This Crescent Heights Village BIA case study is the story of a small but mighty non-profit representing dozens of independent businesses in one of Calgary’s most charming neighbourhoods. With a lean team and an even leaner marketing budget, the question wasn’t if they could reach their audience — it was how.
When you’re a non-profit serving a whole neighbourhood’s worth of businesses, getting the word out is a tall order. Social media is a never-ending dance for diminishing returns, and the algorithm doesn’t care how charming your high street is.
The smarter play? An email list.
But that raised a new question: with everything online competing for clicks, how do you actually get a city of curious locals to raise their hand at the same time?
Food.
We created the Foodie’s Guide to CHV — a beautifully designed, neighbourhood-spanning love letter to the restaurants, cafés and hidden gems of Crescent Heights Village.
Delivered straight to inboxes in exchange for an email signup, it gave people a real reason to subscribe (and a real reason to visit).
We ran targeted ads pointing directly to the Foodie Guide as the lead magnet.
People sign up, get the guide, and the BIA quietly built a list of locals who actually want to hear about what’s happening in the Village.
The Ads:
For context, industry-average open rates hover around 20–25%. CHV nearly doubled that — and almost everyone who opened, clicked through.
Contact: itsdigital.ca
More on our work with Crescent Heights Village BIA: crescentheightsvillage.ca
The Foodie Guide: crescentheightsvillage.ca/foodies-guide-to-chv
Back to Our Work: itsdigital.ca/our-work
