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Five of the best map-based content marketing campaigns for inspiration in 2018

By Daniel Wright, Creative Executive

Latitude Digital Marketing

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The Drum Network article

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February 16, 2018 | 6 min read

The scope for creative content marketing campaigns in 2018 has never been more exciting – and it would seem that interactive maps are all the rage at the moment.

Clan map of Scotland

In all fairness, you really can’t blame brands for having a crack at this type of content, either. Especially when you consider the development tools now available to help build these beautiful projects – such as Google Maps Embed API and open source toolkits like Bootstrap.

Building map-based content with mobile in mind is also much easier than it was five years ago, for instance.

All in all, if done correctly, and in a way that gives the user a relevant, insightful and engaging experience – interactive maps are a great way for brands to interact and engage with their audience.

So, in celebration of this, we thought we’d check out the best examples of brands applying such methods to inspire their creative endeavours.

GoCompare – What Powers the World?

GoCompare map

The function of this interactive map is to show the end user how much of the world’s electricity is still reliant on the three traditional energy sources – coal, oil and gas.

The user is literally able to flick switches on and off in order to see how the world is powered. This acts as a filtering system to determine the extent to which each of the various countries are reliant on fossil fuels, nuclear power and renewable energy sources respectively.

The map lights up or darkens each time a switch is turned on or off, and you can hover over each country to get a percentage breakdown of how their electricity is generated.

The data aspect behind the functionality is what makes this content so impressive. While the world we live in is powered by energy, the map itself is powered by data.

Provident – Unbroken Britain

Provident map.

Much like the GoCompare energy map, this Provident campaign has been created through assembling vast amounts of data – in this case, survey data.

The map is designed to help the end user find out just how friendly their local area is.

Again, the map’s main function is to filter down the ratings of 30 UK towns and cities based on eight different sets of criteria – how welcoming, friendly, polite, safe, tidy, trustworthy, and even how ‘gossipy’ an area is.

Based on this, you can find out whether your area ranks above or below the national average for this criteria.

Medical Travel Compared – The travels of Queen Elizabeth II mapped

Medical Travel Compared map.

Given the fact that this happens to be a particularly important year for the Royals, this is a highly relevant campaign by Medical Travel Compared, and another impressively data-rich effort to engage consumers towards the brand.

This map enables the user to filter based on continent, the Queen’s age when she visited that country, and the type of visit she made (Commonwealth visit, State visit, or both).

When you click on each pin/country, a pop up box opens describing exactly what Her Majesty got up to during her visits there.

If you scroll down the page, you’ll see some beautifully illustrated complementary sub-sections expanding on certain points of interest within the map – such as the Queen’s many visits to Canada, for instance.

Expedia – Mythical creatures and where to find them

Expedia map.

Forget data – this imaginative piece is built entirely from comprehensive research, factual travel information on various locations across the globe, and most importantly – folklore.

Expedia fuses culture and mythology with destination-specific content to appeal to the more adventurous traveller through this unique landing page experience.

By their association with a specific mythical creature (Scotland as the home of the Loch Ness Monster, for example) you can click on a destination to open up a different dedicated section where you can learn everything you need to know ahead of planning a trip there. If you’re looking to go on the ‘Nessie’ trail for instance, you can find details about the best places to stay in the Scottish Highlands as well as the best attractions.

The beauty of this content is that it appeals to a different kind of traveller – because it’s selling a different kind of trip. A trip based around folklore, intrigue and adventure.

Lochcarron – Clan map of Scotland

Clan map of Scotland

As the world’s leading manufacturer of tartan, you have to admire how Lochcarron have made full use of their authentically Scottish DNA to put this together.

Tartan is part of the fabric (mind the pun) of Scotland. And when you consider the country’s history, it has a lot to answer for – which is what makes this content so relevant and interesting to the fashion brand’s online audience.

The map is essentially a visualisation of the various locations of Scotland’s historical clanships, and most importantly, the style of tartan that is associated with each clan.

The depth of research that has clearly gone into the piece is what gives it credibility – all you need to do is click on a clan area and read the information in the subsequent pop-up box.

Daniel Wright is creative executive at Latitude

Google Marketing

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