A monetization strategy that adds value for partners.

Client: VisitPITTSBURGH
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Industry: Destination Marketing
Other Projects: Website Design & Development

Visit Site

In tandem with a new website design project, VisitPITTSBURGH partnered with the Tempest to completely reinvent its online advertising program. The monetization strategy team began with a performance audit of the existing legacy platform and recognized serious opportunities to improve overall performance and program health. 

The Move to Native Advertising 

VisitPITTSBURGH was poised to increase ad performance, improve program efficiency, and offer greater value to its advertising partners by moving from a traditional display advertising program to a native solution. Native advertising offers an ad experience that integrates naturally with the website user experience, leading to increased ad engagement and clicks. Because native ads blend so well with regular site content, users are more likely to find the ads engaging and relevant. 

Increased Click-Through-Rates

After transitioning to native ad units, VisitPITTSBURGH's overall click-through-rates (CTRs) increased between 30 percent and 104 percent year-over-year across a range of ad types. Overall CTRs climbed up to seven times higher than the industry average CTR of 0.07 percent*.

Greater Efficiency & Partner Value

Native ad units utilize basic photography and text and do not require outside graphic design production. The native format eliminates design and approval roadblocks and reduces the turnaround time from sale to ad placement from days down to hours. The photo and text-based formats also make it easy for VisitPITTSBURGH to offer A/B testing on ad variations, which is an amazing value-add for partners.

Looking Ahead

Tempest's monetization team manages ad implementation, trafficking, and reporting for VisitPITTSBURGH. With real-time performance data and website user behavior trends, Tempest will provide insights and recommendations for VisitPITTSBURGH to continually evolve and optimize its monetization strategy to offer partners the most effective solutions possible.

Want to learn more? Read about our approach to monetization strategy or get up-to-speed on the benefits of native advertising on our blog. 

*Industry Average CTR is 0.07 percent according to Google's Industry Benchmarks for the travel industry.