South Carolina PRT recognized for integrated “Time to Thaw” ad campaign

Published in the Charleston Regional Business Journal

The multifaceted campaign was recognized by Google executives as a “powerful integrated marketing campaign that centers around one of Google’s core philosophies: Focus on the user and everything else will follow.”

The 2008 campaign was created in partnership with the department’s two advertising agencies, Rawle Murdy Associates Inc. of Charleston and the bounce agency of Greenville.

The campaign was selected from three finalists – the others were the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission – chosen from among more than 1,300 entries. The award was presented Jan. 26 in New York City during the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International’s Adrian Awards Gala. The “Time to Thaw” campaign also won gold and silver Adrian Awards for best practices in travel-related marketing and media.

“Time to Thaw” was a $500,000 effort that centered on engaging, unexpected visuals that turned four of Chicago’s underground parking garages, plus buses and a trolley, into sun-splashed beaches, perfect green fairways and scenic destinations in South Carolina. It included large murals on interior garage walls; elevator and stairwell conversions; trolley and bus wraps and on-board videos; and a 20-foot-long, custom-built sand sculpture.

Other elements were a special Web site, a contest inviting people to photograph themselves onboard a windsurfer in the Grant Park North garage, conversion of a downtown trolley into a rolling “welcome center,” air time on more than 50 Chicago radio stations and personal media outreach.

Rob Torres, managing director of travel for Google, said 73% of people who responded to a survey marked the two top boxes for the S.C. campaign in a question about whether the campaign was likely to “grab and hold their attention”; and 53% said they were “motivated to visit a Web site or call to learn more about the destination.”

“In fact, South Carolina’s ?Time to Thaw’ campaign received the highest ratings by travelers across the board,” he said.

Cindy Goodrich, Google’s senior marketing manager for travel, noted, “When we looked at how South Carolina’s campaign resonated with over 1,000 travelers in our survey, we saw overwhelmingly positive results. From its ability to make people smile to its effectiveness in driving consumers to its Web site, the ?Time to Thaw’ campaign truly stood out among the finalists as an integrated marketing effort that engaged the consumer and won over the hearts of its ?crowd.’”

Chad Prosser, director of the S.C. tourism department, said, “Our goal was to generate direct exposure in the Chicago market and increase online traffic from the region. We achieved that: Inquiries from the Chicago area increased by 51% and we have experienced an increase of more than 22% in overall traffic to our Web sites.

“This campaign was a fun and engaging way to introduce our product to hundreds of thousands of people a day by showing a little humor and demonstrating the opportunities that are available to visitors in our warm climate,” Prosser said.

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