Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
Support The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (BMOTIA) mission to surpass a record-breaking 8 million visitors in 2023 by shining a spotlight on the destination’s 50th Anniversary of Independence.
The team sought to achieve this goal by:
- Conducting strategic audience analysis to identify new consumer segments to build upon our existing audiences and understand the types of experiences and information that would encourage them to choose The Bahamas for their next vacation.
- Spotlighting enriching cultural experiences available only in The Bahamas.
- Amplifying authentic Bahamian voices to share their love for the country’s culture, heritage, history, and the future ahead, to inspire travelers to join in on the moment.
- Sustaining a steady cadence of executive interviews as senior leadership traveled to the U.S. for industry conferences and trade events and hosted media in The Bahamas.
- Deploying a strategic ‘always on’ media relations engine that kept The Bahamas top of mind for editors and consumers, and generated headlines and stories that conveyed the significance of the 50th Anniversary.
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 achieved these goals through several strategic tactics that drove awareness and visits to the destination, all while supporting the priority marque 50th Anniversary moment.
Global Sales Missions Events occurred in 7 U.S. markets, totaling 10 separate events in key airlift cities, including Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, NYC, Raleigh, Dallas and L.A. The team secured more than 113 media and influencer RSVPs nationwide, representing top national and local outlets.
Media experience a taste of The Bahamas through interactive Q&A panels, 1:1 executive interviews, Bahamian-inspired F&B menus and live Junkanoo performances. In L.A., for example, the event generated a wave of coverage promoting the first-ever, non-stop flights from the West Coast, directly supporting our goal to connect with new travelers. The resulting coverage has surpassed 30 traditional media placements and 225M+ impressions across digital and social.
50th Anniversary Press Trip hosted 5 journalists from Refinery29, USA Today, Forbes, The Grio and Travel Noire for the chance to experience the magic of independence celebrations. A thoughtfully curated itinerary allowed media to immerse themselves in Bahamian culture in Nassau as well as the under-the-rader Cat Island.
While the two destinations are vastly different, a theme of Bahamian pride and resilience connected the experiences. The resulting coverage reflected this and featured interviews with senior tourism leadership as well as local artists and personalities, whose businesses host travelers every day.
Always On News Engine ensured the destination received surround sound coverage extending beyond a one-day newscycle and providing a platform for year-long storytelling. In January 2023, a feature in Travel + Leisure kick-started the efforts. The momentum continued with features in Ebony and a 30-minute travelogue on ABC-TV Boston’s “The Chronicle.” In total, “Always On” 50th coverage has resulted in 39 story placements and 637M+ impressions
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?
In total, the 50th Anniversary campaign has garnered over 233 media and social placements and 1B+ media and social impressions in counting. And the destination is on track to surpass its tourism arrival goal of 8 million by EOY. Through July 2023, The Bahamas has welcomed more than 5.8 million visitors.
Entry Title
Bahamas 50th Anniversary of Independence
Division
Public Relations/Communications - Special Event
Category
Public Relations/Communications