIES ]