Sunshine Matters

During last week’s DMAI Convention in Austin, I had the privilege of speaking to industry professionals about how VISIT FLORIDA leverages our assets.  Chief among them are our 225,000 Florida fans – residents and visitors who love and promote the Florida lifestyle and who we influence through social engagement with the ultimate objective of maintaining a healthy brand ecosystem.

Several years ago, as the state was emerging from the shadow of the Gulf oil spill and tough economic times, VISIT FLORIDA began building an in-state advocacy program focusing on this group of passionate and active Florida residents.  We originally created the program for residents to share personal Florida invitations with their friends and family.  Over time, it has evolved into a focus on user-generated content that we leverage in tandem with our out-of-state campaigns.

As an example, this past winter we incorporated “Bragging Season” into our “Warmer Side of Winter Campaign.”  Our plan involved implementing a multi-channel campaign targeting out-of-state consumers and season-specific social engagements to magnify our influence on in-state advocates.  Encouraging residents to brag about Florida’s warm winter and inspiring cold consumers to visit the Sunshine State led to advocate growth and record-setting visitation during the winter season.

As a result of these efforts, VISIT FLORIDA has seen an organic 20 percent month-over-month growth in our social base, with peaks attached to the periods when we were in market with out-of-state campaigns.  This means participation in our out-of-state campaigns actually increases in-state advocacy.  Over the last two years, our advocates have generated more than 662,000 pieces of social content, reaching as many as 2 billion people.  Every hour #LoveFL is mentioned 47 times, and every day we see 870 Tweets on average.  Our brand advocates are a powerful resource, garnering more than 20 million impressions per month.

Ultimately, VISIT FLORIDA employs social engagement to build our brand by working with a core group of committed advocates to promote Florida in tandem with our out-of-state marketing, and we reinforce the relationship by engaging with them in complimentary campaigns.