Visit Florida unveiled a new Central Florida amusement park-centered spring ad campaign as part of its Must Be the Sunshine effort as Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet kicked off the 2013 Florida State Fair in Tampa on Thursday.
This new TV ad campaign from VISIT FLORIDA is the newest part of their work to make Florida the No. 1 travel destination in the world, Scott stated in a release of the one-minute spot that plays up Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens and the states Viva 500 celebration.
The "family-friendly" ad campaign, which incorporates television, cinema, radio, print, jumbotrons, subway station takeovers and train wraps, kicks off this weekend with the one-minute "Kids Are All Right" ad in Detroit during the Grammy Awards.
The spring campaign -- budgeted as part of the overall approximately $7 million "Must Be the Sunshine" promotion -- will then spread Monday to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
"This is just the first run at it; we'll have several other story-telling executions with the younger demographics and the older demographics, an extra day campaign that we'll be launching in the fall, said Visit Florida President and CEO Will Seccombe.
The spring campaign will also run in Florida, lest Floridians forget what else the state has to offer.
More importantly -- in light of Florida Enterprise using a Tennessee firm to produce its new brand -- the spot was produced by Miami-based SapientNitro, which will soon be launching a new website as part of the "Must Be the Sunshine" campaign.
A unapologetic promoter of Florida, Scott has proposed boosting VisitFloridas budget for the next fiscal year by 39 percent, to $75 million.
Per the governors office, what theyre saying:
Tammy Gustafson, director of National and Group Sales with Universal Orlando Resort
Our strategic partnership with VISIT FLORIDA is strong. And increasing awareness of Florida as a tourism destination brings direct, positive impact to our tourism industry and to our economy. That means growth for local businesses and jobs for our residents.
Terry Prather, president of SeaWorld Orlando
Every 85 visitors to the state support one tourism job. With the launch of this creative new campaign, VISIT FLORIDA is certainly doing its part to bring more visitors to the state and create jobs for more Floridians.
Herschel T. Vinyard Jr., secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Floridas 171 state parks, trails and historic sites are pleased to partner with VISIT FLORIDA in sharing the beauty of our state with the world. We are thankful to VISIT FLORIDA and Governor Scott for the work they do to promote our state parks and the many nature-based recreation opportunities we offer to visitors.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
