How Fox Cities Turned a Winter Passport Into a Local Discovery Campaign
May 13, 2026
A winter campaign that gave people a reason to get out and explore
Fox Cities wanted a winter campaign that could do more than promote businesses one by one. The goal was to help local businesses stay visible during February while giving people a stronger reason to get out, explore downtown Appleton, and take part in something seasonal.
That can be a challenge in winter. People may already know a few places they like, but without a shared activity or a clear incentive, it is harder to encourage broader movement across downtown or keep local businesses part of one connected story.
Fox Cities needed something simple to join, easy to follow on a phone, and practical for both visitors and participating businesses. The goal was not just awareness. It was to create a local discovery campaign that gave people a reason to browse, visit, and redeem.
A digital winter passport built around real-world visits and local offers
Fox Cities used Driftscape to turn its winter passport into a mobile-friendly experience people could follow throughout February.
Rather than relying on static promotion alone, the campaign brought together 29 participating businesses, each with its own coupon or discount, in one shared digital passport. Visitors could browse participating stops, see what offers were available, and use the passport as a simple guide for local discovery.
To encourage participation, the campaign also offered the chance to win one of 10 Downtown Appleton gift certificates worth $50 each. That helped turn the passport into more than a list of deals. It became a seasonal activity people could follow while exploring downtown.
A winter campaign that gave people a reason to get out and explore
Fox Cities wanted a winter campaign that could do more than promote businesses one by one. The goal was to help local businesses stay visible during February while giving people a stronger reason to get out, explore downtown Appleton, and take part in something seasonal.
That can be a challenge in winter. People may already know a few places they like, but without a shared activity or a clear incentive, it is harder to encourage broader movement across downtown or keep local businesses part of one connected story.
Fox Cities needed something simple to join, easy to follow on a phone, and practical for both visitors and participating businesses. The goal was not just awareness. It was to create a local discovery campaign that gave people a reason to browse, visit, and redeem.
A digital winter passport built around real-world visits and local offers
Fox Cities used Driftscape to turn its winter passport into a mobile-friendly experience people could follow throughout February.
Rather than relying on static promotion alone, the campaign brought together 29 participating businesses, each with its own coupon or discount, in one shared digital passport. Visitors could browse participating stops, see what offers were available, and use the passport as a simple guide for local discovery.
To encourage participation, the campaign also offered the chance to win one of 10 Downtown Appleton gift certificates worth $50 each. That helped turn the passport into more than a list of deals. It became a seasonal activity people could follow while exploring downtown.
How Driftscape helped Fox Cities build a seasonal campaign people could actually follow
Driftscape helped Fox Cities turn a winter promotion into a connected local discovery campaign that was easy to launch, easy to use, and easy to share across participating businesses.
The passport format brought together business listings, offers, and redemptions in one mobile-friendly flow. That mattered because Fox Cities was not just trying to raise awareness. It wanted to give people a practical reason to visit local businesses, browse offers, and keep exploring during a slower season.
By combining place-based discovery with a simple digital structure, the campaign supported downtown businesses while giving Fox Cities a format that could be repeated and adapted for future seasonal use.
Winter engagement people actually acted on
The Winter Passport gave Fox Cities a more interactive way to support local businesses during February, with strong engagement across both browsing and redemption activity.
The campaign generated:
18,487 passport views
819 unique users
78 total redemptions
10% of users redeemed coupons
Those results suggest the campaign did more than attract attention. It gave people a reason to browse, explore participating offers, and take action through redemptions, helping 29 downtown businesses stay part of a shared seasonal experience.
Why the format worked in winter
This campaign worked because it matched the season and the setting. February can be a harder time to drive spontaneous exploration, so the passport gave people a clearer reason to visit downtown Appleton, browse offers, and redeem along the way.
It also connected discovery with action. Instead of simply showing people where businesses were, the passport tied local exploration to visible discounts, business participation, and the added incentive of Downtown Appleton gift certificate giveaways.
Just as importantly, the format was easy to understand. People could follow it on their phones, businesses could take part through a shared campaign, and Fox Cities could support local discovery through a format that felt organized, useful, and repeatable.
Takeaways for CVBs, downtown groups, and regional tourism teams
A seasonal passport can give people a stronger reason to explore during slower months
Connecting 29 businesses through one shared experience can create more movement across downtown
Discounts and giveaways work best when they feel like part of a simple activity, not separate promotions
A digital passport can help turn local discovery into something easier to follow and easier to measure
Winter campaigns do not need to be complicated to drive useful engagement if the next step for visitors is clear
Want to turn a seasonal campaign into something people will actually follow?
Driftscape helps tourism teams, downtown groups, and destination organizations turn promotions into mobile-friendly experiences that encourage people to keep exploring and keep supporting local businesses.
If you want to create a winter passport, regional trail, or seasonal campaign that is easy to launch and easy to follow, book a demo.