The Enchanted Forest is an annual sound and light show which transforms the beautiful Faskally Wood in the Scottish Highlands into a magical destination each October. Cunningly Good Group has been providing marketing and public relations support to The Enchanted Forest since 2008. Over its 20 years, the event has seen significant growth, from just 1,500 people over three nights in 2002, to attracting 88,072 over five weeks in 2022.

The event was cancelled due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. This meant that, coupled with it being the event’s significant 20th anniversary in 2022, there was great anticipation as well as pent-up demand. To mark the first event to run since the pandemic, Together was chosen as the theme, celebrating the audience’s opportunity to be together again.

Cunningly Good Group required an approach which would create a marketing splash, hail the event’s return, but also provide that crucial bang for our buck. Marketing objectives included driving event ticket sales of at least 80,000 and average ticket yields of £17.50 or more per ticket. The marketing plan built on both brand and campaign activity, a successful approach established since 2008.

We planned an integrated marketing campaign based on the three core strengths of the event’s marketing planning, including email marketing, organic and paid for social media activity and public relations. For the first time ever, we implemented a TV advertising campaign on STV (broadcast).

Cunningly Good Group’s carefully developed campaign delivered a record-breaking year for ticket sales and revenues, exceeding every campaign objective:

• Highest ticket sales – 88,072 (up 9.4% on 2019)
• Highest ever revenue – £1.624 million (up 22.4% on 2019)
• Highest ever yield per ticket – £18.75 (up 12.1% on 2019)
• Highest economic impact – £9.9 million to local economy, providing a significant, much needed boost.
• Goal of 400,000 website visits achieved and exceeded by 0.02%.
• PR activity resulted in 192 pieces of local, national and international print, online and broadcast media coverage, with 2.93 million estimated views and potential audience reach of 377 million.
• The PR coverage achieved (highlighting the event’s 20th anniversary), plus visitor generated social media content, was overwhelmingly positive, securing the event’s position as the trailblazing, ‘must-see’ sound and light show and a mainstay of the Scottish Autumn tourism calendar. This is reflected in a Tweet from MP for Perth and North Perthshire, Pete Wishart: “Fantastic evening at the opening of the Enchanted Forest. Bigger, better and truly immersive. Now one of the top outdoor attractions in the UK. Get yourself to Pitlochry.”

The event’s marketing activity is responsible for driving annual ticket revenues of £1.624 million and a return on marketing investment of £22.21 for every £1 invested.