Xscape Quest
Michigan City, IN, USA
Summer tourist capture rate tripled, business sold at profit
[ THE CHALLENGE ]
Xscape Quest operated in Michigan City, Indiana, a small town on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. The location is both an advantage and a challenge. Summer brings Chicago tourists escaping the city for beach weekends, but the rest of the year the town is quiet. They needed to capture tourist traffic during the narrow summer window without overspending during the dead months. Their previous marketing ran the same budget year-round, which meant wasting money in winter and missing opportunities in summer. They needed a seasonal strategy that maximized tourist capture during peak season.
[ OUR STRATEGY ]
We built a summer-focused strategy with surgical precision. Allocated 65% of annual budget to June through August. Targeted tourist-specific keywords: "things to do Michigan City," "Michigan City rainy day activities," "Chicago weekend getaway activities," and "Indiana Dunes area attractions." Added geo-targeting for Chicago zip codes to capture tourists planning trips from the city. Created ad copy emphasizing "Just 90 minutes from Chicago," "Perfect rainy day backup," and "Family-friendly indoor fun." Off-season campaigns shifted to local keywords and special events. The summer tourist capture strategy tripled bookings from Chicago visitors compared to previous years.
[ THE RESULTS ]
[ CAMPAIGN BREAKDOWN ]
[ TIMELINE ]
Mapped tourist booking patterns. Identified summer as 70% of annual revenue opportunity. Built seasonal budget model.
Summer campaigns launched. Chicago geo-targeting active. "90 minutes from Chicago" messaging live. Tourist bookings surged.
Summer tourist capture tripled. 68% of bookings from Chicago visitors. ROAS hit 6x during peak months.
Strong summer performance and proven seasonal model made business highly attractive. Sold at a profit based on documented tourist capture strategy.
“Michigan City lives and dies by summer tourism. The seasonal strategy nailed it. We tripled our tourist bookings from Chicago in one summer. 68% of our customers were from Chicago. That performance made the business incredibly attractive to buyers. Sold it at a great profit because the marketing proved the model worked.”
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