Alexandra V. Wade

UnSeen is a set of seasonal walking tours that occur throughout select evenings of September and October. UnSeen focuses on the stories of Bowling Green’s origins and infamous individuals that left their mark on the city.

For the 2023 UnSeen season, three tours ran: The Murder Mansion Tour, The Pauline Tabor’s XXX Tour, and The Backstories and Backstreets Tour.

UnSeen aims to provide exposure for the Historic RailPark & Train Museum as well as drive revenue for the Friends of L&N Depot Nonprofit.

2023 Marketing Objective: Position UnSeen along Historic RailPark and Train Museum as a means to develop popularity of both brands and use scarcity service marketing tactics.

Digital Marketing Campaign

To cultivate the 2023 digital marketing campaign for UnSeen, all content was created in terms of staying cohesive to the themes of each individual tour. For example, the Pauline Tabor’s XXX Tour content adorns the color scheme used in the memoir the tour is based upon as well as the iconic “bust” graphic. For the Murder Mansion and Backstories & Backstreet Tours, the content was more so tailored to the location the stories focused on as the noteworthy events are more aligned with the destination rather than the individual.

Social Media Marketing

01

Promotional Content

Promoting the tour services, providing tour descriptions and driving ticket link sales on the UnSeen Facebook as well as @unseenbg on Instagram.

02

Marketing Communication

Maintaining organization-community relationship with regular updates on tour availability, membership packages and showcasing customers on the UnSeen Facebook as well as @unseenbg on Instagram.

Murder Mansion

Marketing Objective

The Murder Mansion Tour is based upon the writings and research findings of author, Wes Swietek. Detailing the events surrounding the brutal slayings of the estate owners, the Martin’s, the tour dives into what history accounted for and the possibilities that will forever be unknown.

The Murder Mansion has been a regular favorite of the UnSeen tours, as it has done well for several seasons. Since the tour is well-known in the area, marketing exposure is not the ultimate goal but scarcity marketing. Since this tour tends to sell out, marketing should focus about the limited availability and member exclusivity. Which is why promotional materials included the tour calendar, membership benefits, ticket openings, and other information that highlighted the high demand of the service but communicated the necessary information for the quality customers to purchase their tickets.

Marketing Objective

Like the Murder Mansion Tour, the demand for “Pauline Tabor’s XXX Tour” is extremely high... even to the point where it sells out in less than an hour after tickets open up to the general public. So marketing memberships was more essential than marketing the tour itself as it is extremely popular. Establishing an open line of communication was also essential for this marketing campaign, as cancellations allowed for the high demand to be met upon notification.

Another aspect of marketing the Pauline Tabor’s XXX Tour is the branding. As the title insinuates, this is a very graphic and “adults-only” content ridden tour. Previous marketing materials definitely used “sex sells” marketing which aligns with the tour and Pauline Tabor’s Memoir. BUT- I felt it was important to subdue the vulgarity of promotional materials since the UnSeen social medias have an online relationship with the other services that are family oriented. That is why the graphics have subtle imagery of aspects of Pauline, but not noticeable enough to be perceived as obviously obscene.

Marketing Objective

Within the set of UnSeen tours, there typically is a new tour added each year. This year the “Backstories & Backstreets Tour” debuted. Because this tour does not have ”word of mouth” credibility from the community as Pauline’s and the Murder Mansion tour do, visibility and marketing exposure are essential for the campaign.

Backstories & Backstreets are a derivative of previous tours, where there is a familiar character acting as the tour guide. By marketing this, those who enjoyed “Professor Noseworthy” in the past were likely to attend another tour presented by him.

Another method of marketing the Backstories and Backstreets Tour almost juxtaposed the other tours available, as it there were more openings within each service. By marketing that larger groups who couldn’t obtain tickets for the other UnSeen would be able to attend Backstories & Backstreets, these tour dates ultimately reached capacity as well.

Copywriting

01

Email Marketing

Email reminders, virtual newsletter updates, and ticketing information through DonorView and MailChimp databases to market UnSeen tours to those who have previously attend nonprofit events.

Haunted Lantern Tours are seasonal evening tours that are uniquely themed each year during the last two weeks of October. Haunted Lantern Tours take place on the vintage railcars of the Historic RailPark & Train Museum .

For the 2023 Haunted Lantern Tours, the creative director is bringing to life the stories of “Nightmare at the Zoo

While similar to UnSeen in “spooky” themes, Haunted Lantern Tours aims to provide direct exposure for the Historic RailPark & Train Museum as an unconventional way of getting guests onto the restored railcars.

2023 Marketing Objective: Focus on the “Place” of the Marketing Mix... make the museum known to those engaging in the tours.

Digital Marketing Campaign

For the 2023 digital marketing campaign for Haunted Lantern Tours, all content was created with the idea that the tour was a means of getting consumers through the doors of the museum... not simply a channel of ticket income. Keeping this in mind, the campaign considered the stories of “Nightmare at the Zoo” the derivative of October RailPark services. All graphics, content, and copy aimed to demonstrate the relationship of the tour to the setting of the RailPark whether that were to be using images of railcars on exhibit or creating a graphic including railway elements.

BG Trolley Tours and Rentals is also a service ran by Friends of L&N Depot with more of a direct involvement in community events. The BG Trolley has participated in several events during 2023, including parades, festivals, shuttle service, etc.

Regular Trolley Services include Historic City Tours, which are guided tours throughout Bowling Green, and private rentals.

The Trolley has participated in seasonal services as well such as the Lady of the Garden Tour and the Downtown Circulator.

2023 Marketing Objective: Since the Trolley is a new service offering, the main objective is visibility and exposure beyond Warren County to tourists, businesses, and groups alike.

Digital Marketing Campaign

The 2023 digital marketing campaign for BG Trolley Tours is essentially aiming to establish brand identity as the Trolley is a new service offered in the Bowling Green area. By using the iconic, recognizable color scheme of the Trolley throughout social media content, email campaigns, signage, and more, an association can be developed to secure the delayed customers. The more familiarized individuals are with the Trolley and what it has to offer, the more likely they are to become a paying customer of it.

Major Campaigns

The Historic RailPark & Train Museum offers rental services for the grounds facilities which include the Historic L&N Depot’s lobby, meeting room, bridal suite, private theatre, and vintage railcars.

The Historic RailPark & Train Museum rental services offer as a line of revenue for event rentals like business meetings, weddings, showers, birthday parties and more.

The RailPark is one of few BG Landmarks that also serves as a large capacity venue in the Bowling Green and western Kentucky area.

2023 Marketing Objective: Focus on the “Place” component of the marketing mix, showcase the RailPark as the most suitable venue for rental inquiries in the area.

Digital Marketing Campaign

The 2023 digital marketing campaign for BG Trolley Tours is essentially aiming to establish brand identity as the Trolley is a new service offered in the Bowling Green area. By using the iconic, recognizable color scheme of the Trolley throughout social media content, email campaigns, signage, and more, an association can be developed to secure the delayed customers. The more familiarized individuals are with the Trolley and what it has to offer, the more likely they are to become a paying customer of it.

Alexandra V. Wade

service marketing

alexandravwade@gmail.com

270.598.2364

Bowling Green, KY