Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program? Amelia Island had previously positioned itself as a Florida island with a southern accent. As markets and travel behaviors changed, the destination wanted to be reinvigorated by positioning itself as a top island destination overall — where wide-open spaces, outdoor activities and less crowds were the norm. More and more consumers began looking for those attributes when planning future vacations, and Amelia Island knew it could deliver. Additionally, COVID-19 hit the tourism industry hard, and tourists were wondering if it was safe to travel yet. Amelia Island needed a way to keep in contact with their audience and communicate what they can do on the island that still makes for a great vacation. In addition to a new brand position, the destination sought to: Build on the positive attributes of a small, low-density island with outdoor recreation. Drive business goals in economic impact, occupancy, ADR and RevPAR. Integrate a digital media strategy using comprehensive tracking, combined with travel data to inform targeting and media placements to prospects in key drive markets. Build a solid foundation for short-term recovery and long-haul visitation. First on the agenda was building on the destination's “Come Make Memories” tagline to create the campaign theme: moments. People were sheltering in place and missing that human connection. We knew we needed to highlight the quality time spent together on vacation by addressing our goal of building on the positive attributes of a small, low-density island with outdoor recreation. Our user-tested campaign imagery strategically showed little “moments” throughout the destination, playing up the beauty of our surroundings. All wide open spaces. Zero large crowds.

Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)A paid Facebook Augmented Reality portal experience was created with 360-degree photos and video. This was the perfect way to transport our audience and encourage shorter trips for those close by. With a tap of the screen, mobile device users could open the portal wherever they were, and “step through it” to be on the beach surrounded by horses. The image, which also featured breathtaking ocean views, bright blue skies and serene surroundings, doubled as an appeal to consumers we knew were looking for an escape with less crowds and lots of outdoor recreation. The portal ran natively on Facebook and Instagram so users did not have to leave the platform to experience the natural beauty of Amelia Island. Accompanying post copy prompted them to learn more about the destination, linking to the campaign’s landing page: AmeliaIsland.com/moments. In only the first week of running, the average portal view time was 24 seconds, garnering a CTR that was 6.5x’s higher than the industry average. The instant experience was part of a larger digital campaign that accomplished our goals of building a solid foundation for short-term recovery and long-haul visitation and driving economic impact. As a result, visitation has been higher than expected, with taxable lodging sales generating 75% of last year’s record numbers. Our social media followers also saw nearly 15% growth YoY. While occupancy fell nearly 28% for the fiscal year, average daily rate only declined by 8%, and total bed tax collections were only down 22% year over year (YoY). All these metrics performed higher than the 40% declines originally projected.

Project Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the project and your company efforts to demonstrate good corporate citizenship in the areas of community involvement, environmental, or socially responsible practices.

Objectives and Goals: What did organization set out to achieve in undertaking this project in CSR? What were the goals you set to measure your success?

Results: How did you measure the effectiveness of your efforts and what direct and tangible results did you achieve? Please be as specific as possible and share the full impact of your efforts in CSR.

Leadership: Please list the individual in a leadership role responsible for the project and how would you characterize their commitment to promoting corporate social responsibility in the travel and tourism industry?

Situational Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the initiative and the problem, challenge or issue you were seeking to address in the areas of developing emerging talent and engaging existing talent to meet the demands of your business.

Goals: What did your organization set out to achieve in undertaking this initiative? What obstacles did you encounter?

Results and Impact: What results had the greatest impact on your target audience? Please comment on the process and the outcomes. What measures were used to determine success?

Situational Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the initiative and the nature of the issue you were trying to impact.

Goals: Clearly state your goals. What did you strive to achieve with this initiative?

Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the initiative?

Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals and audience. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?

Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)

Entry TitleAmelia Island AR Portal

DivisionDigital Marketing - Social Media/Social Networking

CategoryDigital Marketing