Lee VCB enjoys solid week
To the editor:
Last week was a week of significant achievement for The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau. In addition to the launch party for our new Lonely Planet marketing materials, we were honored earlier in the week by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International with a coveted platinum Adrian Award for our “Florida’s Unspoiled Island Sanctuary” advertising campaign. The Adrian Awards honor outstanding achievements in advertising, public relations and digital marketing in the travel industry; and the prestigious Platinum winners were judged as the most extraordinary from a field of 154 Gold winners.
We are delighted to have been singled out for such a prominent international honor from the 1,000 entries in this year’s competition. We received one of just 23 platinum Adrians, with only seven of them for advertising work. These award winners outperformed all competitors with creativity and exceptional results.
Our winning, research-driven campaign was designed to build brand, generate inquiries and provide travel industry partners with co-op opportunities. It consisted of a combination of on- and off-line strategies that included television, magazine, outdoor, and newspaper advertising; online rich media banners; mobile/social marketing efforts; and search engine optimization.
The campaign drove a 26 percent increase in visitor guide requests and a 3 percent rise in traffic to the destination’s consumer website. In addition, advertising effectiveness studies showed that consumers who recalled the ads, had a more favorable impression of the destination and were able to play back (unaided) brand messaging.
Earning top honors in this international travel marketing competition recognizes the VCB’s work as some of the best in the world and acknowledges the outstanding results we are achieving for our destination. We hope you will join us in celebrating this accomplishment.
Tamara Pigott
Lee VCB Executive Director