Sunshine Matters

I’m proud to announce that today VISIT FLORIDA launched our newest social media-based campaign to increase awareness of Florida as a summer vacation destination.  The campaign features “Florida’s Three for Free Giveaway” sweepstakes, where participants can enter to win a grand prize of three personally selected Florida vacation packages.  In addition to the three-vacation grand prize, VISIT FLORIDA will award nine other single-vacation prizes.  Participants may enter daily through June 30 at VISIT FLORIDA’s Facebook page or at VISITFLORIDA.com/3forfree.

“VISIT FLORIDA worked with our tourism industry partners across the state to put together 12 unique prize packages that demonstrate the broad range of vacation options available in the Sunshine State,” said Chris Thompson, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA.  “There truly is something for everyone in Florida and creating a sweepstakes that allows participants to build their own grand prize is a great way to showcase the diverse destinations we are all so proud to share with our visitors.”

Florida’s summer tourist season (June-August) is a vital time for the state’s No. 1 industry, with summer leisure visitation accounting for 27 percent of the annual visitor total.  The majority of Florida’s summer visitors are families and couples who choose to drive and stay in the state for an average of 5.1 nights per trip. These important summer visitors spend $134 per person per day, the highest of any quarter all year.

The five-week campaign, which is expected to garner more than 425 million impressions, kicks off with targeted Facebook and Twitter ad buys.  VISIT FLORIDA worked closely with the two social media giants to develop a highly-defined target audience that includes families and couples throughout the North and Southeast who are interested in summer drive travel.  As a way to continue the campaign’s momentum, house ads on VISITFLORIDA.com and a dedicated email blast to e-newsletter subscribers will begin in early June.

In the summer of 2011, VISIT FLORIDA conducted a highly-successful Facebook-driven campaign that became the subject of white papers from Facebook and Wildfire – the Facebook marketing software provider that produced the applications used in the sweepstakes.  A Nielsen study on the “Sunshine Moments” campaign showed a 10-point increase in intent to visit Florida and a significantly improved opinion among the state’s key demographic of 25-34 year olds.

The big idea behind this summer’s campaign is to inspire visitors with an amazing collection of travel experiences that can only be found in the Sunshine State.  On the strength of the Florida brand, a compelling sweepstakes and a targeted social media plan, we expect to equal or even exceed last year’s visitor engagement levels.