Daytona tourism board offers rave review for 'Beach On' ad campaign ahead of October debut

DAYTONA BEACH — On the eve of its October debut, ‘Beach On,’ the rally cry at the heart of a new marketing campaign for Daytona Beach tourism, received another round of positive reviews on Wednesday from board members of the Halifax Area Advertising Authority.

“Wow, I get chills!” said board member Linda Bowers, director of sales and marketing at the 323-room Plaza Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach. “It hit me emotionally, the artistry of it. I absolutely love it.”

A quick assortment of 30-second TV spots and digital and print ads were previewed during a meeting of the county-appointed tourism board that oversees and funds the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau by representatives of The Zimmerman Agency.

In case you missed it: Daytona Beach has a new tourism slogan. Here's what replaces 'Wide. Open. Fun.'

Another preview: 'Beach On' Daytona Beach tourism campaign gets positive reviews from Volusia hoteliers

That’s the Tallahassee-based firm recently signed to a three-year contract to handle destination marketing for the Daytona CVB. Zimmerman officially starts its work on Oct. 1, when the new marketing campaign debuts.

'Like Christmas morning'

“This is like Christmas morning,” said Andy Jorishie, Zimmerman’s president of advertising. “This is the first taste, the hors d'oeuvres, of the new marketing campaign.”

As board members watched, the first of the TV ads unfolded with a family unpacking floats and beach towels from an SUV as their kids raced toward the surf.

“Something amazing always happens on a road trip to the beach,” an announcer intones. “When you get here, somehow you still have a full tank of gas. Find your trip at DaytonaBeach.com.”

Another ad features a lone walker next to the ocean at sunrise as the narrator alludes to Daytona’s 23 miles of beachfront as a scenic spot for covering daily fitness goals. A third ad revolves around visitors sipping colorful cocktails against an elegant backdrop.

Board members quickly proclaimed the productions a triumph.

“You guys are really clever and that’s really sharp,” said board chair Androse Bell, general manager of the Hard Rock Hotel. “It’s a great vibe.”

That sentiment was echoed by another board member, John Betros, area general manager of the beachside 132-room Daytona Beach Regency on North Atlantic Avenue.

“Well done,” he said. “That really looks great.”

How the ads will roll out

“Beach On’’ will be unfurled with an emphasis on digital media aimed at a range of potential demographics that include couples, empty-nesters, singles, seniors and families with young children, according to the Zimmerman team.

In addition to Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Miami and Ocala, the campaign also will aim to attract visitors from Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and the Northeast, as well as Texas and Illinois, among other targets.

On Wednesday, the board unanimously approved allocating $2.8 million, or 35% of its $7.9 million annual marketing budget, for the second quarter of the fiscal year that starts on Oct. 1. That’s an increase over the $1.3 million budgeted for the first quarter that includes the launch in October.

In Daytona Beach, "Beach On" will be the first new marketing concept for the destination since “Wide.Open.Fun.” was launched in 2018 by The Brandon Agency, the Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based company that is the CVB’s current marketing firm until its contract expires on Sept. 30. The campaign drew considerable criticism from area residents at the time.

From 2018: Daytona Beach will beckon tourists with 'Wide. Open. Fun.'

With “Beach On,” the goal is to brand Daytona Beach as the “original and best beach destination in Florida for families,” Jorishie said.

Despite the board’s optimism, there are challenges to building that mindset according to results of a “perception study” by Tallahassee-based Downs & St. Germain Research.

That company conducted an internet survey of 525 potential visitors in 17 key markets and states over 10 days in August to compile baseline data about awareness and opinions about Daytona Beach among potential visitors.

On tourism branding efforts: As tourism officials seek 'brand' for Daytona Beach, appearance and past remain barriers

On the plus side, potential visitors have high awareness of Daytona Beach, said Joseph St. Germain, the company’s president. In the survey, 70% of potential visitors know of Daytona Beach, second only to Miami Beach, he said.

Likewise, the percentage of respondents who reported visiting Daytona Beach was exceeded only by visitors to Miami Beach.

At the same time, the survey also pointed out obstacles to attracting visitors, St. Germain said.

“It’s not all sunshine and lollipops,” he said.

For example, 23% of respondents described the beach as too crowded, an image that persists decades after the MTV-fueled spring break mayhem of the early 1990s.

Unrelated to the company’s research, a fleeting indication of that perception has surfaced in a new American Express TV ad in which a woman chooses a Caribbean vacation over a trip to Daytona Beach, represented by an Instagram photo of a crowded beachfront.

In case you missed it: Daytona Beach gets a nod in new American Express ad. Is it good or bad for our reputation?

In the survey, more than 1 in 4 respondents who said they had never been to Daytona Beach said that they simply preferred another place.

St. Germain characterized such perceptions as an “educational” opportunity that could be addressed by re-introducing the destination and its family-friendly attributes to potential visitors. The survey will be repeated after the campaign has been underway for a year, he said.

“This is the baseline,” he said. “The next one will say, ‘How did we move the needle?’ The key will be how we move the needle with the campaign.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach tourism board prepares to launch new ad campaign