Boosting Cedar Rapids Tourism: How Tempest Increased Regional Visibility & Engagement

Setting the Stage

As the official destination marketing organization for Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office is dedicated to showcasing the city’s vibrant arts scene, thriving culinary landscape, and growing sports culture to visitors. Positioned in eastern Iowa, Cedar Rapids is a dynamic regional destination offering world-class theater, live music, and museums — all while competing with larger metro areas like Chicago, Minneapolis, and Omaha for tourism dollars.

To increase regional awareness, drive engagement, and maximize ad spend efficiency, the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office partnered with Tempest to develop a data-driven digital marketing strategy that would help the destination stand out in a competitive Midwest travel market.

Driving Awareness with a Smart, Scalable Strategy

To extend Cedar Rapids’ visibility within a 3-4 hour drive radius, Tempest launched a dual-pronged digital approach:

• Search Campaigns – Responsive text ads highlighted Cedar Rapids’ unique attractions, historic landmarks, and seasonal events. Existing website imagery was repurposed to enhance ad engagement without requiring new creative assets.
• Performance Max (PMAX) Campaigns – This advanced advertising approach delivered responsive display ads across the entire Google ecosystem — including Google Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Maps. By leveraging existing images and video assets, the campaign told a richer, more compelling story about Cedar Rapids while ensuring cost-effective reach.

By combining precision targeting with smart creative reuse, the campaign efficiently drove engagement and expanded Cedar Rapids' reach into key metro areas.

Measurable Growth & Regional Impact

In a year's time, the campaign delivered 42,000+ highly engaged sessions to seasonal landing pages at an efficient $0.38 cost per click (CPC). Key performance highlights included:

• 64% engagement rate — 17% higher than the site’s average.
• Significant expansion into major regional markets:
  • Chicago: +961% YoY traffic growth
  • Minneapolis: +623% YoY
  • Omaha: +427% YoY
• Increased website conversions, including partner referrals, newsletter sign-ups, and visitor guide requests.

By maximizing creative resources and leveraging cutting-edge ad technology, Tempest helped Cedar Rapids gain regional visibility, drive engagement, and compete with larger destinations within a highly efficient budget.

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Want to drive similar results for your destination? Contact the Tempest team today to learn more about our Growth Marketing services, which include transparent, engagement-based performance marketing strategies.