The campaign for Dark Sky Terschelling has won a Bronze Effie.
This was announced last night at the largest and most important marketing and communications conference in the Netherlands: Marketing and Effie LIVE! at Circa in Amsterdam. The campaign was commissioned by the Stichting Terschellinger Ondernemersfonds and carried out by Sherpa’s Stories. Red Online Marketing contributed to the online strategy and the results of the campaign.
The campaign was evaluated in the category “Behaviour Short.” This category rewards highly effective, short-term commercial behavioural changes. The duration may not exceed four months. This includes, for example, activation campaigns, catch-ups, and time-limited offers. The commercial success must be attributable to the chosen strategy and concept and cannot simply be “bought” or explained by external factors such as the season.
At the Bronze Effie award ceremony, it was said: “Several parties put their heads together to come up with something that would make Terschelling an attractive destination even outside the high season. With Dark Sky Terschelling, a great angle was found to attract adventurous travellers – the main target group – to the island during the dark months. It is a wonderfully simple campaign, developed and executed with a lot of passion, commitment and pride. This case clearly shows that a campaign can be impactful even with limited resources. With a solid strategic approach and smart media choices (whether driven by limited budget or not), you can really make a difference.”
A Dark Sky Park is a protected natural area where darkness and silence are central. Preservation protects nocturnal wildlife and the astronomical experience. Terschelling is therefore ideal for amateur stargazers, but also for professional astronomers. Not only at De Boschplaat, but across the entire island, the radiant starry sky can be admired.
The campaign was carried out by Sherpa’s Stories on behalf of Stichting Terschellinger Ondernemersfonds, in collaboration with VVV Terschelling, Rederij Doeksen and Melis de Vries (founder of the Dark Sky Park), and Staatsbosbeheer. Sherpa’s Stories collaborated on the campaign with Far Beyond, Red Online Marketing, and Built For Comfort Communications (BFCC).
Oeds Bijlsma, on behalf of the client Stichting Terschellinger Ondernemersfonds, said:
“The campaign has drawn attention to a very special part of Terschelling, something we on the island almost take for granted. But of course, we islanders are very proud of it, and it’s great that the Dark Sky Park on Terschelling has now been seen – and will continue to be seen – by many more people. And the fact that these unique natural qualities have also been recognised and appreciated by the jury is the icing on the cake. We are grateful – both to the jury and to everyone who contributed to this campaign.”
Isabel Mosk from Sherpa’s Stories added:
“We developed the campaign to raise awareness of Terschelling in general and the Dark Sky Park in particular. We succeeded especially well with a small team of professionals, considering the number of additional bookings and the increase in awareness through wide reach in online and offline media. That’s a wonderful recognition. And to have it underlined by this Effie is the literal cherry on top. Especially in a week in which we already won the Gold Award at the Grand Prix Content Marketing – that really tastes good!”
Red Online Marketing’s contribution to the Dark Sky campaign
Red Online Marketing supported the Dark Sky Terschelling campaign by developing a targeted online strategy. Our focus was on maximum reach and high-quality website traffic. For this campaign, we selected the target groups “adventure seekers” and “insight seekers” and reached them through META (Facebook and Instagram) and DV360. This led to broad visibility, a high reach, and extra website visits. We thus contributed to strengthening Terschelling as a travel destination and raising awareness for the island’s unique stargazing experience.
Results at a glance
Total budget: €46,126
Publicity reach: 25,375,796 contacts
Online reach: 4,138,394 people
Media value: €1,289,230
Economic impact: €268,845
Instameet result: 384 directly published images
Newsletters sent: 50,485 subscribers
Campaign-related overnight stays: 2,400 (≈ 1.7% of all tourist overnight stays)
Increase in average stay duration:
+43.3% compared to 2019
+4.3% compared to 2020
Media & Communication Measures
Websites: darkskypark-terschelling.nl, vvvterschelling.nl/arrangementen
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter with hashtag #DarkSkyTerschelling
Online campaigns: ads on Instagram, Facebook, and via Google Display Partners
Offline media: TV video at Rederij Doeksen, presentation in the window of VVV Terschelling
Press: press releases, press trip and Instameet with influencers
(including Magda Spierings, Corné Ouwehand, Erik Hageman, Marjolein van Roosmalen)Campaign production: video and photography to promote the Dark Sky experience
Conclusion
With a limited budget but strong creative power, the campaign succeeded in positioning Terschelling as a leading sustainable island destination. The campaign achieved remarkable reach, measurable economic impact, and significantly extended the length of stay during the off-season.
