DAYTONA BEACH SHORES — Responding to a rough version of a 60-second TV commercial with applause, members of the advertising committee of the Halifax Area Advertising Authority offered enthusiastic approval on Tuesday for a new tourism marketing campaign, "Wide Open Fun."
That means that the campaign moves ahead to a final approval vote of the full HAAA board of directors at its 2 p.m. public meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at the Residence Inn by Marriott, 3209 S. Atlantic Ave., in Daytona Beach Shores. The HAAA board funds and oversees the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“It’s a really easy template for all the activities” in the Daytona Beach area, said Lori Campbell Baker, executive director of the Daytona Beach Area CVB, “the beach, obviously, but after that, all the cultural assets.”
The Wide Open Fun campaign, an idea that sparked criticism among residents after it was unveiled in November, is the brainchild of the Brandon Agency, a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-based advertising firm that on Oct. 1 started a two-year contract with the CVB to market the area to potential visitors.
At Tuesday’s meeting, agency founder Scott Brandon and other firm representatives offered committee members the first look at finalized concepts for the campaign. Examples of TV, digital and Facebook ads featured images of visitors on Jet Skis on the ocean, families and couples strolling on the beach, enjoying amusement rides and attractions, doing sunrise yoga meditation, golfing and dining, all accompanied by the slogan, Wide Open Fun.
Accompanied by the breezy reggae of Michael Franti & Spearhead’s “Say Hey (I Love You),” the ads filmed in December aimed to cover a range of demographics and activities that would fuel all of the year-long campaign, said Missy Thompson, Brandon’s creative director. The campaign is expected to launch in February, she said.
“We tried to get all demographics, all ages, to show families together,” Thompson said. “We’ll be using this all year long for TV spots, web video and print. We were able to get everything.”
Although the images previewed on Tuesday were still expected to be "tweaked" to fine-tune production elements, the sandy beaches and blue skies impressed committee members.
"The color really pops," said Libby Gallant, general manager of Perry’s Ocean Edge Resort in Daytona Beach Shores and chair of the HAAA board. "The beach looks big and wide."
Based on a contract that the Halifax Area Advertising Authority board of directors ratified in September, the ad agency will be paid $200,000 to produce and place ads using the new slogan in various media outlets for the campaign. The agency is paid a monthly retainer of $44,375 that includes media commission, coordination and analytics. Together, that represents an investment of $732,500 for the year-long campaign.
The HAAA is one of three tourism ad authorities in Volusia County supported by bed taxes collected by the county from local hotels, campgrounds and short-term vacation rental properties to promote the respective areas as destinations for tourism and special events.