The Zagreb Tourism Board is dedicated to spotlighting Croatia's vibrant capital through year-round content, with a particular emphasis on cultural events and live experiences. For the 2025 edition of the beloved Festival of Lights, they aimed to turn attention to Zagreb as a top European destination to welcome spring. The Festival blended cutting-edge technology with performing and visual arts, transforming Zagreb's Lower and Upper Towns into a canvas of color and creativity.

By leveraging X, the board sought to invite locals and tourists alike to engage with this immersive celebration of art, emotion, and spring renewal.

Running from February 25 to March 23, 2025, the campaign’s core goal was to position Zagreb on the radar of EU travelers as a spring hotspot through the lens of the Festival of Lights. By showcasing the event's unique cultural and visual offerings, the campaign sought to drive awareness, engagement, and interest in visiting the Croatian capital.

Strategically utilizing diverse ad formats and targeting, the campaign aimed to:

• Drive maximum reach across EU markets

• Encourage engagement through video views, polls, and website cards

• Invite potential visitors to explore the event further via X

To ignite interest and boost event awareness, the Zagreb Tourism Board implemented a multi-phase campaign on X, targeting EU audiences with a variety of engaging formats:

1. Phase 1 (Feb 25 – Early March): The campaign kicked off with destination video ads and media polls to introduce Zagreb and gauge travel interest. These formats encouraged conversation and increased city familiarity.

2. Phase 2 (March): Once attention was sparked, the campaign shifted to focus on Festival of Lights-specific video ads and website cards, guiding users to the official event page for more information and planning.

This layered approach allowed the campaign to build anticipation, deliver storytelling through video, and drive direct traffic to the event site.

Targeting was powered by Socialdatabase audiences to maximize relevance, while the campaign ran across Europe, with a special focus on the United Kingdom. X Ads Manager was the source of truth for campaign measurement.

Working closely with Aleph and X, the tourism board ensured the most relevant formats were used and performance was optimized throughout the campaign lifecycle.

Beyond the metrics, the campaign had a noticeable cultural and digital impact. It strengthened Zagreb's brand presence as a vibrant, forward-looking city that blends heritage with innovation. The dynamic visuals and interactive content helped create a sense of anticipation, drawing not only regional attention but also igniting word-of-mouth buzz among art lovers, city-break travelers, and content creators across Europe.

The campaign also redefined how seasonal tourism moments can be activated in digital spaces. By merging tradition with modern engagement formats, Zagreb positioned itself as a cultural capital that embraces both storytelling and technology. The Festival of Lights became more than just an event—it became a reason to visit, explore, and share.

• Media Polls: to spark early-stage engagement and test interest in travel to Zagreb.

• Website Cards: to drive traffic directly to the Festival of Lights landing page.

• Video Ads (Web): for storytelling and immersive visual representation of Zagreb's springtime magic.

• Image Ads: for eye-catching moments throughout the campaign.

• Branded Features: including geo-targeting and interest-based segmentation to fine-tune audience relevance.