The Great Northern

The Great Northern presented by Target is a 10-day celebration of all things winter in Minnesota. It brings together long-standing events like City of Lakes Loppet, St. Paul Winter Carnival, and U.S. Pond Hockey Championships with original programming that includes film screenings, tech and entrepreneurial discussions, culinary experiences, and live music. It was my job to use digital marketing channels to raise awareness of The Great Northern and drive event attendance. I drafted a marketing strategy, set measurable goals and KPIs, developed a multichannel content plan, managed social engagement, wrote social posts and emails, photographed events, designed graphics, and compiled a metrics report to show marketing success upon conclusion of this year’s celebration. Despite an ill-timed polar vortex appearance that brought temperatures of -30F followed by several inches of snow, we had record event attendance, grew our social media following by 32%, hosted an outdoor concert that drew nearly 2,000 people, and established The Great Northern as a nationally recognized celebration of all things cold and snow.