What do you do when a destination brand is ranked dead last in their category?
Double down on their brand truth.
The Nebraska Tourism Commission didn’t come to VJ to reboot their old campaign or to find the flashiest new way to tell Millennials to visit Nebraska. The Nebraska Tourism Commission came to us because, according to the Portrait of American Travelers, Nebraska was ranked 50th in the list of states most desirable to travel to. Yes, 50th. Below every single other state. Even the Midwestern flyover states like Kansas and the legendarily boring ones like Delaware. Changing that, period, was our job. Officially, the Nebraska Tourism Commission challenged us with moving Nebraska up the list and making it a state that people would actually consider visiting. And our success would be measured by online visitors, travel guide downloads, and lodging tax collections.
Ah, Nebraska. The Cornhusker State. When you picture it, you may be tempted to envision endless cornfields and, well, more cornfields. But if you take a closer look, a treasure trove of charm and beauty are waiting to be discovered. Beyond those green expanses lies a symphony of sunsets, a wealth of wildlife, and heartwarming hospitality. While some folks might overlook (or even fly over) Nebraska, those in the know understand that this state, well, it’s really not for everyone.
Almost instantaneously, the campaign took off and reached far beyond the 50 states. Without a penny spent on billboards or TV spots, the revolutionary positioning of the campaign garnered international attention and received thousands of media hits, resulting in over $7 million of earned media. For the first time in decades, the conversation had genuinely shifted to be about the state of Nebraska. But people weren’t just talking about Nebraska. They were actually considering visiting Nebraska. Before the campaign was even formally launched, there was a 183% increase in site visitors to visitnebraska.com, a 492% increase in engagement with the electronic travel guide, and a 250% increase in on-site conversions.
