Co-op campaign turns soccer fever into SoCal stays

Major sporting events spur passionate fans to travel to host destinations. This creates a unique opportunity for surrounding cities to get in the game — and more competition for travelers' attention. The World Cup event in summer 2025 at Pasadena's iconic Rose Bowl Stadium was no exception. Anticipating increased tourism from 32 elite global teams and their international fan bases, three iconic Southern California destinations — Santa Ana, Greater Palm Springs, and Buena Park — needed an innovative approach to stand out.

Our Sports Tourism study reveals that 47% of traveling sports fans prioritize experiencing their destination beyond the event itself. Even more telling, 81% of visitors who book accommodations for sporting events venture beyond their home base to explore neighboring cities.

To successfully tap into this massive tourism opportunity, the three destination marketing organizations partnered with us to position visiting these destinations as a way for fans to keep the excitement of the tournament going.

By positioning themselves as the perfect complement to the soccer festivities, these destinations successfully tapped into the tournament's massive tourism potential, converting passionate sports fans into engaged regional explorers.

Through a co-op campaign, we worked with these destinations to create a curated shopping experience for travelers, which strategically highlighted premium relaxation opportunities and luxury accommodations. This encouraged soccer enthusiasts to think beyond the match and plan extended Southern California getaways.

The co-op landing page served as a comprehensive travel hub, featuring destination highlights, a portfolio of hotels and vacation rentals in each of the three destinations, and convenient flight options to Palm Springs International Airport — creating a frictionless booking journey. This curated approach proved particularly effective, aligning perfectly with contemporary travel preferences, as our research shows over 40% of travelers actively prefer navigating a refined selection of properties rather than extensive inventories.*

The campaign's targeting captured high-intent travelers through a multi-channel approach. Premium placements across Expedia® and Vrbo® sites, complemented by strategic social media content, directed qualified traffic to the conversion-optimized landing page, significantly amplifying visibility and bookings for all three destinations.

Over a four-month period, the co-op campaign generated a total 75:1 return on advertising spend.