Sunshine Matters

January in London is famously gray, with an average of 19 rainy days and only 2-3 hours of sunshine per day.  That’s why, for the second year, VISIT FLORIDA and more than a dozen of our Industry Partners are joining forces to share “moments of sunshine” with potential Sunshine State visitors from the UK.

Year two of our “Love, Florida” campaign launched earlier this week with several campaign elements focused on bringing Florida sunshine and a little humor to Blue Monday, what Brits “celebrate” as one of “the coldest, wettest days of the year.”

Working with Someecards, we launched Florida-themed messages that offered a little Sunshine State humor perfect for a gray day.  London commuters at Waterloo Station were handed “oyster card” holders for their train tickets branded with one of three Florida Someecards.   The cards were also shared via a dedicated landing page on the Someecard website, Facebook page and mobile app, with the one featured here having already been shared over 138,000 times.

The Someecards were also featured throughout the day on Twitter via a VISIT FLORIDA Promoted Trend of #BlueMonday that specifically targeted the UK.  The one-day UK Twitter takeover received more than 28 millions impressions and had an average engagement rate of 4.9%, which is significantly higher than the travel industry benchmark engagement rate of 2.05%.

Also kicking off this week, listeners of Heart Radio London’s “Breakfast with Jamie and Emma” show have the chance to win one of twenty Florida holidays in the “Faces for Florida” competition.  Each week features a different Florida destination, including Walt Disney World Resort, Kissimmee, Tampa Bay, and Universal Orlando Resort.

Well-known English television and radio presenter Mark Wright and a crew from Heart Radio flew to Florida to give their listeners a preview of this year’s amazing destinations.  While in-destination, Mark participated in all the activities that winners will experience, from Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to the Screamin’ Gator Zip Line at Gatorland in Kissimmee.  The Heart team produced short videos that are being shared on social media to showcase the experiences included in the prize packages, like this one.

More than 20 percent of UK travelers plan their holiday based on personal recommendations, which can include online reviews, social media sites and travel blogs.  Following this research, VISIT FLORIDA enlisted the help of 11 social Influencers to promote all that Florida has to offer to British travelers.

Starting in November, these UK-based Influencers began traveling to Florida destinations across the state to escape the cold and share their personal moments of sunshine.  VISIT FLORIDA’s strategic Partner, Hertz, provided each Influencer with a rental car to road trip around each destination for a week.  The Influencers posted about their hotels, restaurants, attractions and their overall experience.  Highlights included exploring national and state parks, tasting local cuisine at a food festival, Segway tours through quaint downtown areas, horseback riding on the beach, thrilling roller coaster rides and much more.

The combined followers for these Influencers total more than 1.9 million, just over the amount of total UK visitors to Florida last year.  In addition to the organic reach of the Influencer’s posts, VISIT FLORIDA will amplify their social content, targeting an even larger and highly specific UK audience of 15 million.

Throughout the four-week campaign, VISIT FLORIDA will be the dominate advertiser in Waterloo Station with hanging pennants, window graphics and large print and digital banners seen on the UK’s largest indoor advertising screen.  Additional campaign elements include:

• A dedicated playlist featuring Partner videos on the Digital TV Florida Channel
• A three-month presence on Expedia.co.uk with a Florida landing page featuring Partners, as well as multiple homepage takeovers, dedicated emails and network placements
• Special game-day activations with the Fulham Football Club
• A customized Facebook Canvas full-screen, immersive mobile ad experience featuring Partners

Through the success of last year’s campaign, VISIT FLORIDA and our Partners were able to move Florida up in rank as one of the top destinations of interest for UK travelers.  In an effort to protect this position and maintain our competitive rank, the “Love, Florida” campaign is designed to continue building greater brand awareness, maintain market share and increase the potential for future growth by creating moments that inspire travel to the Sunshine State.

We’d like to thank the destinations and attractions across Florida who are taking part in the “Love, Florida” campaign, including Experience Kissimmee, Walt Disney World Resort, Visit Tampa Bay, Universal Orlando Resort, Visit Sarasota, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, SeaWorld Orlando Resort, Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, Discover Martin County, Visit Pasco, the Lowry Park Zoo, The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel and Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau.