Sunshine Matters

Ninety-four percent of Florida’s 80.9 million annual visitors have been here before, so VISIT FLORIDA is always looking for creative ways to reconnect with those  travelers and remind them why they need to return to the Sunshine State.

In partnership with CBS, VISIT FLORIDA is relaunching the highly successful “So You Think You Know Florida” promotion.  The promotion showcases Florida destinations, challenges viewers’ perceptions and knowledge of Florida locales, educates them on all that Florida has to offer, drives engagement online, and reaches potential visitors with multiple touch points throughout their day.   Running from February 7 through March 28, “So You Think You Know Florida” is meant to ignite potential visitor attention in Florida’s six key feeder markets of Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C . 

The integrated campaign includes television and radio spots, an online microsite where visitors can take a Florida quiz and register for the sweepstakes, out-of-home advertising on subway platforms and commuter rails, and an SMS/text component.  The television spots were shot on location in the Sunshine State using VISIT FLORIDA “Insiders” as talent.  Man-on-the-street interviews are conducted in each market, asking locals to answer fun trivia questions about Florida.  All of the promotional elements include a call-to-action to visit WinAFloridaTrip.com or text FLORIDA to 84816 for a chance to win a Sunshine State vacation for four and a 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata.

This year, the Florida destinations being featured in the videos include Jacksonville, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando/Kissimmee, Naples/Marco Island and the Everglades, Panama City Beach and Spring Hill.  VISIT FLORIDA’s Family Insider Jill Martin, Shopping & Smart Travel Insider Dalia Colon and Off the Beaten Path Insider Hilda Mitrani have been enlisted to provide the on air talent.  To see one of this year’s videos customized for the New York market featuring our Shopping & Smart Travel Insider, click here.

In 2010, the “So You Think You Know Florida” promotional sweepstakes proved to be a key component in the success of VISIT FLORIDA’s marketing campaign, with 2.6 million online impressions and more than 200,000 entries.  During the timeframe of the promotion, VISIT FLORIDA experienced up to a 64 percent increase in daily unique visits to the website from its six key feeder markets and a 2.7 percent increase in total visitors to Florida.  VISIT FLORIDA was able to take full advantage of the partnership with CBS to extend the reach and relevance of our branding in the most highly competitive markets.  And, in true Florida fashion, the messaging was delivered in a fun way that engaged consumers and drove home the Sunshine State brand.