VISIT TAMPA BAY LAUNCHES LARGEST OUT OF STATE WINTER CAMPAIGN

Tampa, FL (January 18, 2023)- Visit Tampa Bay announces the launch of the largest ever out-of-state winter marketing campaign in the Destination Marketing Organization’s (DMO) history.  The immersive and innovative marketing campaign targets domestic and major international markets with more than $2 Million in paid advertising plus public relations, social media and premier activations.

Leveraging the Tampa Bay Effect creative platform that showcases the destination’s active adventures with a relaxing vibe to create a unique experience that is authentically Tampa Bay, the paid campaign will run from January through April 2023.

Based on independent research and creative by FKQ Advertising and Marketing, media will focus on the destination’s most opportunistic markets for visitation such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington D.C. International markets include the UK, Germany, Mexico and Latin America.

“Marketing works and we continue to innovate for the tourism industry. Our success in record-breaking visitations only fuels us to achieve even more results for our partners and the community we serve, and that is why we continue to discover innovative ways to market Tampa Bay as a premier destination,” says Santiago C. Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “When travelers are ready to escape the cold weather, Tampa Bay is here for them, with our sun-drenched outdoor activities, beautiful bodies of water, world-class hospitality, and authentic history – all of which make this area relaxingly dynamic.” 

Incorporating many first-to-market placements, the campaign includes massive Visit Tampa Bay out-of-home advertising activations, making it the first destination to take over the World Trade Center and 33rd Street train stations in New York City. These highly populated landmarks will showcase over 200 Tampa Bay ads, including wallscapes, floor graphics, column wraps, posters and videos, providing a bright ray of sunshine for New Yorkers during the dreary winter months. 

Visit Tampa Bay returns to New York’s Hudson Yards with large-scale video ads and will mount more than 155 interior posters on Amtrak’s Acela and Northeastern trains. In Chicago, exterior wallscapes and digital posters will be seen in North Side neighborhoods, including River North, Lincoln Park and Lakeview. The takeover continues with Boston’s South Station, centrally located downtown, with dynamic video playing on unique single and triple screens. 

In an ongoing partnership with Carvertise, Visit Tampa Bay will also be the first to use the new 'Flex Wrap' product to stand out on the road, featuring branding on the top, hood, trunk and sides of premium Uber and Lyft vehicles in top domestic target markets.  

To take the immersive campaign a step further, consumers can feel like they are experiencing the glistening waters of Tampa Bay, complete with playful dolphins, by receiving a custom Augmented Reality experience on their phones that is activated through a QR code on the posters.

Completing the journey of those exposed to Visit Tampa Bay through out-of-home messaging, a new program with MobileFuse takes the message online and into consumers’ homes with the precise latitude and longitude of the outdoor units. The audience that is exposed to the outdoor messages will also then be served digital ads on their phones. And when they get home, they will be served a video ad on their TV through streaming services like Roku. In addition, Visit Tampa Bay is running 30-second commercials on connected TV systems, putting the destination in front of more than 19.8 million viewers. Breaking new ground, they will be the first destination featured on Hulu’s Custom Pause Ads, where the viewer is served a unique ad in an unexpected way during a natural break in video content. 

ABOUT VISIT TAMPA BAY

The heart of Florida’s Gulf Coast beats in Tampa Bay. Visit Tampa Bay encourages adventure with a relaxing vibe to create vacation experiences that are authentically Tampa Bay. As a not-for-profit corporation certified by Destinations International’s Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), we work with hundreds of partners to tell the world the story of Tampa Bay. Treasure awaits.