The Numbers
- 28% Increase in Event Attendance
- 2.3 Million Views on Social Media
- 200% Increase in Organic Views
- 16,800 Engagements on Social Media
The Client
Fenimore Farm and Country Village is a living history museum located in Cooperstown, NY bringing 19th-century rural life to modern audiences through immersive exhibits and hands-on experiences. Operating on land farmed since 1813 and welcoming visitors since 1944, the site features more than two dozen historic buildings, from a tavern and farmstead to a blacksmith shop, print office, and general store. Costumed interpreters demonstrate traditional crafts and trades, creating meaningful, educational moments for guests. The museum is also home to the iconic Empire State Carousel, celebrating New York’s history, culture, and environment.
The Campaign
Glimmer Nights is a signature holiday experience at Fenimore Farm transforming the historic Country Village into a glowing winter destination. Now in its third year, the self-guided walking tour features elaborate, multi-colored holiday light displays, a show-stopping tunnel of twinkling lights, and themed weekends filled with music, shopping, and family-friendly surprises. Glimmer Nights had already proven successful, welcoming 8,000 guests in 2024. The goal was clear: build broader awareness, expand reach beyond the traditionally local audience, and elevate social media as a primary driver of excitement, visitation, and seasonal travel planning.
The Starting Point
Prior to partnering with KBL, Fenimore Farm was already actively promoting Glimmer Nights through social media and paid advertising. Posts highlighted event details, dates, and ticket information, with ad spend supporting visibility. While these efforts helped maintain awareness, the content leaned more promotional and ad-driven, which limited emotional connection and shareability. Engagement remained steady, but social was not fully driving excitement or urgency. There was an opportunity to move beyond announcements and ads, and instead use social media as an immersive preview of the experience itself, one that sparked curiosity, built momentum, and made audiences feel like they needed to be there.
The KBL Approach
We approached Glimmer Nights with a content-first strategy designed to feel immersive, human, and authentic. Using Facebook and Instagram, we delivered a mix of curated photography, carousels, and short-form video including b-roll driven reels set to holiday music and timely trending sounds. A key focus was capturing people in the experience, reinforcing the human connection that consistently drives engagement. Our team was on site multiple times, allowing us to create content that felt in-house and deeply informed. Rather than pushing traditional ad-style creative, we applied paid budget to high-performing organic posts, targeting both local audiences and visitors within a two-hour drive of Fenimore Farm to spark a larger interest and genuine FOMO.
The Glow Up
For Glimmer Nights, we shifted social content from informational promotion to experiential storytelling. Our focus was on capturing the magic of the event as it unfolded, using warm, inviting visuals that made audiences feel like they were already there. Through carefully curated photos, carousels, and short-form video, we highlighted glowing pathways, twinkling tunnels, cozy details, and the joy on visitors’ faces. Every post was designed to spark curiosity and build anticipation, turning the event into something people wanted to experience for themselves.
The Results
Strong social metrics matter. Increased reach, higher engagement, and elevated content quality all signal that a strategy is working. But for Glimmer Nights, success was ultimately measured by real-world outcomes. Our work focused on turning digital attention into action, using social media as a driver of awareness, ticket sales, and attendance. By pairing high-performing content with intentional distribution, Glimmer Nights moved beyond visibility and into momentum. The result was a campaign that did not just perform well online, but supported the bigger goal of growing the event, expanding its audience, and strengthening its position as a must-visit holiday experience
Event Attendance
Glimmer Nights saw a 28% increase with 10,100 in attendance compared to the previous year, demonstrating the power of social media to drive real-world visitation and ticketed experiences.
Social Views
Overall views reached 2.3 million during the event’s promotional period from October through December. Organic performance saw significant growth, with organic views increasing by over 200% compared to 2024. More than 700,000 views came from non paid content, compared to 223,581 organic views the previous year, reflecting a strategic shift toward high-performing, audience-driven content.
Social Engagement
Total engagements grew to 16,800 compared to the previous year, representing an increase of nearly 90%. Notably, engagement from non followers more than doubled, rising from 4,740 to over 10,300 interactions. This shift demonstrates the campaign’s ability to reach and resonate with new audiences, extending awareness beyond Fenimore’s existing community.
Client Testimonial
"Since taking charge of the social media marketing platforms (primarily Facebook and Instagram) for Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm & Country Village in September 2025, Key Branding Labs (KBL) has already delivered measurable and meaningful results. Through a strategic emphasis on consistent organic posting, dynamic video content, engaging reels, and timely audience interaction, including thoughtful responses to visitor questions across platforms, KBL has significantly strengthened the museums’ digital presence and community connections. While many factors contribute to the success of a signature event, the enhanced visibility, storytelling, and engagement generated through KBL’s social media strategy played an important role in expanding awareness and driving visitation for the Glimmer Nights Holiday Light Show. Equally important, KBL’s partnership has allowed our small internal team to better distribute workload and focus on mission-critical initiatives across both museums. The result is not only stronger marketing performance, but also a more sustainable and effective operational model, benefiting our staff, our audiences, and the long-term success of Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm & Country Village."
Kerri Green Director of Marketing & Communications Fenimore Farm & Fenimore Art Museum