Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?Connecticut has a perception problem. Despite a decade of attempts to shift perception, Connecticut still has a reputation of being old, boring, traditional, and stuffy. To finally move the needle, it was time to dramatically change the state's visual identity with a bolder, younger, and edgier look, feel, and sound — and ultimately draw people to the state. Find Your Vibe is a modern music-based campaign that comes to life with an original song with lyrics declaring that visitors can "find it here." The message? You can find your vibe in Connecticut, no matter how unique — from big adrenaline and unreal art to neon nightlife, glamping, foodie experiences and more. Creative includes all new footage, fast cuts, vibrant imagery, and is more youthful, energetic, diverse, and unexpected than ever before. Video is a powerful component of this campaign. In addition to TV and digital video placements, we utilized video OOH in taxis and airplanes, kiosks all over Manhattan, as well as immersive OOH video experiences in major public transportation facilities including Boston's North Station and NYC's Columbus Circle subway station and Moynihan Train Hall, targeting Madison Square Garden's youthful, music-centric audiences. Video was also used in dating app ads and on social media, where entirely new videos were packaged to target families, foodies, and LGBTQ+ markets. The campaign goal? To both positively change state perception and to drive tourism after Covid-19 recovery, maximizing drive market opportunities and overnight stays.

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)We more-than-met our goals, tremendously driving visitation and drive market opportunities: • Occupancy rates increased 22% • Room revenues are up 67.1% • Revenues passed the record high set pre-pandemic in 2019 • Short term rental occupancy up 13.1% YOY • New visitors to the website are up 27% YOY • #1 in nation for drive market overnight growth – CT is leading entire country in growth rate • Almost 3 million leads sent to tourism businesses • 2 billion PR impressions

Budget: Please include total budget vs. total actual cost. How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?Media budget for full year campaign is $4.75 million.

Objective(s): What problems did the sales, marketing & guest satisfaction, or revenue optimization technology aim to solve?

Innovative use of technology: The extent to which new directions are charted or old challenges are resolved by using the technology in a new way.

Implementation & creativity: How was the technology implemented so that it was easy to use, solved a manpower problem, streamlined a function, or fueled recovery?

Results & Evaluation: How did the technology move the department or business forward to achieve goals, revenue or otherwise?

Goal: How did you demonstrate that you are committed to advancing diversity in your organization through your marketing?

Initiatives: Describe the promotion. What was your organization’s message and how does it foster diversity? How was the target audience channel developed/pursued?

Results: Please describe how your organization was purposeful in advancing diversity through this initiative. Please describe the metrics you used to judge success. What were the forecasted and actual outcomes described in your Key Performance Indicators (KPI)? What impact did the initiative have on your organization and for your customers?

Entry TitleCTVisit Find Your Vibe

DivisionAdvertising - Connected TV/Streaming/Linear

CategoryAdvertising