Kirkpatrick Coast-to-Coast Launch
To celebrate the official launch of the Kirkpatrick C2C with signposting and infrastructure developments completed along the route, the SSDA put together media activity and promotions to entice cyclists to plan a trip on the 250-mile route.
The activity was launched on 1 June 2024, running until the end of July 2024.
Throughout its runtime, the activity targeted keen cyclists within a 4-hour drivetime radius of the South of Scotland with paid social media advertising utilising route photos and videos, directing them to the website landing page.
The SSDA team also encouraged cyclists to join the Scotland Starts Here Strava cycling club and share their feedback and impressions of the route, while conducting business outreach to assess the overall impact and response to the activity.
The activity was also supported by media and press activities, and featured on Cycling Weekly Online, (3.08M, and this piece has an estimated 8.73K views).
Results:
- Over its 8-week runtime, the social media activity overachieved significantly on all targets, reaching over 2million in key target audiences
- The advertisements generated 26.5k link clicks and the additional interest in the route resulted in over 35k visits to Kirkpatrick C2C-related pages and content on Scotland Starts Here during the campaign run-time
- Feedback from cyclists was overwhelmingly positive, with regular messages to Scotland Starts Here sharing photos, praise for the route design, quality of the business offering along the route, and warm welcomes in the local communities
- Businesses along the route reported an increase in cyclist visits overall, with one business reporting that 10% of its touring business is now related to the route, and another reporting over 100 cycling-related bookings in 2024.
- The activity was also supported by the Kirkpatrick C2C route partners at Dumfries & Galloway Council, Scottish Borders Council, VisitScotland and Sustrans and further tracking of economic impact of the route continues.
