Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
South Walton, Florida, encompasses 16 beach neighborhoods along 26 miles of sugar-white sand and turquoise water in the Florida Panhandle. Over the past decade, the destination has seen consistent growth in visitation and Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collection. And remarkably during the global pandemic, South Walton experienced record-breaking visitor spending and TDT collection.
However, with the resurgence of commercial flights and international travel, alongside a recent saturation of our market, we observed a decline in short-term rental occupancy similar to trends across the U.S. To boost awareness and bookings, we wanted to highlight one of the major factors that makes South Walton special: its culinary scene.
Our Emotional Positioning research consistently shows that food is a primary reason visitors love South Walton. Home to award-winning chefs and over 200 restaurants, South Walton cuisine emphasizes fresh Gulf and locally sourced ingredients. Our goal was to distinguish South Walton as a premier culinary destination and bring Gulf coast flavors to visitors' homes. The solution? A South Walton cookbook.
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)
As the birthplace of “Gulf-to-Table”, South Walton culinary prowess goes beyond traditional fried beach fare, utilizing the freshest ingredients from in and out of the water.
To tell the story of South Walton cuisine, Walton County Tourism created a cookbook featuring 28 recipes from local restaurants. Each recipe provides a glimpse into the chef’s background and the restaurant’s story, along with vibrant imagery, ingredient lists, and detailed instructions to recreate these dishes at home. The recipes range from cocktails and simple starters to quintessential beach fare like fish tacos and signature South Walton dishes such as Grits a Ya Ya.
Custom illustrations throughout the cookbook reflect the sophisticated whimsy of the South Walton brand, enhancing its approachable gourmet appeal.
We strategically distributed softcover versions of the cookbook at the New York City Wine & Food Festival in October 2023, a key event to showcase our culinary excellence to potential visitors. The cookbook's distribution at the festival significantly boosted South Walton's culinary reputation, leading to increased inquiries about the destination, higher engagement on social media platforms, and a surge in visitor traffic to our website. We have also printed 100 additional softcover books for distribution at South Walton’s upcoming fall 2024 brand activations, Chicago Gourmet and NYC Wine & Food Festival.
In addition to the softcover distribution, 1,000 hardcover copies were printed and made available for purchase at the South Walton Visitor Center. The initial response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Return on Investment: How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?
Local restaurants reported a positive impact on customer interest and foot traffic, indicating that the cookbook successfully reinforced South Walton’s culinary allure. The initiative not only kept the destination top of mind for previous visitors but also attracted new potential visitors, effectively positioning South Walton as a top-tier culinary travel destination.
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Advertising - Print Collateral