Driving brand awareness, bookings, and brand love for an iconic Hawke’s Bay experience

Bringing these majestic birds to a screen near you

Here at Maverick, each and every one of our client relationships is unique – and there’s nothing more we love than teaming up with small tourism businesses that are punching well above their weight. It’s working with these kinds of operators, who are incredibly proud of their place and are passionate about providing the best possible visitor experience, where Maverick Digital first grew its roots. Gannets Safaris Overland is emblematic of this – a postcard-famous, award-winning Hawke’s Bay attraction that’s seen us embark on an incredible five-year journey of growth and success.

In 2019, Gannets Safaris approached Maverick Digital with the goal of growing their paid media presence; reaching more potential customers and growing their online direct conversions, rather than through traditional channels. By leveraging data-driven insights, we have optimised their advertising spend, ensuring that each campaign delivers maximum impact and reaches an audience that is most likely to engage with Gannet Safaris’ visually engaging ads.

Careful tactics have been used to reach distinct audiences, each with their own interests and booking behaviours. Segments identified include cruise passengers, conservation enthusiasts, adventure seekers, road-trippers, and even self-described ‘bird nerds’. Our digital strategy has helped bring the 20,000-strong bird colony to Facebook feeds and Google search results all over the world.

The partnership has also extended to website development, with the design and build of a brand-new site in 2022. Visually compelling but also highly functional, it’s an intuitive user-friendly website that communicates Gannet Safaris Overland’s commitment to nature and adventure. Weaving in USP’s and key travel information, it warmly invites tourists to explore the beauty of the Gannet Colony and the Hawke’s Bay landscape.

Cohesive collaboration every season

As a seasonal business, we’re well aware of the limited timeframe we have to help Gannet Safaris Overland convert potential visitors. It’s a balancing act of understanding lead times, booking windows, seasonal trends and audience segmentation to reach the right people at the right time. This way, we’re delivering great value to the client whilst also maintaining high levels of website traffic, engagement rates, and booking enquiries.

Thanks to our great two-way communication channels, our relationship is built on a foundation of trust and transparency, allowing us to pivot easily to seize digital opportunities. Knowing their values and vision inside-out, we’ve been able to provide tailored advice and innovative solutions that resonate with their brand and business objectives.

Our collaborative efforts have put their tours on the map and taken the famous gannets global, increasing their digital footprint and seeing significant success in their marketing ROI.

At the conclusion of each season, when the birds migrate north for winter, it’s a chance for us to take stock, learn from past results, and celebrate our wins – and before we know it, the mighty seabirds are almost ready to return, and it’s our time to shine all over again!

They’re divers, dancers, swoopers and squawkers… and a famous scene on many a Hawke’s Bay Instagram post. The team at Gannet Safaris Overland have been taking guests to the breathtaking Cape Kidnappers gannet colony for over 50 years – putting smiles on faces and awe in eyes as visitors encounter the majestic acrobatic birds, and we couldn’t be prouder to play a part in helping them achieve digital success.