Thanks to upfront programmatic planning, Orange 142 launched an international geofencing campaign for GO Laurel Highlands in just four days, capturing Steelers fans in Ireland and driving strong engagement and awareness.
About GO Laurel Highlands
GO Laurel Highlands is a three-county tourism region southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,known for outdoor adventure, architectural landmarks like Fallingwater, and scenic small towns that draw visitors from across the United States and abroad.
| 14,000 Impressions | 149 Clicks | 1.08% Click-through Rate |
As a regional brand rather than a single city, GO Laurel Highlands invests heavily in awareness marketing to help travelers understand what and where the Laurel Highlands is. Senior Director of Marketing Jennifer Benford leads the effort to bring more visitors into the region and increase overnight stays. Her colleague, Laura Argenbright, serves as the Senior Director of Creative Strategy.
The destination is also A Preferred Vacation Destination Partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which creates unique opportunities to reach both local and international fans.
As an organization focused on tourism marketing, GO Laurel Highlands uses digital tactics such as geofencing to reach potential travelers across domestic and international markets.
The Challenge: 4 Days to Plan & Execute an International Activation
GO Laurel Highlands had been working with an agency previously but wanted a partner with more Travel & Tourism expertise, as well as a clearer understanding of how to tie media performance to real outcomes.
“In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, it is great to have a partner that makes things easy to digest and understand,” explained Benford.
Jennifer and Laura also needed highly flexible digital strategies that are easily activated if and when cultural or travel-driven opportunities emerged. As fate would have it, GO Laurel Highlands had only recently transitioned to Orange 142, when just such an opportunity surfaced: the Steelers game in Ireland.
During their client onboarding process with Orange 142, the teams outlined a wide mix of programmatic tactics that might be used over the year, including display, retargeting, geofencing, native, and paid search. The goal was to build a structure that allowed for fast pivots and quick execution.
That preparation was put to the test only a few weeks later. The Pittsburgh Steelers were scheduled to play a historic game in Ireland, and Visit PA had a strong brand presence on the ground. Days before kickoff, Benford reached out with a last-minute idea: could Orange 142 geofence the stadium in Ireland, capture fans attending the game, and retarget them afterward with GO Laurel Highlands messaging?
“Steelers fans travel. Two thirds of the people in that stadium were probably Steelers fans. It was a great chance to tie into that hype as A Preferred Vacation Destination Partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Benford said. “I really appreciated that Orange 142 could pivot when I called. I knew it was wild to ask if we could do this with such short notice, but they answered the call.”
In short, GO Laurel Highlands needed an international activation that could be executed within days, with zero setup delays, same-day creative delivery, and flawless operation inside a foreign market.
The Solution: A Rapid International Geofencing Activation
Thanks to Orange 142’s thorough onboarding process, advance planning for geofencing and other programmatic tactics, as well as all the required operational components, were already in place. When Jennifer Benford reached out, the team was able to activate within hours.
The activation included:
» Precise stadium geofencing. Orange 142 fenced the exact coordinates of the stadium in Dublin. Only people physically inside the venue during the game were captured. This ensured the audience consisted of committed travelers with strong spending power and clear interest in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
» 30-day retargeting window. Once captured, Steeler fans received GO Laurel Highlands display and retargeting ads for thirty days. The creative featured Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic modernist house built over a waterfall. They also highlighted the destination’s status as A Preferred Vacation Destination of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Messaging invited fans to “kick off your next adventure,” creating a natural extension of the sports experience.
» Alignment with existing Pennsylvania visibility. Visit PA had a presence at the event, which helped reinforce the Pennsylvania story for both American fans abroad and Irish and European travelers with curiosity about the United States.
» Strategic value for both domestic and international audiences. The campaign reached American Steelers fans traveling abroad who might consider a weekend getaway to the GO Laurel Highlands, as well as international travelers who often plan multi-city U.S. trips and look for destinations near major entry points like Pittsburgh.
The approach supported GO Laurel Highlands’ broader international marketing efforts, which already included London airport and National Geographic UK, as well as a partnership with VisitPittsburgh to attract global visitors.
"We love the reporting Orange 142 provides. It shows a lot more than we ever got in the past with other agencies. Before, we just got the numbers. We never saw analytics tied to the ads the way we can now.
Jennifer Benford
Senior Director of Marketing, GO Laurel Highlands
The Results: Strong Engagement From an International Geofencing Campaign
| 14,000 | 149 | 1.08% | 33 |
| Impressions | Clicks | CTR | Engaged Users (multiple page views and at least 15 seconds per page) |
Despite the small flight and tight geographic targeting, the campaign outperformed expectations for a top-funnel international tactic.
This activation was designed for awareness and inspiration, not direct bookings, yet it delivered strong interaction metrics and meaningful time spent on site.
“We want to do more of it. We’ve geofenced travel shows in the past, but this showed us something new we can expand into,” Benford said.
This campaign certainly demonstrates the power of flexible planning and quick collaboration, setting the stage for more real-time opportunities in the future.
About Orange 142
Orange 142 is a full service digital media agency that specializes in helping Destination Management Organizations build strategic, data-driven advertising programs that increase visibility, attract visitors, and measure impact across the full traveler journey. Our tourism portfolio includes digital media campaigns, audience development, social media marketing, influencer activations, creative production, foot traffic attribution, and advanced tactics such as geofencing and performance tracking.
We also support a wide range of organizations outside the travel and tourism sector. Our team partners with national brands, regional advertisers, and agencies to plan, execute, and optimize cross-channel digital media campaigns that align with each client’s goals and budget.
Orange 142 is part of Direct Digital Holdings, the ninth Black-owned company to go public. Our clients benefit from the scale, insights, and technology of a larger organization combined with the agility and hands-on support of a specialized media team.
