Destinations Council Destiny Awards > Virtual Programming

Adventure Anywhere

About This Entry:

In February 2020 we were on a roll. We were running our brand-new, beautifully shot branding campaign with TV, OOH, tons of digital and partnerships all geared towards getting kids out on the water in Destin-Fort Walton Beach. Nothing could stop us from getting our target (millennial moms with children under 10) to Destin-Fort Walton Beach and experiencing a whole new adventure.

And then in March 2020… well, you know.

We paused our branding campaign indefinitely and did the only thing we could do–pivot. How could we connect with millennial families and give kids an opportunity to grow their adventurous sides in a way that would be relevant during a national lock-down? Through our campaign, Adventure Anywhere, we were able to connect with our target as well as be helpful to parents who were now faced with juggling homeschooling and working from home. So instead of getting kids out on the water in our destination, we shifted to getting kids outside at home and showing them that adventures can happen anywhere.

Campaign Strategy:

Adventure Anywhere launched on April 13, 2020 as a collection of indoor/outdoor itineraries. These itineraries connected parents, teachers, businesses and children with the wonders of our destination, all without leaving the house. We shared activities that kept kids learning, moving and entertained. Families met marine animals, got ideas for playing outside and helpful information for when they were able to eventually visit the destination.

Itineraries were sent via newsletter twice a week and accessible on the Adventure Anywhere hub on destinfwb.com.

Each itinerary included:
● Video lesson with a local expert
● Destination themed crafts and snacks
● Storytime with a local
● Live Facebook videos where families could interact with local experts
● Downloadable word searches, mazes and outdoor activities

Adventure Anywhere was promoted on all owned digital channels, website and boosted social as well as shared with the Curriculum Director for Okaloosa County Schools and area homeschool groups. We distributed a custom pitch to journalists across national family outlets and trade publications.

We created a panel of 75 local moms to test drive our Adventure Anywhere and Venture Out activities. We used our panels’ feedback to continue to refine the programs to help moms feel more comfortable venturing out.

Results:

When we say that we had a small budget for Adventure Anywhere, we mean it. Production costs for the entire content hub were a whopping $500 (yes, you read that right) which was used to purchase story time books and craft supplies. Everything else was done in-house. We ran Adventure Anywhere on all of our owned channels and supported the campaign by a boosted social budget of $3,538.15.

Despite our small budget, the Adventure Anywhere campaign drove high levels of engagement and time spent on the website:
● Engagement rate: 6.1% engagements per impression, a 201% increase vs. pre-campaign
● Time spent on website: 2:59 average time on Adventure Anywhere page, a 40% increase over our site average
● Full video views: 23.8K video engagements, a 100% vs. prior period (4/21-5/19)
● Partner listings: 32.2K page views, an 80% increase vs. prior period (4/21-5/19)

Tourism Tax Collections went up 22.0% from July-December 2019 to July-December 2020.
According to VisaVue data, spend per visitor went up 9.2% during the same time period year over year.

Why This Is A Finalist: 

The campaign integration of programming with the school system and partners through the eTV platform was imaginative. Moms and children were a captive audience at the time. Pivoting the campaign to essentially become curriculum that's studied deepens the impact and retention of info conveyed thru vids.