VISIT TAMPA BAY UNVEILS MOST EXPANSIVE OUT-OF-STATE CAMPAIGN FOR EPIC ESCAPES

Tampa, FL (January 24, 2024) – Brace yourself for Visit Tampa Bay’s most impactful and expansive out-of-state winter campaign to date. Geared towards captivating new audiences, Visit Tampa Bay has invested $4.6 million in the campaign, which launched on January 15. The strategic initiative targets all the DMO’s major U.S. and international markets, with an expanded plan that emphasizes market saturation.

The new campaign, designed by FKQ Advertising and Marketing to inspire, engage, and convert audiences, reaches targets through various mediums and partnerships, including large-scale out-of-home takeovers, digital TV, Tripadvisor, Expedia, Carvertise, Atlas Obscura, in-market activations, and more. Scheduled to run through May, the initiative spans six major legacy markets, including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C., with expansion to Atlanta, historically a summer market, Charlotte, and Michigan. International key markets, such as the UK, Germany, and Brazil, are also in focus. 

"In 2023, we continued our trend of setting records and maintained our commitment to stay innovative," said Santiago C. Corrada, President & CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. "With this intensive campaign, we will unveil some new original advertising tools, such as reflective Uber wraps and Alexa integration, to keep Tampa Bay top of mind for travelers, while supporting our partners."

From digital streaming TV agreements with Peacock and Simplifi, Tampa Bay will foster organic viewer engagement during natural breaks across multiple platforms. Mass awareness will be built through large-scale out-of-home displays and with takeovers in key markets, including immersive wallscapes in New York, Chicago, and Boston. The largest-ever agreement with Expedia provides takeovers and influencers, while a new partnership with Tripadvisor introduces an immersive voice-activated content integration with Alexa, leveraging a powerful large language model (LLM) for a highly engaging and personalized travel planning experience.

Taking to the streets, Visit Tampa Bay’s strategic partnership with Carvertise makes the DMO the first advertiser to utilize an innovative reflective wrap product on premium Uber and Lyft vehicles, making the vehicles 24/7 moving billboards. Additionally, full bus wraps will be seen extensively in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., highlighted by a signature statement with special illumination on double-decker buses touring Manhattan's hotspots.

On the international front, Visit Tampa Bay makes a significant impact with oversized video boards at the Waterloo station in London, capturing the attention of travelers. Fully wrapped taxis navigate popular areas in Toronto, Munich, Frankfurt, and London, creating a mobile presence. Video ads featuring enticing taglines like "Hit pause on winter and relax boldly in Tampa Bay" specifically target travelers. To facilitate seamless learning and booking for international visitors, content landing pages in native languages are strategically placed on popular online booking platforms.

To view our creative in the wild, click the link below:

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. For more information, visit our website.