Nebraska Tourism Commission
Challenge
When no one’s been listening, you have to change the conversation. When we began working with the Nebraska Tourism Commission, the state had been ranked dead last for the most desirable state to visit for four years in a row. In a crowded market, no one was listening. Clearly we needed to change the conversation. In fact, to sell Nebraska, we needed to stop selling and just tell the truth: “Nebraska: Honestly, it’s not for everyone.” It’s working.
Solution
In the 2020 Portrait of American Travelers, Nebraska moved up three positions in the ranking for travel desirability, a very significant change in only two years. And whad’ya know? Real people are really showing interest in and really visiting Nebraska. Nebraska set all-time records for lodging tax collections in 2018 and 2019. In the month of June 2019 alone, visitors spent more than $88 million on lodging in the state. The campaign has also earned the state some considerable street cred. The U.S. Travel Association named Nebraska the 2019 Mercury Award winner for Branding and Integrated Marketing Campaign for a State Marketing Budget Less Than $10 Million.
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