Challenge
To make Colorado a symbol for what it means to get off the couch, make an adventure into a lifestyle and believe that happiness is out there, just waiting to be discovered.
Solution
Assemble a team of writers, designers, photographers, filmmakers, musicians, composers, actors and recording artists. The campaign included an original score recorded by the Colorado Symphony, along with footage and photos shot everywhere from Telluride to Fort Collins. Our media strategy turned what the state had been doing on its head. Instead of pursuing reach, we focused spending on key markets like Houston, Chicago and Dallas. We mixed traditional tactics with new technologies like RFI tagging. By more effectively focusing our media spend and developing a campaign that captured the essence of Colorado, we inspired audiences to take a journey and discover what it means to come to life.
Results
The campaign reached millions of people. The spots were shared on YouTube more than a million times. Most importantly, it brought people to Colorado. The Denver Post wrote, “Research found that the Colorado Tourism Office's $4.5 million "Come to Life" television and print ad campaign, which ran in target markets in April, May and August, stirred $898 million in spending in the state. That doubles the return on investment from previous ad campaigns.” Accolades In the nine years since the Come To Life campaign launched, Colorado's share of marketable leisure travelers rose from 18th largest to 9th largest in the U.S. According to Brand + Lever, the launch of Come To Life in 2012 shifted the industry paradigm, turning travel from a physical activity to an emotional and transformative experience. Ace Metrix, a leader in measuring advertising impact, ranked the Come To life “Unforgettable” ad #1 most desirable and #2 most breakthrough out of over 1,800 national ads tested. We’ve achieved a level of economic impact as stunningly beautiful as Colorado itself. The Come To Life brand has directly garnered over $20B in influenced visitor spending since FY13. Year over year, Come To Life has delivered a campaign-high ROI of $742/1 - a return that is unprecedented for the industry. Awarded a bronze HSMAI Adrian Award for "Come To Life" Marketing Campaign in 2015. The Come To Life campaign has been ranked in the top 10% of all state tourism creative in the nation by SMARI for five years.
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