Williard Scott films national TV ad on Beach
The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau filmed a national television commercial for The Weather Channel as well as major in-state markets involving well-known, celebrity weatherman Willard Scott for its “Still Pristine” marketing campaign last Wednesday, June 30, on the beach front at Bowditch State Park.
Lee VCB aired its eighth of nine, 30-second television advertisements on the Beach to address consumer mis-perceptions and reassure visitors that the Gulf oil spill is not affecting the area’s coastline and islands. The ads, which feature actor Dan Aho as a traveler on a nine-day vacation and experiencing a different part of a Southwest Florida destination every day, have been filmed, edited and aired each day from June 21-25 and June 28 to July 1. Each of the nine spots record Aho’s travels to the area’s beaches and waterways as he discovers pristine and awe-inspiring places to check if any are affected by the Gulf oil spill.
Scott’s appearance in the innovative advertising spot will help Lee VCB “sustain visitation, protect the area’s tourism economy, and correct misconceptions regarding the spill’s impact on the destination, which remains completely untouched.” The national weatherman lives in Sanibel for five to six months out of the year.
“I want to promote everything we can for the good down here,” said Scott. “Come and see us. One picture is worth a thousand words. The water’s fine, the beaches are fine and the only thing the beaches need is people. And, you can get great deals (on places to stay).”
Scott, who has made his winter home in Southwest Florida since 1972, admittedly likes to kick back when he’s in the area.
“I like to take it easy down here and sit on my veranda on the bayou and look at the dolphin and all the wildlife across the way,” he said. “Once you get some Florida sand in your sandals, you’ll always come back.”
Lee VCB Executive Director Tamara Pigott applauded Scott’s presence in the ad and pointed out the quick filming process for the campaign is called “FreshTV” and takes less than two hours to film and about the same time to put together for the ad. The VCB is the first destination marketing organization to use this type of aggressive national advertising campaign in the face of a crisis.
“Obviously, a celebrity cameo in any of the spots certainly gives additional buzz to the campaign,” said Pigott. “Willard has been a big supporter to our community. He helped us after a hurricane incident a while back, and we reached out to him to see if he’d be willing to help us out again.”
Milwaukee-based companies True North Films and BVK were directly involved in the operations. True North filmed, edited and uploaded the TV spots, while BVK worked as the advertising agency. Main Sail Video Productions of Fort Myers shot behind-the-scenes videos to prove the authenticity of the filming.
“They shoot for literally about 1 1/2 hours and, by 10 a.m., I have a spot to proof,” said Pigott. “The main objective of the ads are to protect the local tourism industry economy. It’s a $2.6 billion industry, and we’re doing this to protect the 53,000 people who are employed in this industry.”
The Beach spot was aired locally on the same day of the shooting on Channel 7 during ABC World News with Diane Sawyer and nationally on The Weather Channel. The segments were also circulated to Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
“We’re really excited about these videos, and the reaction to them have been really positive,” said Pigott. “We hope this campaign will move on through YouTube, FaceBook and all the central media sites.”
According to Pigott, the VCB has received notification from the state governor’s office that it would get $500,000 of the $25 million BP gave to the state for marketing efforts. Coupled with the Lee County Board of County Commissioners-approved $750,000 from reserves, Lee VCB now has $1.25 million to spend at will.
“Our focus is to keep our local economy strong,” said Pigott. “We want to continue to drive tourism to Lee County by bringing visitors here to spend their dollars in our community and employ people locally.”
Watch all the television spots at the Still Pristine news room site at fortmyers-sanibel.com/still_pristine.