Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Destination Marketing Campaigns from a Sustainability and Resilience Viewpoint: The Case of “This Is Athens & Partners” in Greece

Abstract

The need for a consistent marketing evaluation framework has been highlighted by destination authorities, who in collaboration with academia and marketing professionals have sought to formulate methodologies for measuring the impact of their campaigns. Although several attempts have been made, no simple solution has emerged for evaluating destination marketing activities. This study draws on This is Athens & Partners to reveal the interaction that should take place when destination authorities employ external experts to implement and evaluate their marketing campaigns. The collaboration required adopting the appropriate destination marketing evaluation methodology, which is presented. The adapted methodology, formulated through consultation, resulted in the selection of the advertising tracking survey as the data collection method and the adaptation of a measurement instrument. The research findings show that destination marketing can positively influence the funnel process potential travelers consider when deciding on a travel destination, only when digital tools are combined with effective strategic marketing planning and, more recently, with references to resilience and sustainability. Insights from this paper regarding the importance of establishing an informative evaluation methodology to mitigate potential deficiencies in planned marketing initiatives may prove of added value to destination authorities and stakeholders.